The Woman Who Wasn't There
Chapter V
Miss Cleo. No. Oprah rerun. God, no. Infomercial - the Ab-Doer. No, again. Living life on the run kept her in more than good shape. COPS rerun. No, but she remembered the night she and Leon got very drunk and came up with the R.P.D. version. Chris had thought it highly disrespectful. Leon had slurred out an incoherent argument in their defense and as soon as he had finished, threw up at Chris' feet to accentuate his point. It was the first time Claire ever saw Leon get drunk. It was also the first time she noticed that Chris and Leon really just didn't get along that well.
It had been two nights since she, Leon and Ada Wong had checked out the underground facility. Chris had been furious when he heard about the danger his little sister had been in but had calmed down considerably when Claire handed him the Hunter tissue sample. Not having access to a lab, the group had decided to hand it over to the RLF and their murky but so far reliable resources to have them analyze it. Jill volunteered for the task, something which surprised Leon and Claire. Jill normally avoided meeting the RLF personally because of their "attachment" towards her. Chris had been too excited to notice.
Claire returned to channel surfing. Weather Channel - Rainy and humid tomorrow. Chance of severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. Claire wondered how well a Miata handled in the rain. There were a lot of dangerous roads around here, you never could tell. Next. Three's Company rerun. A sitcom about a group of people who lived together, knew and cared about each other deeply but communicated solely through misunderstanding and innuendo. No, no, no.
Claire threw the remote down in disgust. It was three in the morning and despite the best efforts of late, late, late night television, she wasn't about to get any sleep. Insomnia wasn't new to her. She had bouts of it on and off since her early teens. Usually she could take a few sleeping pills and be able to call it a night. When she went to the pharmacy the other day however, the only over the counter pills in stock bore the red and white symbol of Umbrella. She had almost forgotten that the company made something other than corpses.
When Mr. Roper started making his "Jack's gay" hand gestures for the millionth time, Claire gave up and turned off the television. Jill kept a stash of Ben & Jerry's hidden in the basement freezer; if Claire was going to stay up all night, she decided to enjoy it. She put on a pair of sweatpants that badly mismatched her nightshirt and left her bedroom.
She could see a light on in the kitchen. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with trouble sleeping. It wasn't Chris; she could hear the familiar sound of his snoring coming from his and Jill's bedroom. Maybe Jill had gotten sick of listening to it.
As she walked down the stairs to the kitchen, she saw that it was Jill. The look on her face indicated that snoring wasn't the cause of her problems. She sat staring into the living room, absently eating from a pint of the coveted ice cream. Claire actually startled her a little when she spoke. "I was just coming down here to have some of that myself, you know."
Jill scooted the ice cream away from Claire. "Sorry, last pint." She gave Claire a once over. "Nice clothes, though. I never would have thought to put that shade of green with that shade of orange."
Claire did a little twirl to better show Jill her outfit. "Personally, I like the combination of lumpy cotton with silk. It says I'm sexy and delicate but not afraid to be a slovenly pig."
"You really ought to write for Vogue."
Claire elaborately rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm a Cosmo girl."
Jill couldn't keep her straight face. She had been brooding all night. A bit of silliness with Claire was a welcome reprieve. She generously changed her mind about the ice cream and shoved the container over to Claire.
"Phish Food?" Claire said as she picked out a chocolate fish. "I didn't think you ate seafood anymore."
"I don't think the fudgy kind count, Claire."
"Still, I better eat the rest of this. On principle, of course." Claire didn't even bother to get her own spoon before digging in. After a few spoonfuls, she asked teasingly, "You don't have any germs or anything, do you?"
Jill pretended to be hurt. "Me? I haven't even so much as sneezed in months." Six months if Jill had actually been counting.
"Clean livin', huh? Well, as clean as you can get living with my slob of a brother."
The mention of Chris brought Jill back to her brooding. The past couple of days had seen the already fervent elder Redfield become increasingly more consumed by his pet cause of destroying Umbrella. Everything was about Ada Wong and her plan now. When would they meet her? When would Barry get back from Canada? When could they leave for Florida? When could he get his hands on Wesker? Jill just wanted to know when it would all be over.
"You're worried about him, aren't you?"
Claire's downcast eyes told Jill that she was worried about him too. "He's losing himself in this," was all Jill could say.
Claire moved the spoon around the container, scraping up marshmallow and caramel. She didn't eat it though. She wasn't that hungry anymore.
