Notes before you read, Luis survived in this but doesn't come until the second chapter. Just a head's up. Also, this is a big project I've been working on, but not all chapters are finished just yet. It may be subject to change, but I'll tell you if that happens.
Claire walks across the marble floors with one goal in mind. A notebook presses against her as she searches the area with eyes like a hawk. Her brain is working a hundred miles a minute with how she scans every single face in the room.
It isn't easy, doing the work she does. Between volunteering around the world and trying to find a way to expose the frauds running America, Claire really doesn't have the time to go to big parties like this. That is, unless it's all to fulfill the latter of her goals, but tonight, that isn't the case. There are no government authorities she's begging to get a word with or even any pampered business owners she could try and offer another community service project to. No, tonight, Claire Redfield has a new goal entirely.
To find out what happened to Leon S. Kennedy last year on the Spain mission.
As she walks past groups of people, letting out a soft "excuse me" or "squeezing by", she can't help but feel like she's in the middle of the world's laziest race. Everyone else is just talking, likely about nothing, from the few conversations she's picked up on. They are chatting just to chat, instead of doing something useful that could very well benefit others. It makes her anxious and more than a little irritated to know that everyone who has the power to do what she works hard for is just wasting their time. Why is she the one who has to run around and demand answers when those who have them couldn't care less about the impact their actions make?
Although tonight is different and she isn't searching for any of those pompous jerks, it's still a big part of why she prefers to set up meetings with these people instead of going to their parties. She can even see the president casually talking to others when he should be showing the world what actually happened in Raccoon City. Telling the public that they aren't as safe as they think but the war on bioterrorism is a real one and with help, they can finally end it.
If only.
Claire doesn't hesitate to march over toward where the president stands, her gaze scanning everyone around him. If she's going to find her informant, then it'll be around the big man himself. The image of said person is also tucked away in her notebook, just in case the woman's decided to hide in plain sight or something. With the popularity that story's been getting around the big, bad wolves of the country, it only makes sense she'd try to hide from anyone prying for details or trying to give their fake pity. Or even real pity. Claire knows she certainly wouldn't want that.
"Mr. President, you're looking so much better lately!" Someone shouts just beside her and Claire winces away from the soft ringing it causes in her ear. "It feels like just yesterday that you were slumped over yourself in grief of your daughter!"
Who just says that to the president? Claire honestly has no idea where these people got off trying to suck up to the man, yet also subtly insulting him at once.
But President Graham takes it in stride, as he always does. He's the people's man, of course. He should be used to this kind of stuff. "I can say that it's a blessing to have my Ashley back. In fact...where is she?" The president turns his head toward the crowd and looks around, his eyebrows pressed together in concentration. Claire watches him closely as he searches, waiting to see what he does.
"Ah, there she is." His expression softens and he calls someone over, only looking back to those around him once he has Ashley pressed against his side, a hand on her shoulder. "Ashley, meet Mr. Collins! He's a good man and runs the-"
Claire doesn't care for the conversation itself. Instead, she takes in every detail about Ashley and finds herself surprised at what she finds. The girl is young, only barely making it into her twenties. Her hair is the same blonde as her father's, long locks rolling down her shoulders as she stands at attention, like she's been through this whole thing before. Her dress is a dark green color and it reaches down to her ankles, showing off the white heels she has. Her hair is half up in a bun with the hair in the back falling naturally.
But she looks so unlike the picture Claire has. Despite the round cheeks and big eyes, she looks older in a way Claire has only ever seen in herself and Chris. It's the familiar burden of nightmares and having seen something that, no matter how much therapy you take, just won't go away. Based on the report, Ashely Graham saw something unlike any virus Claire has heard of. She was even infected by the parasite that caused the outbreak in Spain but somehow survived it without any side effects. Besides the experience, of course.
Claire waits for the president to release his daughter again, going back to whatever they were talking about before and Ashley slips away like a shadow. Claire follows her from a distance, her eyes watching the way this girl twists and slides past people without even drawing their attention. Then, she stops by a far corner and just waits, like she just wants to leave. Honestly, that's probably the case.
