72. Leon

"How is she?" Leon asked Rebecca.

The medic was washing her hands after investing around 20 minutes suturing Claire's injury. The medical bay was well equipped, so they had found all the things that Rebecca had needed for Claire.

"Well, she has a fever," Rebecca sighed. "Other than that, I don't see any physical changes. I guess that's good news."

Leon sighed. The agent turned to the woman lying in bed and rested his hand on hers. She was burning, and her expression made clear that she was in a lot of pain.

"She looks in pain," Leon said.

"She is in pain," Julie answered. "We all go through it when we are in phase transition. It gets worse depending on what they put in."

"I have wanted to ask," Rebecca said. "You don't sound English, are you...?"

"American?" Julie replied with a frown. "I was born in the USA. I moved to the UK with my mother when I was thirteen."

"Oh, that explains a lot," Rebecca chuckled.

"What exactly is a phase transition?" Leon asked.

"It is what it sounds like," Julie replied. "It is a transition. And depending on how it goes, you turn like us, or you become one of those monsters out there."

Julie tilted her head, pointing at the wall.

"It is torture," she continued. "And if it wasn't enough, they threw us out there to fend for our lives.

"That's horrible," Rebecca sighed.

"It is, but do you think they cared?"

"Why did they put you there?" Leon asked. "Just that you would get bitten again and infected?"

"Claire called it a sadistic version of natural selection," Julie scoffed. "She couldn't have been more right. Honestly, we had it rough, but Claire was their favorite guinea pig."

"How was her life here?" Leon asked.

"Do you really want to know? You are her husband, aren't you?"

"That's precisely why I should know," Leon answered.

Julie seemed surprised by his words.

"She did say she had good friends," the woman snorted. "It's not a pretty thing. We had it bad. But Claire had it twice as bad. Something about her made her "special" in their terms. Claire arrived one day, looking like she had come from war, insisting that she shouldn't be there and that she needed to go back to her friends and family. Of course, the doctors would shake her off, saying she was having delusions and then give her more of the treatment."

"Treatment?"

"It was a cocktail: drugs to keep us docile, and whatever virus combo they had for us. Claire dealt with them pretty well at first, but then they started giving her the stronger ones. It was then when she started popping up."

"She? You mean her alter?"

"Oh, so you know her?" Julie asked. "She's still there, then. At first, it was difficult to tell them apart. They were like the same person, but the other Claire was colder sometimes, even ruthless. The things normal Claire wouldn't do, the other one did without hesitation."

"Like what?"

"Like beating that McMillan asshole," Julie said.

Now that made sense. Claire had said she had never had contact with the man, but he seemed familiar with her. If her alter had been the one to interact with him, Claire wouldn't have remembered.

"So it was a protective alter?" Rebecca said. "I don't know much about it, but I read once that there are several types of alters. Protectors were one of them. They appear to protect the person, and sometimes are associated with PTSD."

That made sense. Claire had suffered hell, and as a result, she created an alternate personality to protect herself. Leon had not met that alter since the past months had been safe, so that protective identity had not had to resurface.

"One way or another," Julie said, "If not for her, neither Claire nor we would have survived in the maze. Honestly, I don't think Claire would have kept her sanity if not for her."

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.

"She may act hard," Julie said. "But Claire was a softie and loving. She was good at that, so that made things difficult. Especially when it reached a point where you had to make a tough decision."

Both Leon and Rebecca watched her, expecting her to continue.

"Many of us entered the maze," Julie replied sadly. "Only a few left it. Some got killed by monsters, but some had a worse fate. When you see someone starting to turn, you have to kill it before it kills you. Claire knew this, but those decisions weighed heavy on her. She would obsess over the things she could have done differently to save them. When she came out, Claire would not have to remember what had happened. She didn't have to remember that she had killed a friend because the one who did it was the other Claire."

The woman didn't have to say more for the agent to know what followed.

Leon sighed, picked Claire's hand, and kissed it. She hadn't deserved that. But even in that situation, she had acted as the protective mother she always was.

"Leon," Helena called. "Come here for a second..."

