Chapter 10
Dropped Dreams
Chris always thought it was safe to say that an older brother was instinctively protective of a younger sibling, especially a younger sister. He always thought it was perfectly normal to feel enraged when somebody caused any harm to his little sister, but Chris had no idea of the type of hate and anger he could actually feel until he was told that Adam had stolen his sister's baby.
"Why would he do something like that?" Leon asked confused, the knowledge that his friend could be capable of such a deed was beyond him, but it wasn't beyond Chris.
"Because he's a worthless son-of-a-bitch," Chris spat "But right now that's not the point. What we have to know right now is how are we going to get back Grace?"
As the words came out of his mouth Chris could hear his sister's sobbing. He looked down at Claire lying helplessly on her bed. Her face soaked by her own terrified tears.
"Were getting her back," he told her firmly, gently taking her trembling hand in his own. "I promise you that Claire."
"Pl...ease come ba...back witth...with her Chris," Claire managed to say between sobs.
Chris kissed her on the top of the head. "I promise," he whispered and then left the room. He could not bear to look at Claire a moment longer; he just had to find Grace.
Leon had followed him out of Claire's room. His eyes were fiery and determined, but deep within them Chris could see his hurt and confusion. It was at that moment Chris realized how much Leon Kennedy truly cared about his sister.
"So what are we going to do?" Leon demanded, not having a clue what was going on inside Chris' mind.
"Hell if I know, Adam could have gone anywhere. It should be you telling me where to go Kennedy; after all he was your friend."
"No," Leon said bitterly "He was never my friend. A friend would never..." The younger man stopped, he appeared to be getting choked up by his own words. Biting his lip Leon finished what he was saying. "A friend would never hurt somebody I care about."
Chris didn't say anything. He had to let the man fight his own demons.
As the two of them stood there silently Jill had come out of Claire's room. If he didn't need to be strong for his sister's sake Chris would have collapsed into Jill's arms right there. Instead he had to settle for the heart felt look that she gave him.
Looking away Jill turned to Leon. "Claire wants you."
Nodding somberly Leon parted from them without a word. The moment they were alone Jill turned back to him.
"Do you have any idea where to look?" She asked him, her voice conveying no emotion. She knew this was hard enough on him; she didn't need to add to his burden. God did Chris love her for that.
"Not anywhere that would be logical," he answered sullenly. "The facilities we've been to would be pointless and I can't see Ashford staying at his estate after what we did to it."
"So you do think Alfred Ashford is involved in this?"
"I think he had Adam involved in this from the very beginning. Adam's motives for staying with us this whole time were never clear to me. Now things make a little more sense."
"Even still where does that leave us?"
"Without a clue," he muttered bitterly.
The two of them grew quiet. Chris wasn't sure what she was thinking about, but he knew it had to be along the lines of what he was thinking. If they didn't find Grace soon it might become too late.
His next thought Chris had no idea where it came from, but when it hit him it was like all the lights inside of him had finally decided to turn back on.
With the idea still forming in his head Chris voiced his thoughts to Jill.
"What if Adam didn't go that far?" With Jill only offering him a confused look Chris went on. "Well if Ashford left his estate that would mean he would have to go somewhere else, somewhere he knew Adam could meet him. Adam wouldn't be able to travel that long with a baby, he get caught. They would have to go somewhere close."
"Alright," Jill said still confused. "There in the Seattle area, that still doesn't leave us with much."
"I think it does," Chris said suddenly breaking into a run. Before he even knew it Chris was at the nearest pay phone, within seconds Jill was on his side.
Chris took out a business card from his wallet and dialed the numbers from the card. When he was done he handed the card to Jill. It was a card from the local F.B.I office. Jill looked back up at Chris the moment he began to speak.
"Hello," He spoke desperately into the receiver "hi...yeah this is Chris Redfield of Raccoon S.T.A.R.S department."
A hollow voice responded. Chris tried to break back in "I know that..." Again the voice overran his own.
"Listen, that isn't the point right now..." Chris was getting extremely frustrated. He didn't want to explain to the F.B.I operator about what happened in Raccoon. Grace's life held on the balance of Chris getting to know what he needed to know.
"Dammit please, just shut-up and tell me if you have an agent Skampa currently working for you?!" Chris was finally able to demand.
