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58. Leon

Claire was fast asleep when Leon closed the door of the bedroom and stepped into the living room. The woman was sleeping soundly, and Leon smiled, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"Hunnigan," he said, sitting on the couch and scratching Midnight's head.

"Hey, Leon. Good evening," Hunnigan greeted him. "Everything in order?"

"Yes, Claire handled the hypnosis well. She fell asleep pretty fast, too. I guess those experimental drugs that she's taking are pretty effective."

"I suppose that is good news."

"Yeah," Leon sighed. "Did you find anything about what Claire said?"

"That's exactly why I am calling," Hunnigan answered. "I found the place?"

"You did?"Leon said, surprised. "Well, that was fast...even for you, Hunnigan."

"It wasn't easy, though," Hunnigan replied. "I had to do a lot of digging."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone had been looking for information about Blackwell Asylum already. The data was in the process of getting locked down in the Confidential and Restricted Information Archive when I found it."

"What? Who?"

"That is something I am trying to find out. Not everyone has the authority to order that. Do you know what putting the info there means?" Hunnigan answered.

"Not really, what?"

"Putting data in the CRI basically blocks it. Any data introduced into this archive will disappear. Every trace of it gets erased, and it is almost as if it never existed."

"So someone was trying to make sure we didn't find it. It's a good thing you got it first."

"Yes, I am trying to track it, but I need to be discreet. I don't want to get unwanted attention."

"Do what you can," Leon nodded. "So what did you find?"

"Blackwell Asylum was a mental institution from the 1870s. During the Victorian Era, there was a boom of mental institutions all over the British islands. Blackwell was one of those many lunatic settlements. It was built on a small island in the northern Atlantic and became one of the main contention institutions for dangerous mental patients."

"It became a jail?"

"More or less. Criminals considered as lunatics got sent there so that they didn't become a danger for the rest of society."

"And now it is a bioterrorist playground, huh?"

"That, I can't confirm. Blackwell shut down in 1970, under accusations of cruelty and mala praxis."

"So it isn't an active center," Leon said, leaning back on the chair. "Why am I not surprised?"

"The place got abandoned in 1971. It remained like that until 1979, when it got bought by a wealthy Welsh family: the Crawleys. The family was famous for restoring several Victorian buildings all over the UK."

"So their remodeling project became a bioweapon research center. They must have a connection to Mobius. Where are they now?"

"The property is still under their name. I am looking into that."

"So Mobius used the old asylum to hold prisoners as Guinea pigs for their experiments..."

Leon clenched his fist, trying not to imagine the treatment that Claire had probably received there. Like her, other prisoners would have been exploited and made to believe they suffered some psychiatric disease.

" I am sending you the island's general information."

"Thanks, I will share it with Chris."

"Yes, with the current situation, BSAA might be more efficient than the DSO."

"Yeah, and until we don't know who and why someone was tampering with the info about Blackwell, we might want to keep our findings down."

"You don't think we might have a traitor, do you?"

"I don't know," Leon sighed. "But it wouldn't be the first time we have a wolf hidden under a lamb's fur."

"Yes, and that is enough to be concerning."

"Look into it, and let me know as soon as you find out anything. I'm going to contact Chris and let him know about this."

"Alright. Good night, Leon."

"Good night, Hunnigan."

Leon stared at the phone for a minute after Hunnigan had ended up the call before dialing Chris's number. The conversation went well, and Leon could hear Chris's excitement about the news was evident in his voice. Leon wouldn't judge him since he could relate to his feelings.

"The property is still under the Crawleys. I asked Hunnigan to look into them. Maybe they have something to do with Mobius," Leo said, watching Midnight jump over the table and curl on the couch.

"Yeah, they could be the ones behind all this shit."

"Yes, that's a possibility. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Yeah, I will appreciate that. Your friend is good if she found that info..."

"Yeah, trust Hunnigan to find anything," Leon sighed. Leon's gaze unconsciously traveled to his bedroom door. "Chris, we should approach this carefully."

"Yeah, I know. We won't make any impulsive moves. We'll start on a plan, and we will let you know. "

"Yeah, that should work."

Suddenly, Leon heard a crash from upstairs. The agent frowned.

"I should go..." Leon said, "We'll talk later, Chris."

"Yeah, sure. Thank you, Leon."

Leon put down his phone and rushed up the stairs into his room with worry. The scene he found made his blood run cold for a moment.

Claire was shaking desperately between the sheets in a mixture of pain, despair, and horror. Her skin had paled, and her hands were writhing like spiders; her nails had grown dark and sharp, but Leon ignored the inhuman form and focused on her face. It contorted with pain, and he could mumble soft cries in her sleep.

"Claire, wake up! Claire!"