Helena had been doing something at the computer located in the corner of the room for the past 40 minutes. Leon had no idea what his partner was up to, but he put down Claire's hand and walked to her with a quizzical look.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Look at this."

Helena turned the computer screen to him, and to Leon's surprise, he found himself staring at the security footage of the facility.

"How does a medical bay computer have access to security footage?"

"It doesn't. I hacked into the system," Helena smirked.

"Since when do you know how to hack?"

"I don't, but Wallace gave me a little useful present before we left," Helena said, showing him a small, black device.

"That kid sure knows to be useful even from afar," Leon snorted.

"You bet," Helena nodded. "Chris and the others are currently searching the labs in the next level, see? But look who's at the same level."

Helena clicked on one of the screens, and the familiar image of an Asian spy appeared on camera.

"Ada."

Ada was typing something on the computer, but she suddenly turned to the camera and smirked at it.

"Yeah, she's actually on this floor, about two labs from here."

"She's obviously expecting me to go," Leon said.

"So it seems. Will you?"

Leon glanced at Claire.

"She might have information," Leon said.

"That's a good point," Helena said, crossing her arms. "especially if she's using DSO property."

"Yeah. I'll check it out."

"Do you want me to go?"

"No, you stay here. I want someone with Claire in case something happens," Leon answered. "I'll deal with Ada. She has got some questions to answer."

"Ok, I'll tell Claire if she wakes up."

Leon nodded. He walked back to Claire's bed and stroked the woman's head.

"I need to check something," Leon said. "Please take care of her while I'm gone."

"Where are you going?" Rebecca asked.

"I need to investigate something. I should be back soon, but Helena will stay with you."

"Be careful," Julie said, "the demons from outside can't come in, but that doesn't mean there are no demons in here."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Leon kissed Claire's forehead and left Medical Bay, closing the door behind him.

Just as Helena had said, the laboratory Ada was in was not far from the medical wing. To Leon's horror, the camera angle hadn't shown him much of the details of the lab.

The place seemed filled with large cylinders filled with a greenish liquid, and inside it floated animals and people. Yes, they were people. Some were fully human, and others seemed on their way to becoming grotesque monsters.

"Not exactly the best place for a date, is it? We should stop meeting like this," Ada said without looking back at him. "I heard you got married. Should I congratulate you?"

"I'm not here for games, Ada."

"Of course not," Ada snorted. "I'm not your enemy. If I were, I wouldn't have given that hand out there."

"You turned on those lights, didn't you?"

"Maybe I did. Too bad you didn't make it unscathed. How is she?"

"She could be better," Leon replied.

"Too bad, then again, she is one of these, too," Ada said, nudging her head at the cylinders around them. "I hope you are ready to take the tough decision..."

"Claire will be fine," Leon said. "And I'm not here to talk about Claire."

"Really?" Ada replied, turning on her chair. "Even if I know some interesting things about her?"

"You do? How do I know you're not just playing me around?"

"You don't, but you've always trusted me, right?"

"Who are you working for, Ada?"

"That's classified," the spy said, turning back to the computer.

"Is it DSO, BSAA, or is it Mobius?"

"Oh? Doubting your own people, now? Your wife sure has put in some ideas for you."

"She didn't. You are using our ammo," Leon said. "Only DSO and the BSAA have access to those bullets."

"Ah, of course. Maybe you already know the answer."

"I'm not up for your games, Ada."

Ada extracted the drive from the computer and turned to Leon.

"You should be careful with the people that surround you, Leon," she said. "Everyone has their dark sides."

"Right, and you are the one telling me that?"

"Hmph," Ada smiled. "And if you really love that wife of yours, then you should distrust even more. There is a reason why Mobius is so interested in her, but they are not the only ones."

"What do you know about that?"

"Did you know she was supposed to be dead?"

"What?"

"Your wife," Ada answered. "The only reason she is alive now is because of those viruses."

Leon stared at her incredulously, but Ada continued.

"All of the people in this asylum were originally dead. They got brought back to life using a strain of the progenitor virus. That includes your dear Claire Redfield."

