-Planes, Trains, and AutoPilot-

Whispering Pines

Leon started to move after him, and Jill caught his arm. "Wait. Give him a minute. He's little, he's afraid, and he's grieving. Just…give him a minute."

Leon nodded, and they moved together out of the bedroom. Helena waited for them, carrying the assault bag. They didn't say a word as they moved down the stairs and toward the open doors.

An agent waited in a dark suit and glasses. She nodded to Leon and took the bag from Helena. She loaded it into a dark town car. Helena climbed into the front seat beside her.

Jill waited for Ben to come outside. He didn't look at her as he climbed into the back seat. Glancing at each other over the car, Jill and Leon got in on either side of him. He didn't speak to them the whole ride to the airport.

He didn't speak to them as they hustled onto the large plane: A government-issue flight with staff transitioning to various posts within the state department there. There were roughly twenty people on the aircraft, including the pilots.

Leon worked on a table to one side of the back side of the plane. He had maps and pens and data spread out all over the table. He was drawing lines and flipping maps to check his charting. He kept rubbing the back of his neck with his face drawn into lines of concentration. She watched the intelligence all over him as he worked. He was there putting it all together. He was there mapping out a way to bring down the bad guy and save the day.

Jill sat beside Ben in two seats. He was picking at the teddy bear in his lap. She said softly, "It's ok to be mad at us. We're not leaving you, Benny. We're protecting you. We'll come back for you when it's done."

And now, he lifted his head at her. And he was so mad. She could see it all over his little face.

He shouted, which made her jump and had eyes swing toward their seats. Leon looked over from his work at them. "You won't come back! You won't! You'll leave me there, and you'll die! You'll go away and die, and you won't come back!"

Jill tried to soothe him, and he shot to his feet. "Benny…"

"No! I p'omised! I p'omised to protect you! I can't do dat if you send me away!" He ran up the aisle toward the cockpit. Jill rose to go after him, and Leon shook his head. He patted her shoulder to guide her back down.

"Stay. Let me do it." He moved after the little boy. Helena shifted over to sit by Jill.

She said softly, "Men. Nothing but drama."

And Jill laughed a little.

Leon found Ben outside the cockpit, sitting in the corner with his teddy bear in his arms. He crouched down to eye level with him. "Hey, pal. You want to tell me what's happening here?"

Ben shrugged one shoulder. "Nobody wants me around."

Leon nodded a little, "Seems that way, huh? But you know what? We both want you around all the time. I won't risk you, Ben. I told you that once. Not for me. Not for Jill. Not for anyone. Let me protect you now. So you can grow up and be a hero again. You saved me. You keep saving me. Let me protect you now."

Ben held his eyes. "If you send me away, I won't be there to save you. And you'll die."

Jesus.

Leon covered his hand on the teddy bear. The teddy bear had been Leon's when he'd been young. Adam had given it to him. It was on its first adventure overseas. Most of its life, it had lived in that cabin in Whispering Pines. What was significant about the bear wasn't that it had been given to him by Adam. It wasn't that it was looking for a little boy to love it again. It wasn't even that it had been his only friend in the house where no one had loved him growing up. It was that the bear's name…was Benjamin.

And maybe that was another thing he'd been searching for his entire life.

Ben.

Leon finally said, looking for the right words, "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't do this without you. But I'm pretty scared, pal. I'm pretty terrified right now."

Ben blinked a little at him. "To die?"

"No…not to die. But to lose you? Yeah. That guy in your arms there? That's Benjamin, the Bear."

Ben blinked and smiled a little. "Like me?"

"Oh yeah. He's been looking for you. And so have I. Who will take care of Ben, the Bear, if you get hurt? Who will take care of me?"

Ben shifted a little. He moved forward until he was snuggled in Leon's arms. Leon settled back on the ground and turned him to sit on his lap.

"What if you don't come back?" Such a soft whisper.

Leon stroked his hair while they both held the bear. "I'll come back for you."

Ben sniffled a little. "How do you know?"

"Because I don't break my promises. Ever."

Ben lifted his head and met Leon's eyes. He was comforted by the stoic resolution he must have seen there. Something on that face soothed him. He nodded a little and sighed. "Ever?"

"Ever," Leon affirmed.

"…ok. I'll go."

"Good man. I can't fight if I'm worried about you. Maybe we apologize to Jill for yelling at her too. What do ya think?" Leon shifted a knee up and draped his wrist over it. Ben settled onto the floor beside him and curled against his side.

"…yeah. I will. I is sorry I yelled."

