Spanish Translation:

No hay problema = no problem


"Fuck!"

Grumble

Ada scoffs next to him. "How can you be hungry while doing...that?"

Luis's hands would be covered in blood if it weren't for the convenient surgical gloves. He always hated wearing them back when he worked for Saddlar, but now, he's grateful. It wouldn't have been so bad if Diego's head hadn't been blasted open, but then again, the man wouldn't be here in the first place if he weren't dead. Luis just hopes that someone managed to warn his family from following him up the trail. He doesn't want to operate on children.

"You don't have food, do you?" Ada asks, her bored eyes likely tracing his movements.

"I thought you were a quiet person." Luis half whispers. "You never seemed one for chatting when you were working for Wesker."

Ada lets out a short laugh, like she genuinely finds it funny. "That was before I got infected and was left in isolation for a year. Even your company is better than nothing."

He...doesn't know how to take that. This version of Ada is strange, nothing like he's seen before. She's almost annoying with her questions and one-sided conversations. He mostly feels bad for her, though. She's going through the bad symptoms of Las Plaga all on her own and if that wasn't bad enough, the obvious torture signs aren't anything to take lightly either. As bad as Luis's year has been, Ada's has been far worse.

"No, I don't have food." Maybe he should've gotten something to eat when Leon was kinder and offering it. He doubts it was poisoned, since the man was eating it too and they both know Las Plaga doesn't protect from poisons. But there's not much he can do about it now. He can't leave the room without getting Ada or the others killed.

Ada stays silent for a full minute -he's counting- before she talks again. "He used to be really cute, you know?"

Luis sighs as he lets the pieces of head down on the operating table. His hands hover in the air as he gives her an irritated look. "Who? Leon?" Cute isn't the word Luis would use. Sexy? Dangerous? Stubborn? Yes, very much so. But cute?

"Well, he's always been cute." Again, Luis has to disagree. "But mostly when he was in that RPD uniform."

Now this is news. "You were in Raccoon City too?" He lets out a huffed chuckle, a little surprised but mostly exasperated. "I'm starting to think everyone was there and I just missed the party." Claire, Leon, and Ada. Three survivors to Umbrella's most memorable outbreak. He shakes his head and goes back to work stitching up everything he can. Las Plaga should hatch soon in Diego's chest and then it'll heal itself from there. He just has to aid it a little so the thing doesn't end up dying prematurely.

"It wasn't much of a party, all things considered." Ada drawls. "I was sent in to get a sample of the G-Virus for Wesker. He was paying a very fine amount for it and getting the trust of someone like him isn't really a bad thing either."

"I see it's worked well for you." He points out sarcastically. Wesker is the whole reason she's strapped to a table and getting tortured in the first place.

She ignores him. "I met Leon in the RPD. He was so lost and confused. It was his first day as a cop, you know." He does know, actually. "I could've sworn he wasn't a day older than eighteen. Still had fat on his cheeks and that innocent look. So cute." Her voice goes quiet for a moment and Luis has to look at her to make sure she didn't fall asleep again. She has a habit of doing that. But when he looks, he meets her sad eyes. It's a look he doesn't like on her. "I never thought Leon would do this, out of everyone. The Plaga really does change someone."

Luis keeps eye contact until he can't anymore. "I didn't know Saddlar before he obtained the dominant Plaga. Or the others. I just know that the longer he held it, the worse it got. At first, he was understanding and a lot more open-minded about letting others help him. That's why he accepted you and Krauser, after all. But then Las Plaga told him that Americans were not to be trusted and he started plotting for your and Krauser's deaths."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Ada turned away as well. "I had to listen to Krauser's stupid muttering. He was a real nut job, you know that?"

"You keep saying 'you know that' like I don't." Luis points out. She didn't do that before, right? He doesn't remember it, but then again, the fine details of that event tend to evade him.

Ada goes still for a moment, like she's surprised by it herself but she eventually just shrugs it off. For her, it's probably just another habit she's picked up and out of all the habits, that isn't as worrying of one to have. Not compared to the sleeping or random spasms. "I don't know." She says after a while. "I just want to talk."

"I know that." Luis feels like he's just entertaining her at this point. He cuts a string as he finishes his last line of stitching. With that done, he sets the equipment down and pulls off his gloves. His hands feel gross and sweaty, but it's to be expected. "What if we had a real conversation, yeah? If we're stuck together, we might as well know a thing or two."

