"Hold on .....just one more second .........there! That should take care of it."
Leon winced as he finished with the cleaning. The older, graying man looked from the shoulder to Leon. "You're one lucky SOB. You've done just about everything wrong a person with this wound could do, short of taking a second bullet, but it looks like with proper cleaning and rest you'll recover." The doctor gave the exit wound one more pass with the alcohol doused cloth, then proceeded to re-wrap the wound with fresh, sterile gauze - a far cry better than the remnants of Leon's tattered and germ infested T-shirt he had been using.
"So he'll live, doctor?" a voice asked from behind them. Turning his head, Leon saw that Steiner had returned from whatever errand he had to run. Soldiers and messengers had come in and out of the tent all day with some regularity. The strong and silent Nicholi had even made an appearance, much to Leon's dismay. The burly soldier would listen to the orders Steiner gave him, but he would keep his eyes focused on Leon, like a cat stalking the bird with a broken wing. Nicholi wanted to do something, but whatever it was Steiner was against it, angrily conveying his disapproval in hushed tones. Nicholi's glare grew more intense at this development, and it wasn't until he walked off that the tension level of the tent started to decrease. Leon didn't know what activity Nicholi was denied, but he sure hoped Steiner was nixing any suggestion from Nicholi to let him finish the job on Leon that Ada had already started. It was shortly after the conversation that a different soldier came with a message for Steiner, who took particular interest in the information presented and excused himself, covering by implying he was simply trying to give the doctor room to work. He had left two soldiers in the tent with him, and they stood there still as he entered from outside.
"Yes, he'll live, and get to keep the arm on top of that," the good doctor replied, then shaking his head mumbled, "A lot of dumb luck that boy had."
While grateful for the medical attention, Leon was getting agitated with the doctor's coarse attitude. It's not at if I decided, "Well, I've been shot - perhaps a dip in the sewer, followed by a few life-and-death battles with undead bio-rejects would really help the healing process, Leon grumbled to himself.
The doctor noticed none of Leon's agitation. Instead, he finished wrapping the wound and then worked Leon's arm into a sling. "Now keep it clean," he ordered Leon as he packed up the medicinal supplies strewn about the table, "No strenuous activity either. I'll be back to clean it in a few hours."
Leon forced a grateful smile on his face, "Thanks doc, I appreciate."
The doctor turned to Leon with an expression worthy of a Bah humbug' from Scrooge himself. "Thank the Major over there. He cared enough about you to pull me off what I was already working on to save your ignorant ass. Just remember what I told you," he reminded him and even went so far as to shake a finger in Leon's direction. He then dropped his bag off on a table just before the tent's entrance, reaching into his overcoat as he pushed back the tent flap.
Strange that a doctor would leave his bag, seeing that Steiner had pulled him from something more important that he'd be returning to now ... Leon started to ponder before an entrance to the tent cut his thoughts short.
Leon's forced smile faded as Steiner approached him, although the smug pencil-pusher assumed Leon's sudden mood shift was because of the gruff old doctor. Steiner placed a hand on Leon's good shoulder, a small laugh escaping him, "Don't mind him. He doesn't take thanks very well; he's very focused on the medicine aspect, very little bedside manner." Leon just looked away and grunted an acknowledgment. Truth was his arm was still on fire from all the antiseptic and alcohol that old buzzard poured into his wound. Granted, it's what was saving his life right now, but it still hurt like a bitch. To get his mind of the nagging pain, he switched to another sore subject.
"So what now?"
Steiner moved closer to Leon and gave him a hard stare, as if sizing him up. Just as the gaze was bordering on completely uncomfortable, Steiner broke it off and moved away towards a table that was set up across the rather large tent. The manner in which he moved seemed to beckon Leon to follow him, so he hopped off the table and made his way next to Steiner.
Before them on the table lay a large map of Raccoon City and the outlying areas. Various pins and markers were used to mark areas of current Umbrella occupation, large areas of B.O.W.s still roaming, and areas still unsearched by rescues teams by this time of day.
Leon shook his head, shaking off the lingering effects of his fatigue-enduced sleep. He had passed out shortly after they made it to the tent. It's not that he had felt safe now in the arms of Umbrella, quite the opposite in fact. It had just been such a long night; the weariness that had been threatening to claim him ever since the train had finally taken over. He slept away the morning and most of the afternoon before they woke him up to see the doctor. In that time, they had built their search patterns off what little information Leon could give them about the police station and areas around it. From the looks of the large yellow sections on the map, they had covered quite a bit of ground and established a few other outposts in the time Leon was asleep.
"As you can see," Steiner started, indicating sections north and west of the station on the map, "we've covered much of the residential area and warehouse district. But a large fire from the tanker you mention had crashed earlier last night has kept us from venturing further towards Downtown Raccoon and City Hall. From what I was told, we should have that fire under control within the hour."