Jill noticed and apologized. "God, now I'm bumming you out too. I'm sorry, Claire. It's just...it's just I've never seen him this bad before. Even after the mansion incident. Chris, Barry, Rebecca and I worked twenty-four seven on finding out all we could about Umbrella, but we took breaks. We watched TV. We played poker. We talked to each other like normal people, not commanding officers giving orders. Barry called me and told me how Chris talked to him on the phone. Chris demanded that he come back. Not asked, demanded. And yesterday? What was with that ultimatum he gave Leon about setting up a meeting with Ada?"
Jill could have gone on for a lot longer, but was interrupted by Claire pitching the ice cream into the sink. Not coincidentally, she did it right after Jill said Ada's name.
"Having your own problems, I see," Jill commented.
Claire slouched over the kitchen table with an exasperated sigh. "I just wish I knew exactly what my problems are."
"This isn't about Ada and her plan. It's about Ada and Leon."
"Yes...No...Maybe...Sorta...I don't know. I really don't. I mean I do, but I don't know why." She rolled her head over to look at Jill. "I'm babbling like an idiot, aren't I?"
"I think it's understandable in the circumstances. Come on, Claire. I ranted on about your brother. It's your turn with Leon."
"Hmm, where to begin?" It was a good question. Claire didn't have a good answer. She didn't have any answer at all.
"Claire..."
"He's my friend. He's my close friend. He's probably the best friend I've ever had. And I'm watching him get involved with a woman who seriously messed with his head before and who definitely has her own agenda now. I don't trust her. I can barely stand her. And I just can't shake the feeling that she's using him."
"She admitted that she needs our help to get free of her employers."
Claire snorted. "Oh, yes, The Company. The Oh-So-Fucking-Mysterious Company. You know, I half think she's pulling this out of her ass. She's not giving us their name because she hasn't made up a cool enough sounding one yet. This is all some giant scam and we're going to wind up getting screwed. All of us."
Jill shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Claire's misgivings about Ada weren't that far from her own. The RLF hadn't been able to come with any information at all about her so far - no identification numbers, no aliases, no credit history, no employment history, no anything. They even did a check on the hotel that Leon said she was staying in. According to the hotel records, Ada's room was vacant. She was, as Clark called her, the woman who wasn't there.
And they were all supposed to place their lives in her hands.
For the next few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the kitchen clock. Both women were lost in thoughts they were sick of having to deal with.
Claire got up and retrieved the ice cream. She gave it a few half-hearted pokes with the spoon before throwing it away. "Jill?" she asked thoughtfully, "Do you think I'm being paranoid? I know there really are men in dark suits out there; I've encountered them. I didn't imagine those Hunters either and Ada's explanation sounds as good as anything else I can come up with."
Jill shrugged. She couldn't tell Claire something that she didn't know herself. She suspected Claire's concerns were more than just friendly, but let it go. They had dug around in the dirt long enough tonight and Jill was tired. She needed to go upstairs. She needed to get some sleep. She needed to get away from the nagging sensation that things were only going to get worse.
***
Leon was up and out the door before anyone else in the townhouse had woken up. He was to have breakfast with Ada this morning. They were going to set up the meeting with Chris and the others.
If it had been up to him, he would have waited a few more days. It was selfish on his part, he knew, but the last two days had proven to be enlightening for him. Not about Ada's mission - she remained evasive about her employers - but Ada herself. He was learning the small details about her that transformed her from an intriguing enigma to a real woman with depth and warmth. His lingering doubts had been pushed out by discussions of her favorite movies and books, trips she had taken all over the world and, in a moment of true connection between the two, a little bit about her parents and her childhood. Slowly but surely, Ada's icy veneer was melting.
Claire sniffed at the idea, but Jill was cautiously optimistic. Chris didn't give a damn if she turned into "Mother Fucking Teresa" as long as she quit stalling and met with him. Before he left to go home last night, Ada had admitted to Leon that she was, in fact, stalling. She said she had been enjoying herself too much. The chance to do something as ordinary as getting to know another person beyond vital statistics didn't present itself that often to her. She wanted it to last as long as it could. Especially since she liked everything she had learned so much.
He had tried not to grin like a fool when she said that, but did a poor job of it. Ada had thought him adorable. To prove it, she had kissed him. A soft, quick kiss that served as a whisper of things to come. Then she had said goodnight and shut the door to her hotel room, leaving Leon alone in the hall with an even bigger grin on his face. He didn't mention the kiss to anyone when he came home.
He was thinking about it now though. It had seemed so spontaneous but so natural. Ada wanted to do it so she did. There wasn't any agonizing over whether it would change things or if it was inappropriate. It was a simple thing to do. It was a normal thing to do. And, for a moment, it kept him from thinking about Umbrella, zombies, Chris Redfield's attitude and a million other things that pulled at him.