She laughs but it's breathy and pained. She contorts her body, like she's trying to hold her chest, but her arms don't move from where they're restrained. Eventually, she relaxes again, a lazy smile on her lips. "Sure. How about..." Ada goes quiet for a moment but Luis waits for her. "What's your favorite color?"

He can't help but laugh at that. "Really? You spent all of that time thinking just for that?" But he thinks of an answer anyway. "I'm not sure. I'd have to say...silver or jade green." He remembers a few rings he used to own with jade on it.

Ada's eyes wander to his vest and she raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "Really? I couldn't tell."

Luis glares at her but he guesses it makes sense. The silver on his vest isn't real -he wouldn't be wearing it to fight Ganados if it were- but it's still one of his favorite ones because of the memories it holds. It's ironic that the one day he decided to wear it again, Claire and Ashley found him for another adventure. Maybe, if he survives this, he should completely retire the thing. It must hold bad luck at this point.

"And what about you?" Luis asks back. "Let me guess, your favorite color is red." She didn't get the nickname 'lady in the red dress' for nothing, after all.

She laughs again, breathily, but shakes her head. "No, actually. I like blue better, but it doesn't look as good on me."

"Really?" Luis sits forward, fully interested now. "Have you tried it? I think blue might take to you well, actually."

"I don't know." Her eyes go unfocused as she stares at the far wall.

He looks at her for a moment but frowns when he realizes she's spacing out again. Leaning back, Luis thinks through something else they can talk about. A real conversation. Something that might end up helping him get the two of them out of here? He's tried going through his own escape plans but they always end with someone dead. It was easier with Saddlar. He wasn't tied to anyone else and his life was in his own hands. Now, he has to worry about Ada, Ashley, and Claire.

After a long moment of silence between them, Ada picks up again. "He was going to let me go, you know." This time, Luis tilts his head in curiosity but he doesn't interrupt. "When I met up with him last, he...he was different. I could feel it, but I still had a job to do. He took that sample from Saddlar and I needed it to finish my job. Wesker was already upset that we lost Krauser and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to replace me as well. So, I ignored the signs and tried to convince Leon to give me the sample."

"He didn't like that, huh?" Luis can only imagine Leon's response. The man was quite the hero type and wouldn't willingly let Ada have anything so valuable. So dangerous.

She gives him a bitter smile. "No, but he was angrier at me for trying to manipulate him again." Her face turns sad and Luis almost can't believe he's even seeing it. "He...he yelled at me. Said that he was tired of getting pulled along like some pet. He said...he said he wasn't going to wait on me anymore. Wasn't going to let me get close. That I had to find someone else to toy with." She goes quiet again. Her hands spasm for a moment, like she's trying to move them up and the restraints hold tightly. "I guess I deserve it. I haven't done anything to gain his trust, but I still hurt somehow. I guess I never really realized how much I was hurting him."

Luis can't say Leon was wrong for it either. Luis had only worked with Ada for a very short time and she was nothing but vague answers and mysteries. All she seemed to care about was business and even when she betrayed Krauser and Wesker to save Leon, she was still doing it for her own reasons. But now, Luis can see what's inside of her center, what she thinks when she's supposed to be silent.

"He told me to leave, to never show my face around him again but I didn't listen. Then, when he'd finally had enough of me, he...he outsmarted me. Used Krauser to tire me out before taking me himself. Now, here I am. Infected and paying for all of my crimes." Her voice is surprisingly calm, almost tired with how she says it. Luis has a hard time believing Leon somehow managed to even catch her, but the proof is right in front of him. And with how Leon has been changed by las plaga, it isn't too difficult to see that he'd hurt Ada at least out of revenge for what she did to him in their past. But this still feels like a little much. No, way more than a little.

Standing up, Luis makes his way closer to her and stops beside her operating table. He meets her hesitant eyes, can see the distrust in them, but he meets them all the same. Then Ada's head twitches and something in her chest moves. Her eyes call away from his and squeeze shut as she fights off another round of coughs. He's seen her do it a few times now and it's just as painful every time.