The operator immediately went to check her files, when he came back on the phone he had an address. With his new information Chris hastily hung up the phone and turned to Jill.
"We have a lead," he told her as he started to run to the others.
Claire wanted to come with them and Leon didn't blame her. This was her child, who in a blink of an eye became the most important thing in the world to her.
The fact remained, however, that Claire had just given birth and she was in no condition, emotionally and physically, to be coming with them.
As the others were waiting for him outside the hospital door Leon took the opportunity to talk to Claire, for what could be in all honesty the last time.
"We'll be back soon; Sherry's still here with you if you need anything."
"I know, just come back safe, please Leon."
"Claire I" – she stopped him right there.
"Leon, please," Claire begged of him.
She was right there was no time for words, especially for ones that shouldn't be hastily said. Instead Leon took her hand and gently kissed the top of it. Words might not have been right at the moment, but his gesture was.
With an encouraging nod from Claire Leon left the room and joined the others. Together they started for the lone address that Chris held between his fingers.
The house wasn't that big, in fact, it was actually quite the dump. It looked inhabited and creepy. To Leon it fit how Adam should live perfectly.
Everyone entered the house carefully checking every corner for any signs of danger. When everything was clear Leon and Chris led the way into the unlocked house.
Upon entering Leon immediately got the feeling as if maybe this wasn't the best idea, like this was all a trap.
God Leon hated it when he was right.
From underneath all of them a net swept them into the air. Trapped like fish from the sea Leon and the others hung there, all too stunned to say a word.
They probably would have remained silent too if a snobbish, arrogant voice didn't speak from the staircase in front of them.
"You're all imbeciles. Easily fooled like the creodonts that you are. I knew Redfield's detective work would lead you this far, and here you are fallen in my hands." Alfred Ashford told them all.
"What the hell are you planning Ashford?! What do you want with my sister's daughter?!" Chris yelled, his whole face was going red with anger.
"Redfield, even you should know that I'm always planning something." Taking a small grey remote out from his jacket pocket Ashford pushed a button.
Storming out the doors below them were hordes of zombies. They moved right under their nest and started to jump savagely towards their prey.
"It's amazing what Umbrella scientists are capable of doing. Everyday they come a little bit closer in creating the perfect soldier. Take these experiments for example, their chemical balance allows me to control them with a simple remote. I hold all your pathetic lives within a push of a button."
Struggling, along with everyone else, to keep his legs away from the zombies reach Chris yelled at Ashford.
"You might think you have all the power in the world and your able to play god with people's lives, but your forgetting one thing you son-of-a- bitch!"
"And what's that?!" Ashford spat.
"That shit happens," Chris replied pulling out his 9mm from his hoister and firing off three rounds.
Ashford dodged the shots leaping to the ground, he didn't waste a second releasing his counter attack. Within seconds after Chris pulled his trigger the net dropped to the ground. To this, however, everyone was ready.
Before they even hit the ground shots were fired, Carlos had blown the head of four zombies by the time everyone had untangles themselves from the net.
The group had finished off the first round of zombies when the second busted through the doors.
With his gun aimed at the on coming zombies Chris yelled at him. "Leon, you go find Adam and Grace!"
"But you guys, I can't"- he tried to protest, but Chris cut him off.
"We can handle it, just get Grace back! Right now that's all that matters."
The two men threw quick looks at each other before Chris's focus returned to the zombies that were quickly approaching. Leon left the group and made his way to the stairs that led to the basement. Chris was right, the only thing that mattered was Grace, and Leon was going to make sure that no matter what happens he was going to save that child.
The basement was cold, not just physically, but the moment you entered the dim lit area you felt the cold not only on your skin, but in your heart.
Holding his berretta tightly with both of his hands Leon began to proceed through the unwelcoming basement.
In most ways it was a typical basement. Unfinished, with a steel grey concrete floor. The walls all were line with fiber glass and the ceiling was only the wood from the floor above, it wasn't far from the basement he had as a kid. Only back at home Leon didn't feel the need to hold a gun in his hands.
The basement didn't have any adjacent rooms, it was just long. Within only a few steps onto the basement Leon found what he was looking for. Adam was sitting in a chair; he held Grace in his arms and was staring affectionately at the new born child.
"Hello Leon," Adam said darkly as he approached, he didn't take his eyes off of Grace as he spoke.