"A wise choice, my friend. Mad girls is bad girls. Seriously. She won't bake pies if she's mad."

Ben nodded sagely. "Or maybe her make poop pies instead. I don't want to eat a poop pie."

Amused, Leon nodded while his eyes twinkled. "Me either, pal. I've eaten a shit sandwich before; I promise you…it's not good."

Ben watched him wisely and seemed to accept this as gospel. "Maybe it's ok for you to say dirty words. You say them a lot."

Chastised, Leon blinked down at him. "You could be right about that. So, that's something I can work on too, huh?"

"Yeah. Dirty mouths get soap in them. Dat p'obably tastes as bad as a poop pie."

That was it. He was keeping the kid forever. He was done.

Leon chuckled and hugged him close. He opened his mouth to say something either clever or awful…and the plane pitched. It pitched hard, and they slid along the floor. He caught Ben to hold him and waited. But it wasn't turbulence. Nope.

It was trouble.

Because the alarms started blaring and the lights began flickering. And the world went dark and was lit only by a flicker of lightning outside the windows.

And somewhere in the dark...someone had started screaming.

The plane pitched again. Ben grabbed at him. It was pitch dark in the hallway. The screaming had stopped. He could hear people milling around. And then the world was bright again by emergency lighting.

"Leon!"

"It's ok. It's alright. Look at me. Look here." Ben did, terrified. "I look afraid to you?"

Ben studied his face and finally shook his head no.

"Exactly. Come with me, ok? Let's check on the pilots. Planes break down like cars sometimes."

He figured by now; they were over Lanshiang's airspace. How far outside of their landing zone? There was a storm happening beyond the windows. Lightning flashed and sizzled in the inky clouds. It was impossible to know the answer to that question.

Keeping his calm, he eased down the hallway to the cockpit. The door was ajar. The gnaw of something painful got the back of his neck. His hand slid down and pulled the Glock from his thigh. Ben glanced up at him, afraid again.

"Hey…just a precaution. Just to be safe. Ok?"

Ben nodded and pressed harder against his side. Leon eased the door opened and cleared the room beyond it. A short flight of stairs led up to the cockpit. It looked clear, but he kept the gun aimed as he elbow rolled the door open and eased into the room.

Ben stayed with him, breathing fast and low.

Leon could hear the panel of indicators squealing and throwing warnings. A plane diagram indicated that the pressure bulkhead in the plane's rear was causing an anomaly in the flight pattern. Leon clicked a few keys on the panel, trying to figure out precisely what was infiltrating, but the computer couldn't have that answer.

He started to turn back, and Ben whispered, "Leon..."

He looked over his shoulder, and the pilot..well…the pilot was dead. But he wasn't just dead…he was a pod. He was a pod covered in goop. It split, cracked, and stank. Leon grabbed Ben and almost threw him toward the door they'd come through.

"Run! Get to Jill! RUN, BEN!"

The terror in his voice probably scared the boy to death. But there wasn't much he could do about it. He hadn't been afraid before.

He was fucking terrified now.

And the pod burst open with a geyser of ectopic fluid and slime. The disgusting thing that burst free from it was the same thing they'd faced in the cathedral. It was a monster covered in twenty buttholes. It was a tit monster. Its head split open like nasty petals so it could squeal, screech, and warble its high-pitched wail at them.

Leon holstered the pistol, ripped the Magnum from his shoulder holster, and shot it right in its exposed blubbery organ-filled face. It squealed; it raced at him doing that horrible wiggle walk. Leon hit it again, and it was there. There was nowhere to run now.

He shot again, but it knocked his arms to the side, and the Magnum spun over the floor. The hit threw him sideways into the console. It threw alarm bells and sent up screams of protest.

The tit monster grabbed his face with one nasty hand and squeezed. It started to lift him off the floor. It opened that gaping petal head and screeched. Leon kicked, and there was a boom from behind him.

It dropped him. It staggered back, squealing and toppling to the side. And Ben was on his ass on the floor, put there by the Magnum in his hands. The end of the barrel smoked, and his eyes were so wide it was like looking at a chibi doll.

Leon pulled his pistol, and the tit monster started at him again.

From the cockpit doorway, Jill shouted, "GET DOWN!"

He did. He dropped belly first to the floor, and she fired the shotgun in her hands at it. The heavy round had it staggering backward. It screamed at them and leaped. It tore through the ceiling of the plane and bounded away.

Jill offered Ben her hand and yanked him to his feet.

Leon rolled to his own. "Jesus Christ…you think we can get it back here?"

Jill lifted her brows at him.