But all the baggage was still there and it needed to be dealt with. As much as he was looking towards breakfast, he wasn't happy about forcing Ada to meet with the others tonight. He walked into the restaurant wishing Redfield would just learn some damn patience.
He was momentarily cheered by the incongruity of seeing Ada sitting at the Denny's counter surrounded by blue-collar workers. She was impeccably dressed as always. She knew the names of just about every designed that ever lived and could pick them out of magazine at a glance. When Leon questioned the use of such a talent, Ada had jokingly called him a Philistine and then commented on men and their sports statistics. He didn't bother explaining why that was different because he knew she would just explain to him why it wasn't.
One of the men beside her was making a valiant effort to hit on her. Ada nodded her in time to the story he was telling her while playing with a straw wrapper. She was on autopilot, not listening to the man at all but making a show of it. She was nonetheless relieved when Leon appeared. She kindly excused herself and went over to join Leon at a booth by the door.
"Making new friends?" Leon quipped.
"It must be the new 'open' me. People are just dying to meet me."
It was a good a segue as he was ever going to get. "Speaking of meeting new people..."
Ada finished the sentence for him. "Chris Redfield requests my presence. He's right really. I leave for Florida next week and we need to get the details nailed down beforehand. We'll meet at your place then."
"No. They want someplace neutral. And someplace public."
"In case this is a set-up, right? I understand. What have they suggested?"
"The mall on Center Street. The food court."
"Espionage and a snack? Lovely. So who will be in attendance? The Redfields, I presume and that female S.T.A.R.? Valentine, yes?"
Leon didn't remember mentioning Jill to Ada, but he must have. "I don't think the roster been finalized yet. It may be just you, me and Chris."
Ada turned the page of her menu. "Well, we'll just have to see."
***
The scenery passed by in a blur. Barry Burton wasn't watching it anyway. He sat in the back of the train, his luggage splayed over the seats around him as a message to his fellow passengers to stay away. In his hands, he was turning a photograph over and over again. It was taken two winters ago. His daughters were decorating the Christmas tree, coating it with layer upon layer of tinsel until the tree looked like it was wrapped in tin foil. His wife was in the corner of the photo. Her hands covered her face as she tried to keep the girls from seeing her laugh at their efforts. Barry was behind the camera.
He tried to tell himself he wasn't leaving them behind. He was doing this for them. He was going to make sure that bastard Wesker wasn't ever even going to think of his family again. Once more into the breach and that would be it.
This mission better damn well be on the level.
***
Jill's cell phone rang. After checking the number, she excused herself from Chris and Claire and went upstairs. She'd been waiting for this call.
"Yeah?"
"Nice greeting, Jill. How are you today?"
"I don't have time for sarcasm, Clark. Tell me you have something."
"Uh, I'd hate to lie to you. Maybe we'd be able to find out more if we had a better idea of what we're looking for. I know you were kidding about the picture thing, but it might help."
"Okay. We're meeting her tonight at the Center Street mall. But it's not like I can just take a candid with her. 'Oh, hey, Ada. Let's go take some pictures in one of those booths.' She's not going to buy that."
"Tell us where you're going to be. We'll take the picture."
"I'm not trusting the three of you to this. You'd probably hide behind one of those big planters and wind up knocking it over."
"I should act offended, but yeah, you're right. I don't suppose you got another plan though."
"I'm supposed to give you those cell samples sometime. How about tonight? If I get bored afterwards, I'll just go shopping."
"See you at the standard time. I'll bring the telephoto lens."
The line went dead. Jill tapped the cell phone again her leg. She was nervous. She was running out of time to find out about Ada. She wasn't sure how a picture was going to help, but it was all she had left. If Ada saw her at the mall spying on her though, it could ruin everything. She doubted Chris would be too thrilled to find out what she was up to either.
At least Claire would be on her side. Christ, she thought, When did we start picking sides?
***
The line for Cinnabun was huge. Apparently everyone in the mall had a craving for vast amounts of cinnamon and sugar. Claire stood behind a young mother with two wriggly children and not so patiently waited her turn. In fifteen minutes, they would meet with Ada. She was glad for all the noise around her. She highly doubted Chris would be able to keep his temper and voice down.
Right now, he was completing his third circuit through the food court. Leon was already sitting down at a table near a display of wedding dresses. He wasn't about to join Chris in his hunt for suspicious persons. Claire noted the irony of the change. Leon was being the cool, confident one while Chris paced around paranoid.