"That's crazy," Leon replied. "The T-virus turns everything it revives into zombies."

"That's the thing," Ada said. "Mobius managed to do what Spencer, Marcus, and Ashford couldn't: master the virus's properties."

Leon was speechless. Could it be true? Had Claire died that day after all? Ada crossed her arms.

"Either way, Mobius is more than just a terrorist group. It is a cult, a cult that has powerful members. I'd be careful if I were you unless you want enemies on high places."

"Appreciate the concern, but I already decided I'd make them pay for what they did to Claire."

Ada sighed, shaking her head.

"I didn't picture you as such a romantic, Leon."

Leon was about to respond to the comment when a painful scream sounded from within the lab, accompanied by what seemed like broken glass.

Both Leon and Ada had their weapons in hand instantly.

"What the fuck?" Leon groaned.

"Seems like someone decided to let the pets loose."

It didn't take long for Leon to realize what Ada had meant. The large cylindrical tanks that contained the beings Leon had seen when entering the lab had broken, releasing a series of nightmarish creatures that moaned horrifically.

The creatures looked misshapen inside the tanks, but outside them, they looked even worse. Some looked like great masses of meat crawling on the ground, groaning, giving Leon sudden memories of Raccoon.

"Like old times, I suppose," Ada smirked.

The spy wasted no time shooting at the approaching monsters, and Leon did the same, making his way to the door. If the BOWs were free, the medical area could be under attack, too.

Leon hated when his gut was right. As he and Ada came out to the main hallway, they found that it was crawling with BOWs, and all of them were heading to the Medical Bay. Were they going for Claire?

"They are going after your wife, it seems," Ada said.

"Why do they want her?"

"Ah, who knows..."

"Ada!"

"Information has its price, Leon, and I already gave you the courtesy sample."

Leon had no time for games; he would deal with Ada later. The outlook didn't look good at all as more monsters continually appeared. The agent shot them proficiently, but the numbers were not on his side.

When the agent arrived at the medical wing, he realized that the fight had already reached there. Helena and Julie did what they could to defend the room, but the situation was not promising.

Leon managed to join the two women as they tried to repel the BOWs, who attempted to enter the medical bay.

"Good timing," Helena gasped. "Things are getting out of control over here."

"Noted," Leon replied. "Claire?"

"With Rebecca in the other room."

"Any idea what these are?" Leon asked.

"I don't know, but as long as they are killable, I don't care."

"They are not human," Julie noted. "Animals. They are some kind of beta form. Someone is controlling them."

"Controlling them for what?"

"Do you need to ask?" Julie said, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, followed by a scream. Leon turned around abruptly and ran to the back room, where Rebecca and Claire had taken refuge.

"Shit, get out my way," Leon roared, shooting more BOWs and kicking the door open.

The room was a mess. The shelves were down, and all their contents were scattered on the floor. A large hole had opened in the wall as if something had exploded the concrete.

Rebecca was lying on the floor with a shelf on her, so Leon was quick to remove it and help the doctor. The petite woman touched, wiping the blood from her lip.

"Rebecca, where is Claire?"

"He took her," Rebecca coughed.

"He? He who?"

"I don't know. It came out of nowhere. I couldn't see it well."

"Ugh, shit."

Leon didn't think twice. After making sure Rebecca was safe, the agent rushed through the hole.

The trail of whoever had taken Claire was not encouraging. The walls were in pieces, and a trail of blood that Leon hoped wasn't Claire's marked the path like a trail of breadcrumbs.

The agent shot several BOWs on his way, and after some minutes of desperate tension, the path of destruction opened to a large circular hall. Leon looked around with his gun raised and ready to fire if necessary. The way had been littered with hostile BOWs, but suddenly, they had simply disappeared as soon as he'd stepped into that room.

The room was a bit strange and even extravagant for a research center. It almost looked like a dance hall or something from that nature. The floor was paved with white tile, and the ceiling formed a dome with a skylight that revealed the sky.

"Fancy for a research facility, " Leon muttered, looking around.