"Someone has to fly this fu-funky plane."

Jill shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You can fly it, right?"

Leon seemed to consider it. "Sure? Why not? What have we got to lose, right?"

Jill blinked at him. "You can't fly it?"

"No? I did some simulations once. I can fly a helicopter."

They held gazes for a moment. And finally, Jill said, "Apparently, there are things we need Chris for after all."

And she loved that look on his face. It was offense. He was offended.

Chuckling, Jill said, "Get Hunnigan on the horn and figure it out. Ben? Stay here with Leon and help him fly this plane. I'm going to get Helena and track down the big stinky before it farts on everyone. We'll check the pressure bulkhead in the rear to see what's infiltrating."

Leon nodded and grabbed the pilot's seat. Ben took the other chair and strapped himself in.

Jill hurried down the steps and emerged into the plane's main cabin. Helena met her as they moved toward the rear of the aircraft. Helena had another shotgun in her hands. They shifted together while people scrambled and hid.

The door to the next cabin was broken and hanging on its hinges. And the people in the cabin…were no longer people. The monster had farted its nasty mist all over this cabin, clearly. There were undead everywhere. They lifted their guns and started firing.

Leon, guided by Hunnigan, was shutting down the autopilot. He gripped the release and pushed the lever to bring the plane level. He hit buttons, pulled throttles, and fought against a failing engine.

Jill and Helena were finally in the rear bulkhead. They were sealing the leak by releasing the pressure valve. And then the giant tit monster burst in to join the party.

The plane bucked and tossed, spilling them around like toppled toys. The tit monster hit the wall and slid to the floor. Jill fired her shotgun right into its squealing face. The plane righted, and Helena shot the tit monster in the back. They put eight rounds in it while it tried to fart on them and slap them stupid.

The steel floor and walls hurt when the plane tossed them around. Whatever Leon was doing, he sucked at flying the plane. Jill yelled as they scrambled again, "Jesus Christ! I should have let Ben fly the damn plane!"

And Helena laughed.

Finally, Helena smashed the emergency release for the cargo bay. She grabbed Jill and threw her at the wall. Jill held on to the valve wheel, looping her arms around it, and Helena pulled the lever. The tit monster wobbled, probably walking at them to fart all over them, and the cargo bay opened.

The pressure was tremendous. It was enormous. It created a vacuum that sucked the screaming, squealing, warbling mess into space. It tried to take them both with it. Jill held on, horizontal to the ground as the wind ripped her body parallel. Helena shoved the lever, clinging and flapping in the wind like a flag. She yelled out with a final push of power, and the cargo bay slid closed, sealing them in.

They both dropped to their faces on the steel floor with grunts.

The plane pitched again, and they rose, staggering, and raced back toward the cockpit. Jill yelled, "What was I thinking? Leon Kennedy is the worst driver in the world! Jesus Christ…it's a running joke! Everyone knows that."

Leon brought the plane level in the cockpit before nose-diving into the closest building. But the alarms wailed, blared, and indicated the left engines were blown. "Oh god… Hunnigan? What do I do?"

"Redirect power to the right engines. Try to stay above the damn city, Leon. Try to get the plane up. Hurry."

He pulled the lever to lift the nose, and the plane squealed at him. It told him the right-side engines were losing power. It told him the fuel line was ruptured. It told him...they were fucked. He jerked the throttle, trying to get the plane above the buildings. But they were right over the city now, right over it.

Leon strapped on the safety harness. He glanced at Ben. His voice was so calm. So calm. He was terrified. "Hold on, pal. Close your eyes and hold on, ok?"

"Leon!"

Jill was in the cockpit. He pulled back on the throttle, and the engine whined and died. They were done. It was done. He shouted, "STRAP IN! HOLD THE FUCK ON!"

The plane nose-dived down, running now on momentum and velocity. It belly-flopped and hit the road. There was an explosion and a metal scream; the wings were ripped away and sheared off by the buildings around it that rose to stall their crash. The world erupted into fire and smoke, and death. The plane tossed and spun and surged. It cocked sideways and went through an entire building, sending plumes of smoke and stench and fire into the stormy sky.

Cars were ripped apart beneath its rampaging carcass as it kept going, throwing the world into chaos and collapsing it around its fiery girth. The plane screamed, the passengers shouted, the world screamed as it was caught up in the blaze of its descent, and the madness was born from the ashes of the startling, terrible, pulsing crash.