She wished Jill were here. Why of all nights had she chosen to go meet the RLF? Why did she want to meet them in the first place? When she asked Jill, she told her to just trust her. The way she said it made Claire think that she was up to something, but she had no idea what it could be. She guessed she would find out eventually.
There were only two more customers in front of Claire when Ada walked through the court. Leon went up to her immediately. Chris hung back, waiting for an introduction or checking her over. Most likely the latter. Claire decided she wanted a cinnabun really badly and pointedly stayed in line. Ada didn't pay attention to either Redfield. She did seem to be searching for something though.
Chris noticed. "Looking for somebody?" he asked harshly.
"I just wanted to see what the odds were," she said indifferently.
"Come on, Ada, Chris. We're all on the same side here," Leon put in. He was going to be the mediator tonight. "Shall we sit? I picked a table that's out of the way enough to give us some privacy but still in full view of the public. Just in case." He glared at Chris on the last part, then gave Ada an apologetic look.
Chris stomped off to the table. Leon made a gentlemanly "after you" gesture which Ada thanked him for before she followed Chris. Claire paid for her cinnabun and contemplated how long it would take Ada to get mashed in icing and dough out of her hair.
"Will Miss Ponytail be joining us?" Ada asked as she sat down.
"That's my sister you're making fun of bit-"
"Yes, Claire will be joining us. So why don't we all just wait calmly for her, okay?" So much for mediation. Leon was going to be a full-blown peacekeeper tonight.
"And Miss Valentine?"
Chris didn't even blink. "Who?"
Ada dismissed the question. "Fine, fine. Play your games. I did come here to talk seriously though."
By this time Claire had joined the trio at the table. She said a factitious hello to Ada before setting to work on her cinnabun. It was time to get down to business.
Chris started with a predictable question. "Where's Wesker now?"
"In South Africa. You know the cliché about there being a cure for everything in the rainforest? The Company believes there's a disease for everybody there too. He'll be wrapping up a little research before heading to Florida."
Claire threw down a chunk of bun in disgust. Typical Umbrella, or Company, bastards.
Chris took the second question as well. "So how 'research' does your company have already? They obviously know how to make Hunters. What else do they have?"
"They have everything Umbrella had when Wesker left his employment there plus a few things they've cooked up on their own."
"Like what?"
Ada drew the line there. "I'm not meeting with you to discuss the Company. We're here to discuss my mission - our mission - in Florida. We're after Umbrella and Wesker for the moment. I don't recommend taking on too much at once."
Chris didn't like that. Leon and Claire slunk down in their seats in preparation of his response. He managed to keep his voice down, but the barely contained rage that seeped through his voice was somehow worse than yelling. "You came to us for help. You need us. So you do what you're told. You tell us what we want to here. Or you can crawl back to your bosses and keep being their bitch."
Now Leon was livid. "For god's sake, Redfield. Do you think you could at least try to not be such an asshole?"
"I was going to call her something else. I thought I was being polite."
Ada stopped Leon from worsening the argument. Her voice was as placid as ever when she spoke. "You're partly right. I do need you. But I think you're missing an important point. Ours is a symbiotic relationship. I need you, but you need me as well. Do you really think a few cell samples from decaying Hunters is all you require to take down Umbrella? What about Wesker? You don't get him without my help. And you don't even know who my employers are."
"You could remedy that last problem," Claire said.
"I'm not prepared to do that just yet."
Leon went back to his role as the impartial one. "Ada, we're not saying we don't need your help. We're not, Chris. But we really need to establish some kind of trust here. We'll trust you by going to Florida on nothing but your say so. Now you have to give us something in return."
"Leon..."
"Ada."
"They operate under the guise of a chemical company in London. Their official products are fertilizers of all things. That's all I can tell you."
A pack of teenagers walked by the wedding dress display. They saw the group but didn't hear anything they said. Two of the girls started a debate about who was cuter - the stern looking man with the close cropped brown hair or the redhead with the bangs. The consensus was divided when they passed by Jill Valentine and the RLF in their hiding place behind the magazine stand in the bookstore.
***
Author's Notes: Okay, that was a long one. Took forever to write too. Reading over it, I realized the Ab-doer infomercial is anachronistic. If we're sticking to the RE timeline, this takes place in early 2000. The Ab-doer wasn't inflicted upon us until spring this year. The only other infomercial for exercise equipment I could think of was Suzanne Summers' Thigh-Master and good god, we can't have two Three's Company references in the same chapter can we? For those of you who have no clue what Three's Company is - consider yourselves blessed. Next up: The plan is finalized. The triumphant (not really) return of Barry. And the RLF continues to hack.
