Okay, so if you've read this before, you may want to read through again. I reworked and added on to the first 4 chapters (which have become 3 chapters). Very little of the meat of the story has changed, but I added in some more back story and action to fill it out. I'm sorry to those of you who have been waiting quite a while for me to update. I plan to begin the next chapter as soon as I finish uploading these first three. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome. I'm having fun writing this, and I want it to be the best story it can be, so give me all your notes!

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Leon stepped lightly down the wet sidewalk of a nearly deserted downtown Sacramento, gun in hand. California's capitol had been evacuated the previous day, when news of a B.O.W. Outbreak had reached D.C. Once the majority had been evacuated to medical camps stationed outside city limits, the entire city had been quarantined. Every exit and entrance, blocked. It appeared as though no living humans remained. Even the zombie's numbers were low. The main streets had already been cleared by the B.S.A.A. As if punctuating this assertion, machine gun shots fired off in the distance. The evidence of what had occurred could be seen in the carnage that was left behind.

Wrecked and abandoned vehicles blocked the roads. Storefronts and windows had been smashed to pieces. Bodies littered the streets. It was easy to imagine the chaos that led up to the city's current state. Leon only had to close his eyes to hear the screams. According to his briefing, the incident began roughly around 9pm, the day before last. The first 911 calls came from the capitol building, making it a likely location for the initial outbreak. The yet unidentified virus spread quickly, and the city was enveloped in chaos. Fortunately, the appropriate authorities were informed immediately. Within 24 hours, a perimeter of barricades had been set up, and all survivors who made it out were sent to quarantine camps to ensure no infected were allowed to escape and spread the virus. B.S.A.A. officers had been dispatched throughout the city to locate survivors while clearing infected. Leon, however, had different orders. He was here to find out what the hell happened to cause this mess.

"The one up side to this shit happening over and over is that we're at least getting more efficient about cleaning it up," Leon's mouth curled in a sour smirk. He was used to being alone among throngs of the undead, forced to fend for himself against hundreds of hungry foes. It was unusual for the veteran B.O.W. hunter to show up this late in the game. This looked like it was going to be a walk in the park. A park with corpses scattered about.

The reason for his tardiness was that he had been out of the country on personal business. He'd received intel on the possible whereabouts of a woman he had been trying to track for months. His search had taken him to France, but the lead turned out to be fruitless. Just the most recent in a series of failed attempts. It was almost a relief when he got the call from HQ. At least this was a problem he knew how to tackle. Sidestepping a corpse, the special agent made his way toward the capitol building. The state of the roads made it impossible to proceed in a vehicle. A nearby street sign indicated he only had a few more blocks to go. A voice sounded from his headset.

"Leon, what's the situation there?"

"I'm sure you can guess, Hunnigan."

The operations coordinator sighed audibly. "Pretend I have no idea."

Leon couldn't help but grin. In the years he'd worked with Ingrid Hunnigan, she had loosened her no-nonsense, business only persona a bit. It never ceased to amuse him when he was able to annoy her. "Well, as you can imagine, the city's a mess. On the bright side, the B.S.A.A. has done a pretty good job taking out infected. I haven't encountered any hostiles yet."

"Good. Let's hope it stays that way," before he was able to respond with sarcasm, she continued, "Have you reached the capitol building yet?"

"No, but I'm not far from it. I can see it up ahead."

"Proceed cautiously, Leon. My reports show that that building hasn't been cleared yet. It seems B.S.A.A. officers have only done a run through the main roads so far. As far as we know, the capitol building could be teeming with B.O.W.s"

"Yeah, that sounds like my luck," Kennedy grumbled. "Don't worry, Hunnigan. I've been in worse situations than this."

"I know, but that's no reason to let your guard down."

"My guard is all the way up. I promise. I'm approaching the building now. I'll let you know what I find," without waiting for a response, he added, "Leon out."

Broken glass crunched under his steel toe boots, as he stepped into the courtyard of the huge, white building. It was all pristine white columns and ornate molding, a giant dome rising from its center. If it wasn't surrounded by corpses and wreckage, it would be a lovely sight. The steps leading to the building's double doors were slick with blood. It was no wonder, seeing what remained of several bodies, strewn about. The entrance's double doors were half open, with what remained of a body holding the left side ajar.

"What a welcome mat."

Pushing the right side open, Leon carefully stepped over the zombie's dinner leftovers. The interior of the building didn't look much better. Looking over the large, circular room, it was clear that a massacre had occurred. The black and white checkered tiles were splattered with blood and remains. There were few bodies on the ground, but plenty ambling about the room, taking jerky steps on rotting legs. The intricately molded walls curved into a balcony overhead. Above that, the ceiling stretched up to form the interior of the huge dome he had seen outside, the very top made of glass, letting streams of sunlight into the otherwise unlit room. In the center of the room was a statue depicting three figures. It appeared to be a Queen, a man, and a child. The acoustics of the vast room made the soft moans of the scattered undead bounce around eerily.