Jill and Helena were tossed around the cockpit with no time to hold on. Helena managed to grab the safety harness against the closest wall and strap herself in. She grabbed for Jill and missed by inches. Jill was thrown into the ceiling and came down on her face; she hit the floor with a gasp of instant pain and was caught in the spin as the plane cocked sideways and tried to flip over. She was jerked back and thrown across the room as if hands had swatted her. She hit the dashboard sideways and smashed into the windshield.

Leon unhooked his safety belt and grabbed for her. He twisted his hands into her shoulder holster and jerked her forward into him. She fell across his lap, straddled him, and he hooked the safety belt over them. She curled around him in the pilot's seat with her face in his neck. His arms looped and held her. The plane pitched; it skidded sideways in a burst of collapsing buildings, a roar of bursting stone and shattering glass, and a rush of fire that spread and caught and spilled out to lick the sky with angry tongues.

After a long moment, the crackle and pop of flame were all that filled the air around them. Jill lifted her head to look down at him. Blood had smeared along her brow and cheek. He grabbed her chin to check her. She had a lump at her temple that was oozing.

Jill shook her head at the concern on his face. "I'm fine. That wasn't even your fault. That was our friend with the fifty buttholes."

He gripped her and darted his eyes over her face. "Did it fart on you?"

And now, she laughed a little. "Why do we have to keep asking each other questions like this?"

He looked solemn. "The world seeks to surround us in flatulence, baby. Clearly."

"No shit." And she liked the baby. The baby...was good. She turned her head, and Ben was watching them, wide-eyed and frightened. Jill reached toward him and squeezed his hand. Leon unhooked the safety belt from them and called, "Helena!?"

She answered from the back of the cockpit, "I'm ok! I'm ok."

They rose, Jill wincing, and Leon braced a hand on her. She limped a little but laughed and patted his forearm. "You are...the worst driver...ever."

He defended, "Not my fault."

"….seriously?"

"I'm fucking serious. The engines shit the bed, Jill. I didn't wreck the damn plane. I can't control something with no power coming to it."

Her look was droll.

He was deadpan.

Finally, Ben said, "You wrecked the bus too."

Leon threw up his hands now, unable to defend himself. "I wasn't driving the bus! The bus was not my fault!"

Jill was helping Helena free from her safety harness.

They moved through the poor dead plane to the emergency exit door. It was already open. Any survivors were long gone into the burning darkness.

They were in some kind of shipping yard. Steel shipping containers were everywhere, some as big and wide as a school bus. Boxes and barrels were scattered around in lilting stacks and piles. Some were burning; some were tumbling, and some were smoking and waiting to catch fire. Oil drums were lined up in various locations on the filthy concrete. Where oil leaked, the fire ignited until it ran around them like snakes and rings of flame. Leon kept hearing Johnny Cash in his head as he walked.

They could smell the sea over the acrid stench of fire and melting metal. Empty cages lined the docks around them. Radio towers were jutting up into the inky sky. Fire licked and plumed from the devastation wrought by the plane.

The world was a flickering, steaming, red-washed rain of fire. Ash and debris rained down. The spinning blades of the dead engine on the plane punctuated the crackling, snapping, seething sounds of the eruption and post-explosive concussion. Everything was bathed in orange and glowing like a torch. The heat sank into the bones and spilled there, singeing the nose with the stench of burning, even as it caused sweat to break out on the skin.

They picked their way over the filthy ground, Jill limping a little. Ben was holding Helena's hand as they moved. Leon covered them with his Magnum, loose but ready in his hands.

He touched his ear, "Hunnigan…we made it. Sorta. The plane is toast, but we're alright. Can you get a location on us and help me out here?"

"Sure. Give me just a second to pinpoint you."

"Thanks."

Jill staggered, and Leon caught her against him, one-armed. "Hey…hey hey. You ok?"

She smiled a little, which was hard to tell, but he thought she looked pale in the flickering firelight. "Hard blow to the head. I'm ok. Just a little dizzy. Let's get out of this fire and give me a minute to sit down."

"Yeah." He looped her arm over his shoulders to help her move. "Ingrid?"

"I'm here," Said Hunnigan into his ear, "You're in Lanshiang, Leon. You never made it beyond the city. The bad news is that the city is infested with the virus you're fighting. But if you're careful, you can take back alleys to get to Simmons. The tracker I have on him puts him close to you."

Leon paused, breathing, "He's here in the city?"

"I can't pinpoint the exact location. But I've got him within a fifteen-mile radius of you...so yeah."

"So, even though I'm the one that crashed the plane...Simmons is the one who's really going down."

Jill stopped walking. She blinked at him. He held her look.