Sadly, this night isn't over for her just yet. Claire makes her way over to Ashley as quickly as she can, not wanting anyone else to steal her away before Claire can get what she came to this whole party for. She makes it past more groups, smiling and nodding at people who do look at her, but eventually, Claire finally gets the chance to march right over to the younger girl without a problem.
It's only once Ashley spots her does it get complicated. Before Claire can even open her mouth, the young woman glares at her and snaps, "I don't know anything about my father's plans for the country or whatever, so you can go away if you're looking to ask."
Claire stops a foot or two away. "No. I wasn't going to ask about him at all. Actually, I want to-"
"I'm not open for questions either." Ashley's eyes turn into small slits with how she's scowling. It's almost intimidating and likely would be to anyone else, but Claire has gotten used to those looks by now. She's met people and monsters that have even her older brother's team shitting themselves.
"Ashley, I wanted to ask you about the Spain Report." The girl's eyes go wide for a moment, her entire body tensing from the mere mention of it. That only confirms that something very bad happened in Spain and it brings no comfort to Claire whatsoever, but she has to do this. "I may be the only person here who even cares about what happened to you, but this conversation can't happen in public." There's no way she's going to let some rich idiot catch onto what Claire's plans are.
It takes a moment and Claire gives Ashley all the time she needs. Various expressions cross her face, none of them remotely close to happy, but then she settles on a hesitant but open look as she nods. Claire smiles, trying to drop some of the tension between them as Ashley starts walking toward a side hall. She looks around the room in what Claire assumes is paranoia and only once they make it into a side room, guarded by a big man in a suit, does she start to relax.
The room is spacious enough, with a few round tables and velvet chairs surrounding them. There are a handful of large pictures hung around, most of some random landscape. There are several flower arrangements placed on smaller tables or in the center of the two bigger ones. It looks like a simple sitting room and Claire isn't sure what all might happen here, whether it be meetings or just gatherings, but it's probably the only time she'll be in this room. Not that she'll really miss it. Claire cares more about the conversation they're about to have than the decorations.
Again, before Claire can speak, Ashley's glare has returned. "I don't know how you managed to hear about that case, but if you're up to something, just know that I won't get kidnapped so easily a second time."
It would be funny, imagining Claire of all people coming to kidnap someone, but this is a result of Ashley's trauma. So, Claire handles it the same way she would with anyone else suffering. "I promise to you that I won't hurt you. All I need is thirty minutes to ask you about the report." Now that the stage is set, Claire finds a side table and sits down. Her feet thank her for the rest.
"Ashley, my name is Claire Redfield and I've worked a lot with people who have seen similar things to Spain. Hell, I've lived through an apocalypse of my own. I know how it eats away at you, makes it feel like you're still in that fight no matter how long it's been. Not many people know what something like this can do to a person and I'm probably the only one who actually cares too." She has no idea what the president's thoughts are on this, but the fact that he's kept Spain a secret too is proof enough for her.
Ashley slumps in her chair, her eyes already getting wet with tears. All of her built-up walls fall at the sincere words. Her arms wrap around her shoulders as she lets out a shaky breath. When she does speak, her voice is soft and raw. "They just don't get it. Everyone tells me it wasn't my fault, that there was no way I could've avoided it, but...I feel so guilty." She starts crying silently but Claire doesn't stop her. "It's not even the Ganado that keep me up at night. It's not the cultists or the monsters. It's the feeling of something inside of me, taking over my mind. And watching..."
She doesn't continue and Claire takes that as her chance to give comfort. She sits forward but doesn't touch Ashely just yet. She can't push boundaries. "I used to know Leon Kennedy, the agent they sent to rescue you." Claire doesn't miss how just the mention of Leon makes Ashley sob. "We were friends. Best friends, actually. We survived the Raccoon City incident together and after he became an agent, he helped me get into meetings and parties like this so I could find a way to prove that it even happened. That Raccoon City wasn't an accident that was better off covered up." It still makes her angry to think about, but she shoves it aside for now.
"You...You were friends?" Ashley asks, her eyes the widest they've been all night. Her lip is shaking and Claire can see the guilt take over. "I'm so sorry." She sobs. "I was so weak and useless. Leon, he took care of me, sacrificed his own life so I could..." She doesn't finish the sentence. Her shoulders shake as she covers her face with both hands. Claire does reach out this time, a hand resting on Ashley's shoulder.