Still at the entrance, Leon did a quick hostile count. There were at least two dozen that he could see. The hallways branching off the main room were likely to hold even more. Even if he was willing to waste the ammo, firing his gun would only draw more to his location. While the virus at work here hadn't been identified yet, it's effects seemed familiar. These zombies were reminiscent of those he had faced in Raccoon City so many years ago.

"Slow and stupid," he mused. "I can work with this."

Kennedy slowly crept his way around the perimeter of the room. His goal was the hallway to his right. It was as good a place as any to start searching, and getting out of the open would reduce his chance of being surrounded. Keeping his eyes on the zombies nearest to him, Leon continued forward, even going as far to mimic the movements of an infected to avoid detection. Nearing the open hallway, he was pleased to see it was free of B.O.W.s. Leon was about to congratulate himself on making it through undetected when a shrill scream echoed out from down the hallway he was about to enter. The tawny haired man froze in place. At once, every head in the room turned to face him.

"Fuck."

Leon made a mad dash away from his new friends. He glanced into each open room he passed, searching for the source of the scream. While some held infected, there wasn't a living human in sight. The hallway filled with shuffling bodies behind him. There was no time to search any more thoroughly. To his right, a door marked "staff" came into view. Fortunately, it was unlocked, and the former police officer threw himself through it, slamming it shut behind him. He twisted the lock and turned to scan the room for something to block the door with. Instead, he found a gun pointed at his face.

"Well, well, well…" a low, velvety voice purred from behind the barrel. "Look who decided to drop in for a visit. I know you miss me, but now really isn't a good time."

Lowering the weapon, short, jet-black hair came into view, followed by piercing eyes and a cat-like smile.

Leon's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the woman he had been searching for the past six months. "Ada!"

The woman cocked her head slightly and smirked, "Long time no see."

o-o-o-o-o-o

Six months previous, Leon Kennedy had been at a loss. He had helped stop what might have been the end of the known world, but in the end, he was left with more questions than answers. On paper, it was stated that the mastermind behind the whole ordeal was none other than Ada Wong. It was also on paper that she had been taken out. Leon had failed to correct this misinformation, and without being prompted, Helena had done the same. He did feel guilty for hiding the truth, but if it got out that Wong was alive, she would be on every most wanted list. He only wondered if that was what she deserved. According to documentation, she had planned on infecting the entire world, and nearly succeeded. The C-Virus had been distributed to so many victims. The damage was extensive. Chris Redfield himself was witness to several murders at Wong's hands.

Despite this information, Leon just couldn't bring himself to believe Ada was really the one responsible. He'd known her to be secretive, and sometimes even untrustworthy, but never had he seen her harm anyone (or thing) that hadn't had it coming. Not to mention all the times she had saved his life. Lying and stealing he could believe, but effectively destroying the world? It just didn't add up. If for no other reason, there was nothing for her to gain from such an act. She had always worked with personal gain in mind. Senseless destruction doesn't typically pay well.

So began his personal mission to find the woman and ask her himself. Unfortunately, this was easier said than done. She was like a shadow. Every time he tried to shine a light on her, she became less visible. He used all his personal time, tracking leads and listening to whispers. It was all in vain. His most recent tip that had taken him to France had him nearing the end of his patience. This quest had become his obsession. He had to know the truth about Ada Wong.

o-o-o-o-o-o

The sound on several bodies slamming into the locked door snapped Leon out of his stupor. Coming to his senses, he noticed a large, wooden bookshelf against the wall, next to the door. He threw himself against it, but it barely moved. Ada clicked over on red heels and helped push it in front of the door. She wore a black pencil skirt and a white button-down blouse. A black choker circled her slender neck, with an oval ruby centered over her throat. Being this close to the woman he had been so desperately searching for felt surreal. He feared taking his eyes off her, knowing she'd disappear the second he did.

After securing the door, the mercenary walked back to where she had been previously, in front of a wall of security monitors, and removed a thumb-drive from one of the present computer towers. She placed it in her bra, as she turned to face Leon who had yet to find words.

"So, did you come all this way to see little old me, or are you here on other business?" She folded her arms and leaned against the wall.

"I'm here to find out who caused this mess," The agent took a step closer, "And I found you."

Ada let out a gasp, feigning shock and holding her hand to her heart. "Why, Leon, are you accusing me of all people? And, here I thought we were friends."

"According to a lot of people, you did a lot worse in China."

"What about you, hm?" She closed the gap between herself and Kennedy, "Do you believe I was responsible?"

It was hard for Leon to think with Ada so close. The faint scent of her perfume was enough to make him forget everything he'd wanted to say to her. Even the pounding on the door felt far away and unimportant. Forcing himself back on track, he locked eyes with the woman who haunted his dreams. "I don't know what to believe."