Chapter V
Miss Cleo. No. Oprah rerun. God, no. Infomercial - the Ab-Doer. No, again. Living life on the run kept her in more than good shape. COPS rerun. No, but she remembered the night she and Leon got very drunk and came up with the R.P.D. version. Chris had thought it highly disrespectful. Leon had slurred out an incoherent argument in their defense and as soon as he had finished, threw up at Chris' feet to accentuate his point. It was the first time Claire ever saw Leon get drunk. It was also the first time she noticed that Chris and Leon really just didn't get along that well.
It had been two nights since she, Leon and Ada Wong had checked out the underground facility. Chris had been furious when he heard about the danger his little sister had been in but had calmed down considerably when Claire handed him the Hunter tissue sample. Not having access to a lab, the group had decided to hand it over to the RLF and their murky but so far reliable resources to have them analyze it. Jill volunteered for the task, something which surprised Leon and Claire. Jill normally avoided meeting the RLF personally because of their "attachment" towards her. Chris had been too excited to notice.
Claire returned to channel surfing. Weather Channel - Rainy and humid tomorrow. Chance of severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. Claire wondered how well a Miata handled in the rain. There were a lot of dangerous roads around here, you never could tell. Next. Three's Company rerun. A sitcom about a group of people who lived together, knew and cared about each other deeply but communicated solely through misunderstanding and innuendo. No, no, no.
Claire threw the remote down in disgust. It was three in the morning and despite the best efforts of late, late, late night television, she wasn't about to get any sleep. Insomnia wasn't new to her. She had bouts of it on and off since her early teens. Usually she could take a few sleeping pills and be able to call it a night. When she went to the pharmacy the other day however, the only over the counter pills in stock bore the red and white symbol of Umbrella. She had almost forgotten that the company made something other than corpses.
When Mr. Roper started making his "Jack's gay" hand gestures for the millionth time, Claire gave up and turned off the television. Jill kept a stash of Ben & Jerry's hidden in the basement freezer; if Claire was going to stay up all night, she decided to enjoy it. She put on a pair of sweatpants that badly mismatched her nightshirt and left her bedroom.
She could see a light on in the kitchen. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with trouble sleeping. It wasn't Chris; she could hear the familiar sound of his snoring coming from his and Jill's bedroom. Maybe Jill had gotten sick of listening to it.
As she walked down the stairs to the kitchen, she saw that it was Jill. The look on her face indicated that snoring wasn't the cause of her problems. She sat staring into the living room, absently eating from a pint of the coveted ice cream. Claire actually startled her a little when she spoke. "I was just coming down here to have some of that myself, you know."
Jill scooted the ice cream away from Claire. "Sorry, last pint." She gave Claire a once over. "Nice clothes, though. I never would have thought to put that shade of green with that shade of orange."
Claire did a little twirl to better show Jill her outfit. "Personally, I like the combination of lumpy cotton with silk. It says I'm sexy and delicate but not afraid to be a slovenly pig."
"You really ought to write for Vogue."
Claire elaborately rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm a Cosmo girl."
Jill couldn't keep her straight face. She had been brooding all night. A bit of silliness with Claire was a welcome reprieve. She generously changed her mind about the ice cream and shoved the container over to Claire.
"Phish Food?" Claire said as she picked out a chocolate fish. "I didn't think you ate seafood anymore."
"I don't think the fudgy kind count, Claire."
"Still, I better eat the rest of this. On principle, of course." Claire didn't even bother to get her own spoon before digging in. After a few spoonfuls, she asked teasingly, "You don't have any germs or anything, do you?"
Jill pretended to be hurt. "Me? I haven't even so much as sneezed in months." Six months if Jill had actually been counting.
"Clean livin', huh? Well, as clean as you can get living with my slob of a brother."
The mention of Chris brought Jill back to her brooding. The past couple of days had seen the already fervent elder Redfield become increasingly more consumed by his pet cause of destroying Umbrella. Everything was about Ada Wong and her plan now. When would they meet her? When would Barry get back from Canada? When could they leave for Florida? When could he get his hands on Wesker? Jill just wanted to know when it would all be over.
"You're worried about him, aren't you?"
Claire's downcast eyes told Jill that she was worried about him too. "He's losing himself in this," was all Jill could say.
Claire moved the spoon around the container, scraping up marshmallow and caramel. She didn't eat it though. She wasn't that hungry anymore.