"He was always like that, helping others no matter what the cost was. His heart was bigger than anyone else in this damn country." Claire can still remember how he kept Sherry safe while she went back to look for Chris. It was terrifying at the time, leaving the two alone to find someone she wasn't even sure was still alive, but Leon gave her the strength to do it.
"Now look at me." Claire looks up again to see Ashley's face now uncovered. Her eyes are small again, looking down at the table in a bitter look of shame. "I spend most nights crying myself to sleep because I don't want to remember what happened. I'm going to parties I don't even want to be at. All my friends left because who wants to be with the remains of the person they used to know? I don't even feel like I'm really living half of the time. Leon died just for me to want the same for myself."
This is a lot deeper than Claire had realized. Ashley doesn't just feel scared because she was kidnapped by a cult, or that she was given a parasite that has been reported to take over her mind and body. This is about Ashley coming back to America alone, with no one but a few backup agents to escort her into quarantine and testing. This is about the fact that Leon never came home from his mission and she likely knows exactly why. Hell, she probably saw him die, from how she's speaking about him.
Claire doesn't know what to say, so she speaks the truth. She tells Ashley the one thing only she knows about this report and has evidence to back it up. The one thing that might put a rest to that shame and guilt. "He's not dead."
Ashley's head snaps up, her bright eyes staring back at Claire almost in disbelief. "W...what?" Her voice is shaky, but Claire can see some part of her wants to believe it. That's all Claire needs.
"He's not dead." She repeats, letting Ashley hear it again. "I've been doing a lot of volunteer work around Spain lately and I heard a local talk about a dangerous trail a few miles from their village. It's nowhere near where you were kept, but the symbol he drew for me proves it's Los Illuminados." Claire opens her notebook and opens it to the page with the rough picture drawn there. It's the same sharp symbol. A single rod in the middle with four leg-like lines pocking out from the top.
Ashley leans over the table to stare at the drawing. The shock on her face is enough to prove this is, in fact, the right symbol. Her mouth opens a few times, like she's trying to find the words, before she finally speaks. "How...How do you know Leon's alive, though? Just because Los Illuminados is still around doesn't mean he's not gone."
Claire leans back, her confidence never wavering. "Because on top of this, the local also said he saw an American with his description walking along that trail. Who else could it be?" Based on the report, Leon and Ashley were the only Americans in the entire area, enough so that Salazar and Saddlar mentioned it quite a bit. If one of those Americans are here, then surely the other is Leon. It only makes sense.
But Ashley looks skeptical as she sits back down, her eyes sad. "I don't know. Americans go to Spain all the time. You were there too. It could be anyone." She lets out a sigh and gives a defeated shrug. "I don't want to raise my hopes just to find out we were wrong this whole time."
"I understand that." And Claire does. If she were in Ashley's shoes, she'd probably be skeptical of a stranger's information too, but she also isn't just anyone. Claire found Chris when she thought it would be impossible and now, she's going to find Leon as well. "I know you want to give up, but what if I'm right? What if Leon really is out there somewhere and he needs us? If we assume the worst for him and give up now, we'll never know the truth."
The room is silent for a minute, now. Claire doesn't let her determination lower as she watches Ashley think. She knows she doesn't have all of the details, but this is enough, right? They'll be able to get somewhere if Ashley just believes a piece of what Claire is saying.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Ashley nods. "Okay. What do you want to know?"
That's more like it. "I need to know what state Leon was in before you went back to America." When Ashley hesitates again, Claire leans forward. "I know it's painful to remember, let alone say aloud, but I need this."
The girl nods again. "Alright. Well...I'm not entirely sure how long he had the Plaga for. I think ours were different types, but I don't know enough about them in the first place to say. We got rid of them but who knows what else it could've done. Um...He was fighting Saddlar and just barely won when the island started to blow. Things were collapsing and he told me to run. I hesitated and..." Ashely takes a long breath. "I didn't listen at first. I didn't want to leave him, you know? But he didn't give me a choice."
That doesn't sound quite right. The story isn't adding up all the way. Claire knows when details are missing. "Was that it? You just left?"
"There was a little motorboat thing-"
"A jet ski?"