Leon stopped a few feet away from Adam; his gun was pointed steadily at his old friend. "Adam please don't do this," he begged "Please just hand me Grace so nothing terrible happens." Leon prayed that his plea would work, he should have known better.
"Something horrible already did happen Leon. I sold my soul to the devil Leon and there is no getting it back."
"Adam," Leon said sadly "Why did you do it?"
"Money," Adam told him, like there would be no other answer. "I thought that the almighty buck would solve everything, but I was wrong. I needed something more then that, I needed love."
When Leon was incapable of saying anything he listened to Adam continue. "You know you're a lucky man Leon. She loves you, she might not say it, but she does. I envy you."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb Leon, Claire loves you and that makes you the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in the world."
Leon didn't know what to say. So Adam was in love with Claire, to this Leon wasn't at all surprised. Who could possibly not love Claire Redfield, but even still a question still remained.
"If you care for Claire at all Adam, then why would you take her child?"
"Do you have a clue what this child actually is Leon?" Adam replied darkly. "If I were you I wouldn't want to know."
"What the hell are you talking about Adam?" Leon said angrily.
"You really want to know?" Adam said, for the first time taking his eyes off of Grace. "You want to know what Claire gave birth to?" Adam's voice was no longer the one that Leon had come to know, it was as if someone else entirely was speaking.
"This child, Leon, is nothing more then the reincarnated Alexia Ashford."
Dumbstruck Leon stared at Adam, praying for a trace of humor that he knew his one time friend no longer possessed.
"I hold in my arms a version of the devil itself," Adam said, now staring at Grace coldly.
"You lie!" Leon yelled, not daring to believe the words.
"Do I Leon? Come on think about it my old friend. Claire is captured by Alfred Ashford, a man with the means and desire to accomplish anything he wills. Now within a month after you took Claire back you discover that she's pregnant. There's no known father, there's not even a clue to how she became pregnant yet everyone accepted that, not daring to think what excepting it might actually mean. Well I know what it meant and I now know what it all means."
"And what's that?" Leon said through gritted teeth.
"That I'm left with two options. Let Alfred Ashford have this child and let the two devils once again join as one, or destroy this evil and be repented for all my sins."
"Killing an innocent child won't repent your sins Adam," Leon tried to reason, but there was no longer any reason left in Adam.
"This 'child' Leon is anything, but innocent," Adam spat.
Getting up from his chair he set Grace carefully in a pile of blankets and took a syringe out of his coat pocket.
"This child is anything, but innocent Leon," Adam repeated. "And if I have to kill you to prove that then so be it." Biting the cap off the needle of the syringe Adam injected himself with it.
In a transformation that was almost quicker then the eye Adam's body turned into a seven foot tall, dark forest green monster.
"Oh Adam," Leon said to himself as Adam's new form roared furiously.
Leon quickly emptied his berretta, but Adam was too quick, he dodged the bullets like Leon had thrown them at him.
"You need to do better then that," Adam said moving towards Leon at a rapid pace.
"Adam, please," Leon said backing away. "Your better then this, you know you are."
"You don't know who the fuck I am! How could you, I don't even know who I am!" As he was yelling this Adam stopped dead where he was. A small screech escaped his lips followed by the desperate words "Oh God!"
"Adam it isn't too late for you," Leon said walking closer to his old friend. "You can get help, I can help you. We'll do whatever it takes, just please don't do this."
Adam stared at Leon. It was so surreal to see the creature before him and know that it is his old friend inside.
Suddenly Adam looked away, throwing his arms in the air he screamed to the heavens. "FUCK!!" And in a mad rampage he punched a hole right through the basement wall, pulling back his huge fist Leon saw blood dribble from it. Without looking back Adam ran through the hole and into the night. Leon darted to the hole and watched his friend until he became out of sight.
With a heavy heart Leon walked away from the hole and over a pile of blankets where little Grace rested. He picked her up and cuddled her in his arms.
"Well Grace," he said in barely a whisper. "I hope wherever he goes he at least discovers who he is, or at least was."
With the burden of guilt in his heart Leon hurried back upstairs to join the others.
AUTHORS NOTE: Well I'm almost done, there's only one more chapter remaining in this story. Thank all who read this chapter.