Leon watched him has he pointed out the other areas his teams were venturing in. Since he had been hired on to the RPD, Leon had taken the time to learn how to traverse many of Raccoon's busiest areas so he would always be able to get from Point A to B without too much interference. It seemed to him that the Umbrella swat teams were passing up a few alternate paths around the burning tanker and other obstacles in their way; but who knows how much of Raccoon is still standing, or what creatures now roam in their way, Leon reminded himself. Well, he still wasn't in the giving mood, so Steiner and his men could find these things out for themselves.
"And while we've secured a large amount of area," Steiner continued, looking back up at Leon, "the survivor ratio is still not what we'd like it to be."
Leon shook his head, "I said you shouldn't get your hopes up. The only people I had the chance to save didn't make it out alive. I don't see how the rest of the city would be any different."
There was a silent pause, Leon's last statement hanging in the air, and then Steiner straightened up and moved away from the table.
"You see, Mr. Kennedy," he started. Something in his tone caught Leon's attention, and the way Steiner suddenly reverted back to formalities made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Leon turned and watched as Steiner made his way casually across the tent towards the opening, "it's unfortunate statements like that that make me realize I've wasted much of my time today in here with you."
Leon's body tensed, his heart started to pick up its pace. Oh God, what does he know?
Steiner looked carefully over at Leon, and if he was pleased that the effect his words were having on visibly nervous young officer, he didn't let it show. Instead, he continues with the eerily calm delivery of his innuendoes.
"I was hoping that by outlining our "good" intentions and efforts here in Raccoon your innate sense of order and helpfulness would give me the information I was looking for. I actually thought I was getting somewhere, which is why I denied Nicholi the chance to take a more, shall we say, "direct" method of getting me the information I'm looking for. I see now that perhaps I should have let him jump in. It may have saved me these precious hours I seem to have wasted."
Panic started to wash over Leon. He had not trusted Steiner and his Umbrella SWAT team since they got into town, but deep down, Leon had begun to hope they were in fact just cleaning up and leaving and perhaps soon he'd get out of this nightmare. As Steiner continued to speak, he realized more and more how wrong he had been. "Fortunately, Fate did smile down upon me, and another opportunity had presented itself."
At that moment the flap to the tent opened up and Nicholi's large form filled the entrance. His eyes immediately locked with Leon's, but instead of staring him down, one corner of Nicholi's mouth curved ever so slightly into a chilling half-smile before he moved into the tent and off to the side. Leon watched him move off, still locked his sights and haunted by the first emotion besides hatred this mammoth of a man had shown, but it wasn't until he turned back to the opening to see two soldier dragging a form into the room that the horror of the situation truly set in.
"CLAIRE!" Leon yelled at the slumped form being drug into the room. He made a dash for her, but was immediately restrained by the two soldiers who had been keeping him inside this tent all day. "You son of a bitch, if you've hurt her I'm gonna --"
"Silence officer,"Steiner ordered, yelling over Leon's graphic threats and indicated towards Claire's dangling form, "as you can see, your chance for heroics has long since past." Leon's yelling was silenced, but the rage within him was growing with each passing moment.
"I had explained to you that my method of coaxing information from you had proven to be rather disappointing. But once one of my squads returned with Ms. Redfield, I decided that the chance for interrogation I had denied Nicholi earlier with you might be more successful with her as the subject."
Leon stood in silent fury, he jaw clenched as he contemplated all the things he would do to Steiner the moment he laid his hands on him. But it was Nicholi, standing in the corner, seemingly proud of what he had done, that really pissed Leon off. He went to lunge at Nicholi, but he was grabbed from behind by one of the other soldiers. Leon now felt an iron grip just under his chin, holding his head in a fixed position facing Steiner. The soldier's other arm wrapped around Leon's upper chest and shoulders, pressing Leon's back tight against the taller soldiers chest.
Steiner had watched the sudden activity with slight amusement, then continued with his thoughts once the short-lived assault had been resolved. "Unfortunately, Ms. Redfield proved to be much more resilient that we had anticipated. She was completely unforthcoming with the information I wanted up to the point she passed out." Steiner glanced over at Leon's tense, restrained form and put on a look of mock-concern, "I'm sure it was mostly from exhaustion. Not to worry."
"You BASTARD!" Leon yelled, struggling against his captor's grip. The hand around Leon's neck began to tighten, and the sudden lack of oxygen stopped Leon's attempt for escape.
"I do have another plan to go about getting the information I need," Steiner said as he turned his attention to Claire, not even acknowledging Leon's outburst. "But it will require the both of you to actually be conscious," he explained, then turned and looked at the soldier restraining Leon, "so do be cautious, Ripley. I don't want to waste any more time than we already have." Leon gasped for breath as he felt the hand crushing his airway loosen.
Steiner motioned to the two men holding Claire's unconscious form and they laid her face down upon the earth that made up the tent's floor. Steiner walked over the one of the tables and poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher that had been sitting there, sweating in the day's last remnants of summer humidity. Holding the glass in front of him, Steiner made his way back to Claire's sleeping form and tipped the glass that he now held above her.