Leon called, shaking her slightly, but Claire didn't answer. She kept trashing, and when Leon approached her, he felt her nails sink into his arms.

"Claire...come on," Leon begged. "Claire, wake up! Claire!"

Suddenly, Claire's eyes snapped open, and she seemed about to hyperventilate. Sweat drenched her forehead, and she looked ill and confused.

"Hey, it's alright. Breathe, it was just a dream," Leon said, hugging her. "Just a nightmare..."

There wasn't much that Leon could do to help her, but he tried his best to calm the panicking woman, ignoring the burning sensation on his arms.

"Shhhh, it's ok. It's ok. You're safe..." Leon whispered. "It was a nightmare..."

It took Claire several minutes to finally calm down. The woman took a deep breath and relaxed in Leon's arms, losing all of her strength. It took several minutes of soft words to calm her. Her nails had returned to normal, the color had returned to her skin, and her breathing was less strained.

"S-sorry..."Claire whispered, "I...I guess that session messed me up more than I thought."

"You don't need to apologize," Leon replied, brushing her hair. He could still feel her agitation. Claire took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, it seemed like she was trying to act normal.

Chris is right. She always tries to pretend she's strong.

"Did I wake you?"

Claire had just gone through a horrible nightmare that Leon couldn't even imagine, and yet, she was worried about waking him up?

"No, I wasn't asleep, but if I had been, it wouldn't have made any difference," the agent replied, shaking his head. "Do you want something? Water? Tea?"

Perhaps offering food wasn't the brightest idea, but it was the first thing he could think of. His mother used to give them milk or a tisane when he or his siblings had nightmares as children.

Claire shook her head. Her hands were trembling. Her expression was pitiful, and Leon felt his heart twist. Now, more than ever, he wanted to find Mobius and beat them into a pulp.

"Claire, look at me."

The woman locked eyes with him, and he tried his best to make her feel safe.

"I know it was horrible," he said softly. "But it is over. They won't lay a finger on you anymore because we'll make sure of that."

"Y- yeah," Claire mumbled. "I know. Just give me a minute."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leon asked, but he added quickly. "I won't force you if you don't want to, but if it makes you feel better..."

"I don't think it will help, and to tell the truth, it will just make you feel bad, too," Claire answered. "I chose to remember it. This burden is mine to carry alone."

Leon frowned. That was what the agent wanted to prevent.

"I think you'd made a habit of carrying everything alone, Claire," Leon sighed. "I am talking from experience. Sometimes you need to share the weight."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but not this. Not yet..."

Leon nodded. Part of him was curious, but he knew that pushing her to talk would only harm her more. He was not an expert in psychiatry, but he saw that as common sense.

"Let's forget about it, ok?" Claire said softly.

Forget it would be impossible, but he understood that as a sign that Claire needed a distraction.

"Oh my god..."

Claire's sudden cry caught Leon off-guard, and he turned to look at the brown-haired woman. The woman held his arm and looked at it carefully as her expression darkened with guilt.

"Did I do this?"

Leon looked at her, surprised. He had already forgotten about his arms and about the long inhuman nails that had caused those scratches.

"Ah, it's nothing. You probably scratched me when I tried to wake you up," Leon said, without giving it much importance. The last thing he wanted was that Claire panicked because of what he had seen. He would let Claire know about the nails, but it'd be later when things had calmed down a little.

"I am so sorry..."

Claire had paled again. Leon saw a glimpse of guilt and fear in her cerulean eyes, and his instant reaction was to calm her as best as he could.

"Claire, it isn't a big deal. It's just a scratch."

Claire didn't answer. The agent saw her slide out of bed and pick up the first aid kit to start treating his unsightly scratches.

"Claire," Leon said, watching as Claire wrapped his arm in bandages, silently. "Claire..."

"Eh?"

"I told you. It is nothing. I am fine," Leon said, catching her hand in his. "Stop beating yourself over it. I know you probably don't feel like it, but I think you need to rest."

"I will have more nightmares..." Claire mumbled.

Leon's heart crumbled. Claire's voice sounded so unlike hers, like a scared child's and not the brave woman he was used to seeing.

"I'll be here to take care of you if that happens," Leon replied, trying to comfort her.

"It's not like you can come into my dreams and save me..."

"No, but I can distract you from them. If I can tell you good things, perhaps you will dream of those instead."

Maybe he'd just said something stupid. He felt a little ridiculous, but whatever stupidity he had said, it had made Claire chuckle. He heard her mumble something, but her voice was so so that he had not heard it.

"What did you say?"

Claire tilted her head and smiled.

"Nothing important," Claire said, smiling at him. "Thank you, Leon. For everything."

Claire's smile was back, and that was enough for him. He surrounded her with his arms and pulled her closer into a hug.