Jill noticed and apologized. "God, now I'm bumming you out too. I'm sorry, Claire. It's just...it's just I've never seen him this bad before. Even after the mansion incident. Chris, Barry, Rebecca and I worked twenty-four seven on finding out all we could about Umbrella, but we took breaks. We watched TV. We played poker. We talked to each other like normal people, not commanding officers giving orders. Barry called me and told me how Chris talked to him on the phone. Chris demanded that he come back. Not asked, demanded. And yesterday? What was with that ultimatum he gave Leon about setting up a meeting with Ada?"
Jill could have gone on for a lot longer, but was interrupted by Claire pitching the ice cream into the sink. Not coincidentally, she did it right after Jill said Ada's name.
"Having your own problems, I see," Jill commented.
Claire slouched over the kitchen table with an exasperated sigh. "I just wish I knew exactly what my problems are."
"This isn't about Ada and her plan. It's about Ada and Leon."
"Yes...No...Maybe...Sorta...I don't know. I really don't. I mean I do, but I don't know why." She rolled her head over to look at Jill. "I'm babbling like an idiot, aren't I?"
"I think it's understandable in the circumstances. Come on, Claire. I ranted on about your brother. It's your turn with Leon."
"Hmm, where to begin?" It was a good question. Claire didn't have a good answer. She didn't have any answer at all.
"Claire..."
"He's my friend. He's my close friend. He's probably the best friend I've ever had. And I'm watching him get involved with a woman who seriously messed with his head before and who definitely has her own agenda now. I don't trust her. I can barely stand her. And I just can't shake the feeling that she's using him."
"She admitted that she needs our help to get free of her employers."
Claire snorted. "Oh, yes, The Company. The Oh-So-Fucking-Mysterious Company. You know, I half think she's pulling this out of her ass. She's not giving us their name because she hasn't made up a cool enough sounding one yet. This is all some giant scam and we're going to wind up getting screwed. All of us."
Jill shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Claire's misgivings about Ada weren't that far from her own. The RLF hadn't been able to come with any information at all about her so far - no identification numbers, no aliases, no credit history, no employment history, no anything. They even did a check on the hotel that Leon said she was staying in. According to the hotel records, Ada's room was vacant. She was, as Clark called her, the woman who wasn't there.
And they were all supposed to place their lives in her hands.
For the next few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the kitchen clock. Both women were lost in thoughts they were sick of having to deal with.
Claire got up and retrieved the ice cream. She gave it a few half-hearted pokes with the spoon before throwing it away. "Jill?" she asked thoughtfully, "Do you think I'm being paranoid? I know there really are men in dark suits out there; I've encountered them. I didn't imagine those Hunters either and Ada's explanation sounds as good as anything else I can come up with."
Jill shrugged. She couldn't tell Claire something that she didn't know herself. She suspected Claire's concerns were more than just friendly, but let it go. They had dug around in the dirt long enough tonight and Jill was tired. She needed to go upstairs. She needed to get some sleep. She needed to get away from the nagging sensation that things were only going to get worse.
***
Leon was up and out the door before anyone else in the townhouse had woken up. He was to have breakfast with Ada this morning. They were going to set up the meeting with Chris and the others.
If it had been up to him, he would have waited a few more days. It was selfish on his part, he knew, but the last two days had proven to be enlightening for him. Not about Ada's mission - she remained evasive about her employers - but Ada herself. He was learning the small details about her that transformed her from an intriguing enigma to a real woman with depth and warmth. His lingering doubts had been pushed out by discussions of her favorite movies and books, trips she had taken all over the world and, in a moment of true connection between the two, a little bit about her parents and her childhood. Slowly but surely, Ada's icy veneer was melting.
Claire sniffed at the idea, but Jill was cautiously optimistic. Chris didn't give a damn if she turned into "Mother Fucking Teresa" as long as she quit stalling and met with him. Before he left to go home last night, Ada had admitted to Leon that she was, in fact, stalling. She said she had been enjoying herself too much. The chance to do something as ordinary as getting to know another person beyond vital statistics didn't present itself that often to her. She wanted it to last as long as it could. Especially since she liked everything she had learned so much.
He had tried not to grin like a fool when she said that, but did a poor job of it. Ada had thought him adorable. To prove it, she had kissed him. A soft, quick kiss that served as a whisper of things to come. Then she had said goodnight and shut the door to her hotel room, leaving Leon alone in the hall with an even bigger grin on his face. He didn't mention the kiss to anyone when he came home.
He was thinking about it now though. It had seemed so spontaneous but so natural. Ada wanted to do it so she did. There wasn't any agonizing over whether it would change things or if it was inappropriate. It was a simple thing to do. It was a normal thing to do. And, for a moment, it kept him from thinking about Umbrella, zombies, Chris Redfield's attitude and a million other things that pulled at him.