Slowly, he reaches out and puts a hand behind her shoulders. She flinches away but she can't exactly go anywhere, so his hands stay where it is. The coughs start to come out now and blood dribbles down her lips. When she makes a choking sound, he quickly lifts her forward as far as she can -which isn't very far at all- and the blood begins to drip freely onto her clothes. Her limbs shake with the effort it takes for her to even cough and he knows she's tired when she doesn't give any effort to help keep herself up. His hand is the only thing letting her sit forward, but he doesn't mind this as much as he would have a year ago. He's still not close to Ada by any means, but he's always had a soft heart toward those who are suffering.

Eventually, the coughing stops and she lets out a wet sigh. He moves to let her back down but she shakes her head quickly. She doesn't say anything, her eyes still closed and her breaths coming in through gasps, but he obeys the order and keeps her up.

"I wish I had a key." He mutters more to himself than anything. "I might not be able to sneak you out of here, but at least I could help you stretch a little." Just imagining being in her position makes his legs hurt. Ada really is a strong person for surviving so long like this. He wouldn't last even a week.

He startles when a reply comes. "Don't be...stupid." Ada's breaths are becoming more even but her voice is still hoarse. "Even if you left the door wide open for me, I wouldn't be able to walk on my own. It's been too long." She even nods toward her legs and Luis follows the gesture. He was never a real doctor but from this close, even Luis can tell that the muscles in her limbs are too weak to support her. And now that he's really looking, he can even see bedsores on every part of her body that meets the table.

"Mierda!" He bends down slightly -still making sure to hold her up- to look at the sores on her arm. It's...it's like there's a hole where the contact point is. He can't see bone, which is wonderful for his stomach, but it's still horrible to see. And she's still trapped on the table, those sores always pressing against hard metal. And Leon is willingly leaving her in so much pain. Maybe he's further gone than Luis originally imagined. No human could just...leave someone like this! And to torture them on top of that...

Without a second thought, Luis begins to gently lay her down again, despite her protests. He gives her a moment to adjust to the position, her eyes squeezing shut as she puts pressure on the sores on her back again, but once she opens them, he gets to work.

"Which ones hurt the most?" He's already taking off his vest and folding it into a sad excuse for a pillow, but it's better than nothing. When Ada doesn't answer immediately, he repeats himself. "Where does it hurt the most, Ada?"

She's slow to speak but eventually, she swallows what little pride she has left -assuming that's what's holding her back from just telling him- and twists her waist slightly. "My hips. Tailbone especially."

He nods and without another moment to waste, Luis moves around the table and gently presses a hand against her lower back. She doesn't make a noise of discomfort and he doesn't feel a sore there either, just he uses that to lift her hips up slightly. The end of her hospital dress falls open but he's not paying attention to what's under it as he slips his folded vest under her hips. He made sure that the decorated side was facing toward the table, leaving her the softer inside to rest on. Slowly, he lowers her hips again and adjusts her dress to fully cover her again.

Ada lets out a deep sigh and he's happy to see her smile genuinely. "Holy shit, that's amazing." She's a little breathless but it's likely more due to her astonishment than the coughing from earlier. "That...you have no idea how much better that is."

He wants to cry from the way she looks at him, like he's just saved her life. He has to look away before she can see his eyes water. He fights them off with all of his strength and can only give out a soft, "No hay problema." It takes a moment for him to get his eyes back under control and once he does, he turns to see that Ada is already asleep again. He lets out a fond sigh and goes back to sit on the floor. A chair would be nice, but he doesn't dare ask for one.

"We'll get out of here, Chica. I promise." Somehow, they will. He can't let her die down here after so long of surviving so much. She deserves to reclaim her life or even start fresh. Either way, it's his responsibility to protect her as best he can, to keep her alive until Claire and Ashley somehow find a way to defeat Leon.

Grumble

The hunger returns from before, but there's really nothing for him to do about it now. He doesn't know if Leon intends to starve him a little, just to make him weaker than he already is. Or maybe he'll feed Luis soon and make Ada watch. That makes him feel worse, even. Having to eat in front of Ada while Leon supervises, making sure that he doesn't slip her even a crumb. He doesn't want to contribute to her pain, but Leon isn't giving him much of a choice. Just being here, repairing Diego's head, will end up hurting someone and he knows it's likely to be Ashley and Claire.

"Please..." Luis prays, his eyes closing so he doesn't have to look around the plain room anymore. "Please, someone protect those girls. Protect Ada. I can handle this on my own, but...they need help."

He isn't sure if anyone even heard him, but the faith that someone did is all he has left.