"Always..."

Claire didn't get any more nightmares that night. She slept soundly through it curled between Leon's arms. The agent had slept through the night very lightly, paying attention to any change on the woman sleeping by his side. It wasn't exactly a restful sleep, but as long Claire got her rest, Leon was willing to sacrifice his.

Leon got fully woken up by the ringing of his phone on the side table. It was already morning, and the sunlight crept into the room through the curtains, lighting the room warmly.

Leon rushed to pick up the phone before the annoying ringing woke up Claire. To his surprise, the caller was no other than Chris, so he took the phone and left the room quietly.

"Chris. It isn't like you to call me so early in the morning," Leon said, looking at the clock. 6 AM.

"My bad, if I woke you from your beauty sleep, Leon."

Leon snorted at the mocking comment. Chris had to be in a good mood if he was ready to tease him that early in the morning.

"I wouldn't call it beauty sleep," Leon answered. He stepped into the kitchen and put on the coffee pot. "So, what do I owe the honor?"

"Just an update. We have the green light to go to Blackwell, so it is a good time to do some planning."

"Sounds good. Want me to drop by your office. DSO-HQ is still out of commission."

"No, not here..." Chris whispered.

The sudden low tone in Chris's voice made Leon frown.

"Is everything alright, Chris?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just want to be careful with the info. How about we talk at the lab?"

"Sure. I don't see why not? It's early, and Claire is still asleep, so how about...10?"

"10 sounds about right. We'll be there."

"Yeah, I'll see you later then."

Leon sighed. He put the phone on the breakfast table and ran his hand through his hair. The agent heard footsteps from the stairs, and he turned to see Claire standing at the foot of it.

"Was that Chris?"

"Huh, do you have a sibling psychic connection with him or what?" Leon snorted, and Claire rolled her eyes.

"He's the only one who would call you at 6 AM that I can think of," Claire replied, entering the kitchen and grabbing a glass of water.

"Fair enough," Leon admitted. "He's coming to your lab at 10. He got the green light for the mission, and he wants to do a strategy meeting."

"In my lab?" Claire asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to do that in the BSAA?"

"He has his reasons, I suppose," Leon said, pouring some coffee. "Never mind about that. How are you feeling?"

"Uhm, I am good," Claire answered, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry if I used you as my pillow last night."

"I don't mind being your pillow from now on," Leon chuckled.

"Do you have to be such a flirt this early in the morning?"

"Maybe," he answered, kissing her cheek, "Toast for breakfast?"

"Sure, let me help you."

Making breakfast together had become a ritual, and Leon enjoyed it more than he dared to admit. The duo prepared the food, and after eating, they headed to the lab.

It was a routine that Leon had come to love. It was as if they were a real married couple, and the agent decided that he didn't mind living like this.

Helena wouldn't arrive until later since she had to go for a medical check-up, so the car ride was only for Leon and Claire. It was a pleasant trip, filled with smiles and laughter and tiny exchanges of affectionate gestures that would probably provoke Chris into kicking Leon.

It felt right to be with Claire, and perhaps he should start thinking of how he was dropping the news on Chris.

"Good morning, Red, Kennedy," Wallace greeted them as they entered the office area.

Looking at the man, Leon thought the guard had made his small cubicle a full haven. The Ryu e's were pillows on his chair, food on the desk, and other things that Leon could not recognize.

"Another tournament?" Claire asked as if the picture was the most generic thing she'd ever seen.

"Yup, I am one round from the finals. I am ready to bring honor to this lab," Wallace replied.

Claire rolled her eyes and turned to Leon.

"Whenever he has a tournament, he stays overnight here. He says nothing beats the internet connection of the lab, so..."

"And you let him stay?"

Claire shrugged.

"If someone wants to know why we have 300Mbps of internet speed, a pro gamer sounds like a believable excuse."

Wallace gave her the thumbs up.

"He's happy with that, too. Free internet, Claire added, shaking her head.

" It's payment for doing your cybersecurity job, " Wallace answered," talking about work. Your test was ready around 1 AM. The results are in your office."

"Ok, thank you."

"Dhriti will be here past noon. She needs to take care of the flower shop, and Saya is on Terra duties today. She won't be around."

"Yeah, she told me about that," Claire sighed. "Mobius's fault, huh?"

"Three cities attacked in 5 days," Wallace shrugged. "Isolated cases without a link. I am not an expert, but if you ask me, Mobius is deliberately releasing their bombs, or they have a safety breach somewhere."

"I am almost 100% sure that it is deliberate," Claire sighed. "Do we report the cases?"

"We got something. Do you need some horror for bed reading?"

"Funny," Claire sighed. "Send the files."

"Sure, boss."