"The answer is simple." Wong sat on the edge of the security desk, "What could I possibly have to gain from spreading the C-Virus? Have you ever known me to do anything without reason?"

"I never know why you do anything!"

Ada laughed at the outburst, "Poor thing. You're just so confused, aren't you? I love that look on you. It reminds me of a lost puppy. So cute."

Leon clenched his fist, "This isn't a joke, Ada. I've been looking for you. I want to know the truth. About what happened. About what you are."

The smile left the woman's face. "What I am is out of time for your little Q and A session."

She got up and made for the unblocked exit of the room. Leon grabbed her wrist before she could escape.

"I saw a video," he began. She froze at the statement. "I saw someone being born… from some sort of cocoon. She… looked like you."

Ada turned to face the special agent, and responded nonchalantly, "Yeah, she did look like me, didn't she?"

Kennedy loosened his grip, a sense of relief washing over him. "Who was she?"

"Does it even matter?" shaking her wrist from Leon's grasp, she turned herself away once more. "She's dead now, and all evidence of her existence has been destroyed. It's over and done with. Let it go."

"How am I supposed to 'let it go'?" The man raised his voice, frustration returning. "I just want to know what really happened. I can help you clear your name."

Ada chuckled, "And why would I want to do that? The world thinks I'm dead, and that works out just fine for me."

"Well, that's not fine with me," He spun her around, to look her in the eyes, leaving his hands on her shoulders. "I want to know more than just the truth about China. I want to know you. I can't do that if you're in hiding."

For a moment, the raven-haired woman was at a loss for words. It was not a familiar feeling for her. She met his gaze, taking in his face. The years had turned the baby-faced youth she had met so many years ago into a battle-hardened man. He had clearly missed a shave or two, and fine lines were beginning to form around his eyes. If anything, he was more handsome now than when they had met. However, she didn't have the luxury of entertaining these thoughts.

"What do you think this is? Some kind of soap opera?" She backed away, removing herself from Leon's touch. "Five minutes ago, you thought I was some freak, born in a lab. Now what? You want to take me out for dinner?"

"Ada, I-"

"You can't be everyone's knight in shining armor, Leon," a loud crack, alerted them to the door breaking behind the bookshelf.

Kennedy looked from the door back to Wong. He didn't know how to respond, and it was clear that they were running out of time. Her eyes were locked on the bookshelf as she backed away, towards the rear exit of the room.

"Let's just get out of here, and-" before he could finish his sentence, the shelf came crashing down. The splintered remains of the door were pushed aside by the throng of undead fighting to get through.

Ada was already exiting the room, and Leon quickly followed, calling out, "Ada! Hold on!"

There were infected in this hallway, but far fewer than what they faced in the other direction. Kennedy pulled out his knife, holding it in conjunction with his gun. He tried to catch up to the mercenary, but she was ridiculously quick on her feet. Effortlessly dodging the undead in her path, she turned a corner and vanished from site. Leon not being as acrobatic, was left trailing behind, forced to deal with the zombies the spy left in her wake. A door slammed shut out of sight. He followed her path, turning left around a bend. There were several doors she could have taken. It seemed hopeless to continue chasing her. Taking out a nearby zombie with a knife to it's brain, he chose the nearest doorway, and hoped for the best. To his surprise, he was greeted by a vase, flying toward his head, accompanied by a familiar shriek.

Leon dodged the ceramic vessel and turned his attention to his attacker. Crouched behind a desk was a well-dressed black woman who looked like she had just survived a nightmare. Her lavender skirt suit was ripped and stained. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she had little cuts and bruises all over the exposed parts of her limbs. The lady appeared to be in her thirties, with her hair pulled back into a large bun on the back of her head.

"Are… you alive?" The woman asked in a shaky voice.

"Well, I don't want to eat you, if that's what you're worried about."

She slumped her shoulders in relief, supporting herself with the desk she had been ducking behind. "Thank god… I thought I was the only one left."

"Far from it," he responded encouragingly. "The B.S.A.A. is making their rounds, and all of the survivors are in quarantine camps outside of the city. Don't worry. You're getting out of here."

The woman teared up, finally seeing the light at the end of a long dark tunnel.

"At least one woman is happy to see me," he muttered under his breath.

The woman gasped, bringing Leon out of his pity party. Her eyes locked behind him, and he knew the drill. Spinning on his heel, he came face to face with a nasty looking B.O.W. In the chaos of his entry, Kennedy had forgotten to close the door behind him. How the zombie had managed to sneak up so quietly was another question entirely. He raised his knife up and slammed it into the monster's eye. Blood poured out of the wound, a bit splashing Leon's face as he removed his weapon. As his enemy fell to the floor, the wails of it's brethren echoed down the hall.

He held out his hand to the survivor as she crept out from behind her hiding spot, "Come on. It's time to go."