Always,
Leah
Dropped Dreams
Chris always thought it was safe to say that an older brother was instinctively protective of a younger sibling, especially a younger sister. He always thought it was perfectly normal to feel enraged when somebody caused any harm to his little sister, but Chris had no idea of the type of hate and anger he could actually feel until he was told that Adam had stolen his sister's baby.
"Why would he do something like that?" Leon asked confused, the knowledge that his friend could be capable of such a deed was beyond him, but it wasn't beyond Chris.
"Because he's a worthless son-of-a-bitch," Chris spat "But right now that's not the point. What we have to know right now is how are we going to get back Grace?"
As the words came out of his mouth Chris could hear his sister's sobbing. He looked down at Claire lying helplessly on her bed. Her face soaked by her own terrified tears.
"Were getting her back," he told her firmly, gently taking her trembling hand in his own. "I promise you that Claire."
"Pl...ease come ba...back witth...with her Chris," Claire managed to say between sobs.
Chris kissed her on the top of the head. "I promise," he whispered and then left the room. He could not bear to look at Claire a moment longer; he just had to find Grace.
Leon had followed him out of Claire's room. His eyes were fiery and determined, but deep within them Chris could see his hurt and confusion. It was at that moment Chris realized how much Leon Kennedy truly cared about his sister.
"So what are we going to do?" Leon demanded, not having a clue what was going on inside Chris' mind.
"Hell if I know, Adam could have gone anywhere. It should be you telling me where to go Kennedy; after all he was your friend."
"No," Leon said bitterly "He was never my friend. A friend would never..." The younger man stopped, he appeared to be getting choked up by his own words. Biting his lip Leon finished what he was saying. "A friend would never hurt somebody I care about."
Chris didn't say anything. He had to let the man fight his own demons.
As the two of them stood there silently Jill had come out of Claire's room. If he didn't need to be strong for his sister's sake Chris would have collapsed into Jill's arms right there. Instead he had to settle for the heart felt look that she gave him.
Looking away Jill turned to Leon. "Claire wants you."
Nodding somberly Leon parted from them without a word. The moment they were alone Jill turned back to him.
"Do you have any idea where to look?" She asked him, her voice conveying no emotion. She knew this was hard enough on him; she didn't need to add to his burden. God did Chris love her for that.
"Not anywhere that would be logical," he answered sullenly. "The facilities we've been to would be pointless and I can't see Ashford staying at his estate after what we did to it."
"So you do think Alfred Ashford is involved in this?"
"I think he had Adam involved in this from the very beginning. Adam's motives for staying with us this whole time were never clear to me. Now things make a little more sense."
"Even still where does that leave us?"
"Without a clue," he muttered bitterly.
The two of them grew quiet. Chris wasn't sure what she was thinking about, but he knew it had to be along the lines of what he was thinking. If they didn't find Grace soon it might become too late.
His next thought Chris had no idea where it came from, but when it hit him it was like all the lights inside of him had finally decided to turn back on.
With the idea still forming in his head Chris voiced his thoughts to Jill.
"What if Adam didn't go that far?" With Jill only offering him a confused look Chris went on. "Well if Ashford left his estate that would mean he would have to go somewhere else, somewhere he knew Adam could meet him. Adam wouldn't be able to travel that long with a baby, he get caught. They would have to go somewhere close."
"Alright," Jill said still confused. "There in the Seattle area, that still doesn't leave us with much."
"I think it does," Chris said suddenly breaking into a run. Before he even knew it Chris was at the nearest pay phone, within seconds Jill was on his side.
Chris took out a business card from his wallet and dialed the numbers from the card. When he was done he handed the card to Jill. It was a card from the local F.B.I office. Jill looked back up at Chris the moment he began to speak.
"Hello," He spoke desperately into the receiver "hi...yeah this is Chris Redfield of Raccoon S.T.A.R.S department."
A hollow voice responded. Chris tried to break back in "I know that..." Again the voice overran his own.
"Listen, that isn't the point right now..." Chris was getting extremely frustrated. He didn't want to explain to the F.B.I operator about what happened in Raccoon. Grace's life held on the balance of Chris getting to know what he needed to know.
"Dammit please, just shut-up and tell me if you have an agent Skampa currently working for you?!" Chris was finally able to demand.