Ashley nods. "Yeah, that. He gave me the keys and told me to go home without him. He was injured pretty bad but when I told him I wouldn't leave, he shoved me away. He said that if I didn't make it, they'd both die for nothing and Saddlar would win." She wipes her eyes for a moment as Claire soaks in the new information.
Leon could still be alive. It's a big possibility, in fact. And that's all she really needed to know.
With a kind smile, Claire stands and offers her hand to shake. "Thank you, Ashley Graham. This will really help me out and I'm sorry no one else has bothered to talk to you about this. Get some rest and-"
"Wait!" Ashley suddenly stands up, her expression a cross between upset and pleading. "I want to come with you! It was my fault that Leon's gone and I want to make up for it!"
"Hold on." Claire starts raising her hands to calm the girl. "I know you feel guilty, but you barely got out of Spain alive. I don't know if-"
"I'm trained." Ashley looks at her challengingly. "Ever since I came back, I've been taking martial arts classes and even learned how to shoot a gun. I'm not defenseless anymore. Please, just let me go with you so I can make this right."
That expression, the look of pain Ashley wears feels so real to Claire. She remembers wearing it herself several times since Raccoon. Ashley may not know Leon as well as Claire, but she knows just how quickly two people can connect over a single day. Spain was the first time Leon has ever failed to return and although it could be a variety of reasons, it still shows just how horrible that day was. The report told of a few truly horrifying monsters, some Claire can never hope to imagine herself. Maybe Ashley deserves this much. A chance to at least rewrite what she did back then.
"Alright." Claire relents. "We'll take a plane out as soon as we can and from there it'll be a lot of talking to locals."
Ashley's entire body seems to relax as she smiles for the first time that night. "Thank you, Claire! Thank you so much!"
"This is for both of us." She clarifies. "I want Leon alive and well just as much as you do. Now, we can exchange contact information and you can figure out how to sneak get into the airport without Mr. President knowing while I handle the travel details." She's already thinking of when they should depart and how much of her savings will be spent on this.
"Wait." Claire stops when she hears Ashley's hesitant tone. When she looks back, the girl is nervous again. "I...I know someone that might also be able to help."
That's a surprise but Claire welcomes this one. "That's great! The more information the better! Who is it?" She hopes it isn't one of her father's bodyguards, but Claire trusts Ashley to be smarter than that, at least.
"His name is Luis Sera. He was in Spain with me and Leon. I think he was a researcher or something, so if anyone has details about the Plaga, it's going to be him."
Claire tilts her head, now hesitant. She never read anything about this guy in the Spain Report and a researcher would definitely qualify as useful information. "Why didn't you mention him in your report?"
Ashley looks down, almost ashamed, but Claire can see that it's more than that. She didn't seem like the type to just lie in a report for the hell of it. "He...he was the one who actually got me off of the island. He drove us to the shore with that jet ski but before Dad's agents could find me, Luis made me promise never to speak about him. He didn't want to get caught up in all of this and...I can't blame him. I never wanted this kind of attention or the target it puts on my back."
That's the part that was missing. It didn't make sense that Ashley would just up and leave Leon, even if threatened like that. This Luis guy fulfilled Leon's wishes and took Ashley home, without the credit. Claire still isn't sure what to think of him, but if he's everything Ashley's made him out to be, then it's worth a shot. "Where is he?"
"I...don't know." Ashley's shoulders fell. "He's not someone who likes getting tracked down easily. He's still in Eastern Spain from what I know, but I'm not sure where exactly."
Despite the detour this will definitely put in their plans, Claire puts on a smile. "Leave that to me. I've had enough experience around that area to know who to talk to. We'll find him and then go to Leon."
The two of them leave the room, going back into the main party. Nothing has changed, really. The groups are still talking and those businessmen are still surrounding President Graham. But at the same time, everything feels like it's different. Claire isn't running after information anymore and she came out better than expected. Not only does she know Leon's alive, but she has a plan to get him back. And two others to bring along with her, assuming Luis won't end up backstabbing them. But if Ashley trusts him so much, then maybe it'll be okay.
As Claire and Ashley go back to their respective groups, they share a single look. It's a promise that they will find Leon and bring him home. It's what he'd do for them and Claire intended to return the favor.