Hunnigan didn't even chuckle. She just sighed. "You're awful. Do you plan this stuff?"

"...can't say that I do. It's just natural ability. Like throwing a curve ball...or having great hair."

Hunnigan finally said, "Follow the signs for the Feng Open Air Market. Stay low. Stay quiet. I'll monitor you from here."

"The plane crash wasn't really my fault, Hunnigan."

She was quiet. Leon pursed his lips. "It wasn't."

Again, she said nothing.

Annoyed, Leon huffed out a breath. Hunnigan said, "Stay safe. Be good. Don't blow up any more shit…and let Helena or Jill drive from now on."

Leon clicked off, muttering under his breath.

They moved slowly toward the far side of the shipyard, and a small voice called out. "Leon!?"

He turned, and both he and Jill had their guns raised. Helena stepped in front of Ben. But there was no cause to worry...exactly. The little voice belonged to Sherry Birkin. Once a little girl in Raccoon City, she was a woman now. She was small and thin and filthy in a raggedy shirt and scarf. Her short blonde hair framed a pixie face. She had a man with her that was skinny and tall in dirty black garb. The flickering orange glow was hard to tell, but his face looked familiar.

Jill tightened her fingers on Leon's shoulder, and his gaze slid to her. "What?"

She shook her head.

Leon eased Jill to sit on a shipping container and turned back to Sherry as she raced toward him. "Leon! What are you doing here?"

She moved to hug him, and the man with her grabbed her arm, stalling her. Leon and the guy held gazes. Something on the back of his neck itched. What was it about that face?

Leon said, "Sherry, I'd ask you the same."

"I'm on protective detail."

He was nodding. "Yeah. I heard you were an agent now."

"I am. I'm escorting Jake to safety."

"Jake" was eyeing Leon like he might try to kill the girl beside him at any moment. Leon shifted, disliking the alpha dog look in those narrow blue eyes. Sherry was smiling.

"It's good to see you…in a shitty situation. Why are you here?"

"I'm tracking the guy who started all this."

Jake gestured with his head. "He wreck that plane?"

Ben said quietly, "No. That was Leon."

Annoyed, especially because "Jake" was now smirking arrogantly about it, Leon huffed another breath. "Long story. But the guy I'm looking for is Chief Security Advisor Derek Simmons."

Sherry jerked. She blinked. She glanced at Jake and back at Leon. "Simmons!? That's not possible. Leon…that's my boss. That's who I report to."

Surprised, Leon took a step forward. "You answer to Simmons?"

"Yes. He's my superior."

Leon shook his head, "I don't really think he's anyone's superior. A turd is superior to Derek Simmons. But, for argument's sake, let's pretend that's true. I need to find him."

Sherry hesitated.

"Where is he, Sherry?" Leon urged her now, coaxing, "I need to find him. If you'll just te—"

Apparently, he'd made an egregious mistake taking another step toward her because Jake threw an arm up and hit him in the chest to shove him back. He turned Sherry away from Leon at the same time.

Sherry cried, "Hey!"

Jake growled, "Back off!"

And Leon felt the first push of anger. Protective was fine. Protective was good when it came to Sherry. But he didn't have time for this kind of dominance shit.

Jill, meanwhile, wasn't having any of it. She had her gun on Jake.

"Ease down, cowboy. And take a fucking chill pill. Don't be threatening him or laying your hands on him, or I'll feed you that ugly shirt you're wearing."

Amused, Leon lifted a brow at her. She shrugged one shoulder. "I have my moments."

He chuckled a little, "My hero."

Sherry was pushing on Jake. He dragged her back by her arm. Leon took another step toward them. With the gun on Jake still, Jill added, "You're gonna wanna take your hands off her too there, tough guy. No reason to rough up that little girl."

Sherry lifted her hand to them. "Please. I'm sorry. I'll handle this."

She turned to Jake. He hissed at her, "Your orders said to avoid contact with anyone."

Sherry jerked her arm away from him. "Leon's not just anyone. He saved my life back in Raccoon City. My life, Jake. He's my friend. Back down."

Jake held her gaze. He turned his eyes to Leon and met that look. "Fair enough."

Ben made a slight sound. And Helena yelled, "LEON!"

The world went slow. It seemed to sink into a crystallized space in time. Later, it would seem that he had all the time in the world to look up and see the plane's engine flying toward them. Toward Sherry. Flipping and zipping and shooting across the sky like a horrid falling star.

Leon reached for her…and Jake leaped on her to shove her down.

The engine passed an inch from her head and kept on coming.

A world on fire.