"L-Leon?"

Hearing that voice filled Leon with relief, even though the accompanying image wasn't exactly ideal. Claire was hidden by the shadows, her back leaning against a wall. Her face was pale and with several scratches, but what alarmed the agent most was her arm.

The wound on her shoulder had not yet healed, and her sutures must have broken when she got forcibly taken from the medical wing. It was bleeding again.

Leon ran up to her and knelt to check her. Aside from the shoulder, she seemed to be unharmed.

"Claire, are you ok?"

"I..." Claire said, looking at him. "I am ok, but you shouldn't be here. It is too dangerous."

"What are you talking about?" Leon said, "I need to take you out of here. This place isn't safe. BOWs are coming from everywhere..."

"I know," Claire said. "But it isn't safe for you."

"What?"

Suddenly, a scream filled the room, and Leon automatically stepped in front of Claire with his weapon raised and ready to fight. The screamer was too fast for Leon to see it with the naked eye, but it was obvious that it was a BOW.

Leon shot at the moving monster, but it was too fast, and the bullets missed it by a few inches. The BOW leaped from the wall and fell on the center of the room. The agent's eyes widened in shock.

It wasn't a monster, at least not entirely, but a kid. He was probably no older than Lily. His skin was pale, so pale you could almost see the shadow of his organs underneath. Like some of the monsters Leon had seen in the lab, part of his body seemed deformed. Half of the boy's face looked like melted tissue, almost as if someone had poured acid on it. The boy had only one eye on the normal side, and dark hair fell over it, leaving it almost hidden. His left arm was disproportionately long, ending in claws that almost looked like those of a reptile.

So, that was how the BOWs went from looking like people to becoming the monsters that roamed the maze.

"Anthony, stop!" Claire shouted.

The kid seemed to react to Claire's voice, and he stopped in his tracks with a look of confusion. Leon pushed Claire behind him, shielding her from the boy, and the kid screamed again. It was a scream of anger and fury that could chill even the bravest heart.

"Stop it!" Claire said with a stern voice that oddly reminded him of Leon of his mother. "He's important to me, you can't hurt him! You can't hurt people because you think they are taking something from you."

Leon would never have expected that to be enough to stop a BOW, but it had worked. Claire's scolding had halted the monster in its tracks, and Leon could see that he seemed to hesitate.

Claire knew that boy. And suddenly, the sad reality fell on him like a bucket of cold water. Claire knew the boy. Leon was never going to tire of saying that Claire had a gift with children. Her relationship with Lily was proof of that.

This BOW had probably been one of Claire's protégés during her stay in the asylum, and they had turned him into an abomination. It was sad, and that made Leon feel even more furious than he already felt.

"Don't let it control you, Anthony," Claire said soothingly. "You were a good boy. You have to stop..."

Claire stepped out, but Leon stopped her, fearing it would be dangerous. That gesture was enough to trigger the BOW, who roared furiously.

"No," Claire said. "I know you are angry. It is ok. They did things to you, but my friends are not the ones who hurt you. Please, please. I know you can fight it. Don't let it control you."

Claire's words were working, at least, a little. The agent had to admit that dealing with a BOW without actually having to shoot at it felt like a nice change. Unfortunately, things couldn't be peaceful when it came to BOWs. Two loud shots hit the boy on his back, causing him to lurch over.

Leon and Claire looked up, the latter with a hint of horror.

"Ada!" Leon groaned.

"I'm doing you a favor..." Ada replied. "That thing is already a lost cause."

The BOW snapped, and that seemed to accelerate his mutation. Leon and Claire watched in horror how the last remnants of humanity disappeared from the kid. His body was stretched, the muscles ripped with a disgusting sound, and the traces of his face vanished under a faceless mask.

"No!" Claire cried.

The BOW hit the ground, breaking it and sending debris flying in all directions. Leon covered Claire and pulled her out of the path of the dangerous rain of rocks. It was now focusing fully on Ada.

"No, no..." Claire said. "We can't leave him. I can't do this again. I can't! I can't!"