The operator immediately went to check her files, when he came back on the phone he had an address. With his new information Chris hastily hung up the phone and turned to Jill.
"We have a lead," he told her as he started to run to the others.
Claire wanted to come with them and Leon didn't blame her. This was her child, who in a blink of an eye became the most important thing in the world to her.
The fact remained, however, that Claire had just given birth and she was in no condition, emotionally and physically, to be coming with them.
As the others were waiting for him outside the hospital door Leon took the opportunity to talk to Claire, for what could be in all honesty the last time.
"We'll be back soon; Sherry's still here with you if you need anything."
"I know, just come back safe, please Leon."
"Claire I" – she stopped him right there.
"Leon, please," Claire begged of him.
She was right there was no time for words, especially for ones that shouldn't be hastily said. Instead Leon took her hand and gently kissed the top of it. Words might not have been right at the moment, but his gesture was.
With an encouraging nod from Claire Leon left the room and joined the others. Together they started for the lone address that Chris held between his fingers.
The house wasn't that big, in fact, it was actually quite the dump. It looked inhabited and creepy. To Leon it fit how Adam should live perfectly.
Everyone entered the house carefully checking every corner for any signs of danger. When everything was clear Leon and Chris led the way into the unlocked house.
Upon entering Leon immediately got the feeling as if maybe this wasn't the best idea, like this was all a trap.
God Leon hated it when he was right.
From underneath all of them a net swept them into the air. Trapped like fish from the sea Leon and the others hung there, all too stunned to say a word.
They probably would have remained silent too if a snobbish, arrogant voice didn't speak from the staircase in front of them.
"You're all imbeciles. Easily fooled like the creodonts that you are. I knew Redfield's detective work would lead you this far, and here you are fallen in my hands." Alfred Ashford told them all.
"What the hell are you planning Ashford?! What do you want with my sister's daughter?!" Chris yelled, his whole face was going red with anger.
"Redfield, even you should know that I'm always planning something." Taking a small grey remote out from his jacket pocket Ashford pushed a button.
Storming out the doors below them were hordes of zombies. They moved right under their nest and started to jump savagely towards their prey.
"It's amazing what Umbrella scientists are capable of doing. Everyday they come a little bit closer in creating the perfect soldier. Take these experiments for example, their chemical balance allows me to control them with a simple remote. I hold all your pathetic lives within a push of a button."
Struggling, along with everyone else, to keep his legs away from the zombies reach Chris yelled at Ashford.
"You might think you have all the power in the world and your able to play god with people's lives, but your forgetting one thing you son-of-a- bitch!"
"And what's that?!" Ashford spat.
"That shit happens," Chris replied pulling out his 9mm from his hoister and firing off three rounds.
Ashford dodged the shots leaping to the ground, he didn't waste a second releasing his counter attack. Within seconds after Chris pulled his trigger the net dropped to the ground. To this, however, everyone was ready.
Before they even hit the ground shots were fired, Carlos had blown the head of four zombies by the time everyone had untangles themselves from the net.
The group had finished off the first round of zombies when the second busted through the doors.
With his gun aimed at the on coming zombies Chris yelled at him. "Leon, you go find Adam and Grace!"
"But you guys, I can't"- he tried to protest, but Chris cut him off.
"We can handle it, just get Grace back! Right now that's all that matters."
The two men threw quick looks at each other before Chris's focus returned to the zombies that were quickly approaching. Leon left the group and made his way to the stairs that led to the basement. Chris was right, the only thing that mattered was Grace, and Leon was going to make sure that no matter what happens he was going to save that child.
The basement was cold, not just physically, but the moment you entered the dim lit area you felt the cold not only on your skin, but in your heart.
Holding his berretta tightly with both of his hands Leon began to proceed through the unwelcoming basement.
In most ways it was a typical basement. Unfinished, with a steel grey concrete floor. The walls all were line with fiber glass and the ceiling was only the wood from the floor above, it wasn't far from the basement he had as a kid. Only back at home Leon didn't feel the need to hold a gun in his hands.
The basement didn't have any adjacent rooms, it was just long. Within only a few steps onto the basement Leon found what he was looking for. Adam was sitting in a chair; he held Grace in his arms and was staring affectionately at the new born child.
"Hello Leon," Adam said darkly as he approached, he didn't take his eyes off of Grace as he spoke.