Leon watched Claire sigh and followed her out of the general office and to the more private space of her lab. Knowing Claire, he was not surprised that she wanted to learn more about the recent bioterrorist attacks. However, with all the workload that she already had, he was concerned about the woman overworking herself.

"What do you want to see about the attacks?" Leon asked.

"They're Mobius's doing," Claire replied. "I'll see if I can identify the BOW. Now that my memories are back in place, that shouldn't be difficult."

"You don't have to do it," Leon said. "Forcing yourself to relive all that just to identify them is not worth it."

"It is worth it. People are dying, innocent people. Maybe I can see a pattern in those attacks and..."

"Hey..." Leon said, stopping midway, caressing her face. "I know you want to help, but you already have enough on your plate to take more..."

"Don't worry, I promise you I am fine," Claire said, resting her hand on his. The woman gave him a vague smile, and they both continued their way to the laboratory.

"If I can identify the BOW, I might be able to know if the attack was accidental or deliberate."

"Accidental? I doubt anything could be remotely accidental when it comes to bioterrorists."

Claire shook her head gravely.

"Not Mobius. They are not like that," Claire replied. "They do horrible things, but their acts are rational. They wouldn't attack unless they have a motive."

"Really," Leon said skeptically. "TerraSave MedCenter in Wales?"

"I was the target," Claire replied. "They were looking for me, and they stated it openly. The subsequent attack on BSAA was a follow up to that reasoning."

"Shopping Mall?"

"I was there, too, wasn't I?"

Leon didn't reply. He hated to admit it, but Claire was right. So far, all attacks had seemed moved by Mobius's need to get Claire.

"Those three new attacks had nothing to do with you," Leon said. Claire looked at him and tilted her head.

"That is why I want to check it, and..."

Claire stumbled. The only reason she didn't hit the ground was that she had grabbed the edge of her desk for support.

"Claire..." Leon said with alarm. He rushed to her side and held her before she fell to the ground.

Claire's hands gripped the edge of the desk tightly. Her knuckles were turning white with the pressure, and her eyes were closed in a pained expression.

"My shot...I need it..." Claire mumbled.

Leon wasted no time. He went to the fridge and retrieved one of the vials and a syringe. At the moment, Leon was grateful that Rebecca had taught him how to do the injection. The agent extracted the dosage of the vial and gave Claire the shot under Claire's instructions.

Minutes passed slowly, but Leon soon saw Claire's demeanor relax as the drug flowed through her bloodstream.

"Claire?"

"I am fine. I am fine now..." Claire sighed. "I forgot to take my morning shot. Stupid mistake. Thank you, Leon."

"Claire, isn't there something you should be telling me?"

Claire looked up, and her cerulean eyes locked with Leon's. The agent saw the woman ponder. After some short minutes, Claire sighed and sat on her chair in defeat.

"Have you ever heard of those diseases in which taking medication makes symptoms worse?"

"I can't say I have. If medications make symptoms worse, why take it?"

"Not worse like that. Maybe I just worded it wrongly. Ok, how about the dependency and rebound effect?"

Leon was starting to see where the conversation was leading, but he waited until Claire confirmed his suspicion.

"It's not 100% the same, but the treatment has made my body a little dependent on the drug, so the withdrawal effects seem to be particularly strong. If I miss an injection, it becomes painful."

"What would happen if you don't get it on time?"

"I don't know," Claire sighed. "I ran a test yesterday to see if my virus had mutated or something. I need to check it, but in the worst-case scenario, I might end up being..."

Leon didn't want her to end the sentence. It wouldn't happen. Neither he nor Chris would ever allow it, but then he remembered Claire's nails the night before, and his heart sank.

"Anyway," Claire sighed. "As long as I stick devotedly to my treatment, I should be fine."

Claire's voice signaled the end of the conversation. The woman picked a folder from her desk and began flipping through it. Her eyes read the contents, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Good news, I hope," Leon said.

"Yes, I suppose. My virus is stable. No mutations, no changes. I guess the dependency is just physiological assimilation."

That was great news, but Leon still felt restless, and the concern was visible on his face.

"Leon?"

"Yeah, that's good to hear."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Don't mention it to Chris. I will tell him, but I want to have everything right before I do that. Chris will panic and make a fuss over incomplete information."

"I don't think it is right," Leon sighed. "But I won't tell him."

"Thank you," Claire smiled. "Chirs is not good at getting this news, so I want to have the entire picture before he gets them."

"He worries about you, as we all do," Leon said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Claire's hand rested on his, and her eyes fell on the bandages on his arm.

The conversation would have continued if not for Wallace's message popping on the computer screen. Chris and the others had arrived.

Claire sighed and stood from her seat and looked at Leon.

"We should go. You know Chris isn't very patient."

"Yeah, I know..."