But all the baggage was still there and it needed to be dealt with. As much as he was looking towards breakfast, he wasn't happy about forcing Ada to meet with the others tonight. He walked into the restaurant wishing Redfield would just learn some damn patience.
He was momentarily cheered by the incongruity of seeing Ada sitting at the Denny's counter surrounded by blue-collar workers. She was impeccably dressed as always. She knew the names of just about every designed that ever lived and could pick them out of magazine at a glance. When Leon questioned the use of such a talent, Ada had jokingly called him a Philistine and then commented on men and their sports statistics. He didn't bother explaining why that was different because he knew she would just explain to him why it wasn't.
One of the men beside her was making a valiant effort to hit on her. Ada nodded her in time to the story he was telling her while playing with a straw wrapper. She was on autopilot, not listening to the man at all but making a show of it. She was nonetheless relieved when Leon appeared. She kindly excused herself and went over to join Leon at a booth by the door.
"Making new friends?" Leon quipped.
"It must be the new 'open' me. People are just dying to meet me."
It was a good a segue as he was ever going to get. "Speaking of meeting new people..."
Ada finished the sentence for him. "Chris Redfield requests my presence. He's right really. I leave for Florida next week and we need to get the details nailed down beforehand. We'll meet at your place then."
"No. They want someplace neutral. And someplace public."
"In case this is a set-up, right? I understand. What have they suggested?"
"The mall on Center Street. The food court."
"Espionage and a snack? Lovely. So who will be in attendance? The Redfields, I presume and that female S.T.A.R.? Valentine, yes?"
Leon didn't remember mentioning Jill to Ada, but he must have. "I don't think the roster been finalized yet. It may be just you, me and Chris."
Ada turned the page of her menu. "Well, we'll just have to see."
***
The scenery passed by in a blur. Barry Burton wasn't watching it anyway. He sat in the back of the train, his luggage splayed over the seats around him as a message to his fellow passengers to stay away. In his hands, he was turning a photograph over and over again. It was taken two winters ago. His daughters were decorating the Christmas tree, coating it with layer upon layer of tinsel until the tree looked like it was wrapped in tin foil. His wife was in the corner of the photo. Her hands covered her face as she tried to keep the girls from seeing her laugh at their efforts. Barry was behind the camera.
He tried to tell himself he wasn't leaving them behind. He was doing this for them. He was going to make sure that bastard Wesker wasn't ever even going to think of his family again. Once more into the breach and that would be it.
This mission better damn well be on the level.
***
Jill's cell phone rang. After checking the number, she excused herself from Chris and Claire and went upstairs. She'd been waiting for this call.
"Yeah?"
"Nice greeting, Jill. How are you today?"
"I don't have time for sarcasm, Clark. Tell me you have something."
"Uh, I'd hate to lie to you. Maybe we'd be able to find out more if we had a better idea of what we're looking for. I know you were kidding about the picture thing, but it might help."
"Okay. We're meeting her tonight at the Center Street mall. But it's not like I can just take a candid with her. 'Oh, hey, Ada. Let's go take some pictures in one of those booths.' She's not going to buy that."
"Tell us where you're going to be. We'll take the picture."
"I'm not trusting the three of you to this. You'd probably hide behind one of those big planters and wind up knocking it over."
"I should act offended, but yeah, you're right. I don't suppose you got another plan though."
"I'm supposed to give you those cell samples sometime. How about tonight? If I get bored afterwards, I'll just go shopping."
"See you at the standard time. I'll bring the telephoto lens."
The line went dead. Jill tapped the cell phone again her leg. She was nervous. She was running out of time to find out about Ada. She wasn't sure how a picture was going to help, but it was all she had left. If Ada saw her at the mall spying on her though, it could ruin everything. She doubted Chris would be too thrilled to find out what she was up to either.
At least Claire would be on her side. Christ, she thought, When did we start picking sides?
***
The line for Cinnabun was huge. Apparently everyone in the mall had a craving for vast amounts of cinnamon and sugar. Claire stood behind a young mother with two wriggly children and not so patiently waited her turn. In fifteen minutes, they would meet with Ada. She was glad for all the noise around her. She highly doubted Chris would be able to keep his temper and voice down.
Right now, he was completing his third circuit through the food court. Leon was already sitting down at a table near a display of wedding dresses. He wasn't about to join Chris in his hunt for suspicious persons. Claire noted the irony of the change. Leon was being the cool, confident one while Chris paced around paranoid.