Leon stopped a few feet away from Adam; his gun was pointed steadily at his old friend. "Adam please don't do this," he begged "Please just hand me Grace so nothing terrible happens." Leon prayed that his plea would work, he should have known better.
"Something horrible already did happen Leon. I sold my soul to the devil Leon and there is no getting it back."
"Adam," Leon said sadly "Why did you do it?"
"Money," Adam told him, like there would be no other answer. "I thought that the almighty buck would solve everything, but I was wrong. I needed something more then that, I needed love."
When Leon was incapable of saying anything he listened to Adam continue. "You know you're a lucky man Leon. She loves you, she might not say it, but she does. I envy you."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb Leon, Claire loves you and that makes you the luckiest son-of-a-bitch in the world."
Leon didn't know what to say. So Adam was in love with Claire, to this Leon wasn't at all surprised. Who could possibly not love Claire Redfield, but even still a question still remained.
"If you care for Claire at all Adam, then why would you take her child?"
"Do you have a clue what this child actually is Leon?" Adam replied darkly. "If I were you I wouldn't want to know."
"What the hell are you talking about Adam?" Leon said angrily.
"You really want to know?" Adam said, for the first time taking his eyes off of Grace. "You want to know what Claire gave birth to?" Adam's voice was no longer the one that Leon had come to know, it was as if someone else entirely was speaking.
"This child, Leon, is nothing more then the reincarnated Alexia Ashford."
Dumbstruck Leon stared at Adam, praying for a trace of humor that he knew his one time friend no longer possessed.
"I hold in my arms a version of the devil itself," Adam said, now staring at Grace coldly.
"You lie!" Leon yelled, not daring to believe the words.
"Do I Leon? Come on think about it my old friend. Claire is captured by Alfred Ashford, a man with the means and desire to accomplish anything he wills. Now within a month after you took Claire back you discover that she's pregnant. There's no known father, there's not even a clue to how she became pregnant yet everyone accepted that, not daring to think what excepting it might actually mean. Well I know what it meant and I now know what it all means."
"And what's that?" Leon said through gritted teeth.
"That I'm left with two options. Let Alfred Ashford have this child and let the two devils once again join as one, or destroy this evil and be repented for all my sins."
"Killing an innocent child won't repent your sins Adam," Leon tried to reason, but there was no longer any reason left in Adam.
"This 'child' Leon is anything, but innocent," Adam spat.
Getting up from his chair he set Grace carefully in a pile of blankets and took a syringe out of his coat pocket.
"This child is anything, but innocent Leon," Adam repeated. "And if I have to kill you to prove that then so be it." Biting the cap off the needle of the syringe Adam injected himself with it.
In a transformation that was almost quicker then the eye Adam's body turned into a seven foot tall, dark forest green monster.
"Oh Adam," Leon said to himself as Adam's new form roared furiously.
Leon quickly emptied his berretta, but Adam was too quick, he dodged the bullets like Leon had thrown them at him.
"You need to do better then that," Adam said moving towards Leon at a rapid pace.
"Adam, please," Leon said backing away. "Your better then this, you know you are."
"You don't know who the fuck I am! How could you, I don't even know who I am!" As he was yelling this Adam stopped dead where he was. A small screech escaped his lips followed by the desperate words "Oh God!"
"Adam it isn't too late for you," Leon said walking closer to his old friend. "You can get help, I can help you. We'll do whatever it takes, just please don't do this."
Adam stared at Leon. It was so surreal to see the creature before him and know that it is his old friend inside.
Suddenly Adam looked away, throwing his arms in the air he screamed to the heavens. "FUCK!!" And in a mad rampage he punched a hole right through the basement wall, pulling back his huge fist Leon saw blood dribble from it. Without looking back Adam ran through the hole and into the night. Leon darted to the hole and watched his friend until he became out of sight.
With a heavy heart Leon walked away from the hole and over a pile of blankets where little Grace rested. He picked her up and cuddled her in his arms.
"Well Grace," he said in barely a whisper. "I hope wherever he goes he at least discovers who he is, or at least was."
With the burden of guilt in his heart Leon hurried back upstairs to join the others.
AUTHORS NOTE: Well I'm almost done, there's only one more chapter remaining in this story. Thank all who read this chapter.
Always,
Leah