Claire was rambling. It was as if Claire had switched back to that scared patient from months before in Wales. That woman who didn't know where she was and who were the people around her. Claire's voice was erratic and with a hint of panic in her trembling voice.

"Claire, it's too late," Leon said, hugging her to stop her from jumping into the scene.

"No, no. He's just a child," Claire said in such a pitiful voice that Leon felt hurt. "Please, no. Don't make me do it. Please."

Leon knew what Claire meant, thanks to the conversation with Julie earlier. Who knew how many friends she'd had to slay before they became monsters. Claire was a strong woman, she had seen horrible things, but she wasn't like Chris or himself.

There was a reason why she had chosen Terra Save as her path. It wasn't because she couldn't fight. On the contrary, she was proficient at it, but Claire had chosen to preserve life, not take her.

Forcing her to fight and eventually kill people she'd considered allies and friends was cruel, and Leon didn't think he'd forgive Mobius for it.

"You don't have to," Leon whispered. "I'll do it."

Leon, like Chris, already carried the weight of many lost lives. He could deal with this and save Claire from the pain.

"Stay here. You're still hurt, and you have already fought enough."

"Leon..."

"It will be fine. I got this."

The Bow had already tripled its size when he stepped out of the place he'd hid Claire. If possible, it had deteriorated more in the last minutes, losing almost all of its anthropomorphic shape. His leg had stretched and grown into what looked like the hellish version of a rabbit's hind legs.

There would be no way to save him except for ending his suffering.

"So you finally decided to join?" Ada said. "I thought you wouldn't come."

"I had things to do first. Watch up."

The monster seemed a little confused now that Leon had joined the equation. Its head twitched one side to another, following the sound of Ada's and his movements.

For a kid, even as a monster, the BOW was strong. Leon had several close calls but managed to avoid its sharp claws at the last minute. However, the violence of the fight was wearing down the building's structure, and Leon feared that it would collapse if they continued to damage it.

The BOW reached Ada. His left arm waved and hit her side, sending her flying against a pile of fallen debris.

Leon cursed as the monster now focused his full attention on him. Suddenly, another wave of bullets hit the BOW from different angles. Helena and Chris's team had arrived on-site with guns blazing. Leon noted that Jill and Rebecca were missing.

"What the fuck?" Barry groaned. "Aren't these supposed to fear the light? What is it doing here?"

"You alright, Leon?" Helena shouted.

"Yeah, you are late."

"Sorry, we had a welcoming party," Chris replied. " Where's Claire?"

"I'm here," Claire said, limping her way out of her hideout.

She was still pale, and Leon feared she'd probably already lost a lot of blood from her shoulder.

"Claire, stay there," Leon said, but the woman shook her head. Her eyes traveled to the monster, and he saw the glint of sadness in her expression.

The BOW restarted its attack, roaring furiously. The bullets didn't seem to cause him the slightest bit of damage even though Chris and Barry were unleashing all the firepower they had. The monster leaped from side to side, hurling rocks and material at its attackers.

The soldiers rolled, dodging the attacks as Helena, Leon, Liam, and Julie continued to attack. The pattern would repeat over and over again. The BOW didn't seem to lose its rhythm, but they were starting to get tired.

The battle was spreading further than their bodies could tolerate, and at that rate, both DSO and BSAA agents couldn't hold the fight for long.

With the last wave of debris, the agents and the two ex-patients were left gasping for air and with limited ammo.

The BOW showed no signs of stopping, and Leon looked at Chris, trying to see if the soldier had an idea since he had none.

"That's enough..."

Claire's voice sounded soft but firm. The woman limped her way to the center of the room, approaching the BOW without a hint of fear.

"Claire, stop!" Chris shouted, but the woman paid no mind.

Leon tried to move himself and Claire before she got too close to the monster, but his arm complained, and he found himself unable to move. His left arm had to be broken or at least fractured.

"I am sorry…"

The agent watched in horror how Claire approached the BOW. She was barely a few inches from it, and then the horrible sound of tearing flesh cut through the silence, and the agent feared the worst.