She wished Jill were here. Why of all nights had she chosen to go meet the RLF? Why did she want to meet them in the first place? When she asked Jill, she told her to just trust her. The way she said it made Claire think that she was up to something, but she had no idea what it could be. She guessed she would find out eventually.
There were only two more customers in front of Claire when Ada walked through the court. Leon went up to her immediately. Chris hung back, waiting for an introduction or checking her over. Most likely the latter. Claire decided she wanted a cinnabun really badly and pointedly stayed in line. Ada didn't pay attention to either Redfield. She did seem to be searching for something though.
Chris noticed. "Looking for somebody?" he asked harshly.
"I just wanted to see what the odds were," she said indifferently.
"Come on, Ada, Chris. We're all on the same side here," Leon put in. He was going to be the mediator tonight. "Shall we sit? I picked a table that's out of the way enough to give us some privacy but still in full view of the public. Just in case." He glared at Chris on the last part, then gave Ada an apologetic look.
Chris stomped off to the table. Leon made a gentlemanly "after you" gesture which Ada thanked him for before she followed Chris. Claire paid for her cinnabun and contemplated how long it would take Ada to get mashed in icing and dough out of her hair.
"Will Miss Ponytail be joining us?" Ada asked as she sat down.
"That's my sister you're making fun of bit-"
"Yes, Claire will be joining us. So why don't we all just wait calmly for her, okay?" So much for mediation. Leon was going to be a full-blown peacekeeper tonight.
"And Miss Valentine?"
Chris didn't even blink. "Who?"
Ada dismissed the question. "Fine, fine. Play your games. I did come here to talk seriously though."
By this time Claire had joined the trio at the table. She said a factitious hello to Ada before setting to work on her cinnabun. It was time to get down to business.
Chris started with a predictable question. "Where's Wesker now?"
"In South Africa. You know the cliché about there being a cure for everything in the rainforest? The Company believes there's a disease for everybody there too. He'll be wrapping up a little research before heading to Florida."
Claire threw down a chunk of bun in disgust. Typical Umbrella, or Company, bastards.
Chris took the second question as well. "So how 'research' does your company have already? They obviously know how to make Hunters. What else do they have?"
"They have everything Umbrella had when Wesker left his employment there plus a few things they've cooked up on their own."
"Like what?"
Ada drew the line there. "I'm not meeting with you to discuss the Company. We're here to discuss my mission - our mission - in Florida. We're after Umbrella and Wesker for the moment. I don't recommend taking on too much at once."
Chris didn't like that. Leon and Claire slunk down in their seats in preparation of his response. He managed to keep his voice down, but the barely contained rage that seeped through his voice was somehow worse than yelling. "You came to us for help. You need us. So you do what you're told. You tell us what we want to here. Or you can crawl back to your bosses and keep being their bitch."
Now Leon was livid. "For god's sake, Redfield. Do you think you could at least try to not be such an asshole?"
"I was going to call her something else. I thought I was being polite."
Ada stopped Leon from worsening the argument. Her voice was as placid as ever when she spoke. "You're partly right. I do need you. But I think you're missing an important point. Ours is a symbiotic relationship. I need you, but you need me as well. Do you really think a few cell samples from decaying Hunters is all you require to take down Umbrella? What about Wesker? You don't get him without my help. And you don't even know who my employers are."
"You could remedy that last problem," Claire said.
"I'm not prepared to do that just yet."
Leon went back to his role as the impartial one. "Ada, we're not saying we don't need your help. We're not, Chris. But we really need to establish some kind of trust here. We'll trust you by going to Florida on nothing but your say so. Now you have to give us something in return."
"Leon..."
"Ada."
"They operate under the guise of a chemical company in London. Their official products are fertilizers of all things. That's all I can tell you."
A pack of teenagers walked by the wedding dress display. They saw the group but didn't hear anything they said. Two of the girls started a debate about who was cuter - the stern looking man with the close cropped brown hair or the redhead with the bangs. The consensus was divided when they passed by Jill Valentine and the RLF in their hiding place behind the magazine stand in the bookstore.
***
Author's Notes: Okay, that was a long one. Took forever to write too. Reading over it, I realized the Ab-doer infomercial is anachronistic. If we're sticking to the RE timeline, this takes place in early 2000. The Ab-doer wasn't inflicted upon us until spring this year. The only other infomercial for exercise equipment I could think of was Suzanne Summers' Thigh-Master and good god, we can't have two Three's Company references in the same chapter can we? For those of you who have no clue what Three's Company is - consider yourselves blessed. Next up: The plan is finalized. The triumphant (not really) return of Barry. And the RLF continues to hack.
