Ada felt like she had wandered everywhere before she managed to get outside and it still wasn't where she wanted to be. How she got so turned around was beyond her, but as long as she managed to put out that fire around the helicopter that crashed into the side of the building, then she was fine. She was finally on track again.

That was, until she walked down the hall and stopped at the sound of metal creaking. Her gun raised as her eyes searched the area for a threat. Then, she saw a giant reach out and push the helicopter up and her heart stopped.

It was huge. And it was stomping toward her.

"Hell no!" She shouted as she scrambled to get away, nearly falling flat on her ass in the process. Nothing made sense as she pushed herself down hall after hall, trying to get as far away from the stomping as she could. Zombies dove at her, but she got rid of them with a bullet to the leg and a swift exit. Anything that got too close for her liking ended up with a knife in it's neck.

Her heart was still pounding as she finally started to slow, the foot steps having faded long ago, but the paranoia kept her going at a jogging pace. She returned to the front area where she had originally come into the station. Her legs ached and begged for a moment of rest, true rest, but she couldn't allow it. Stopping even for a second meant that whatever was chasing her would catch up to her. Then, who knew what would happen, but she didn't intend to find out.

As she took the stairs down to the lower levels, she hesitated for a moment as she saw the zombie that used to be Marvin look up at her, a low growl escaping his lips. Guilt tugged at her chest but she shoved it away. He was beyond saving and they both knew it. Any attempt she gave at saving him was denied and he made it quite clear that he wouldn't be wasting her time or resources.

But he was still a survivor once and had the world been a little less shitty, he would've been her superior as well. Ada didn't want to think about it too hard with everything that was already happening, but she couldn't deny how it hurt. She saw the banners in the office, welcoming her before she had even arrived. For a moment, as she continued into the now empty library, Ada wondered what those officers would be like. They seemed like quite a pain in the ass with how they locked up her desk with a puzzle, but it was also obvious that they were excited to get a new rookie. Raccoon City wasn't exactly the safest place to live, even before all of this, but that's exactly why she'd come in the first place. She saw those unsolved murder cases and felt the urge to do something about it.

Ada paused for a second to let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. How that the adrenaline from before was starting to lessen, everything was starting to really hit her at once. Her limbs shook with either stress, exhaustion or paranoia. She wasn't sure which, honestly. Her chest continued to ache from her pulsating heart and, again, she wasn't sure if it was from the physical or mental strain.

Passing by some of the tall bookcases, Ada made her way to a tall ladder. "Don't think too hard." She told herself, trying to reign in the sudden surge of emotion. "Just get that fuse and get the hell out of here." She still needed that damn key card from Ben's corpse. Who knew that a crazy infection would suddenly take fuses from their rightful places and throw them all around the police station. It almost felt like someone had purposefully messed everything up before she arrived.

Her mind returned to the comments Ben made about Chief Irons and she hesitated where she began climbing up. He was just about to expose something big, he had said. Something that would've probably ruined the chief's entire career, if it ended up as more than just rumors.

She clicked her tongue and continued forward. "I just don't know enough yet. Maybe he had some...files?" She didn't remember seeing anything else in his cell besides what he had on him, which...was also strange. Wasn't it standard procedure to take most things off of someone before locking them up? Wouldn't they have taken away his key card?

"Only one way to find out." She muttered as she looked down at the lower floor of the library. There was something bigger going on here and maybe, if she ran into that Leon guy again, she'd be able to help bring someone to justice for this mess.

She could only hope.


Finding the fuse wasn't easy, especially since the moment Ada managed to get it, she ran into the giant again.

She had just been making her way back toward the parking garage when she heard the familiar sound of stomping. It made her throat close and her heart jump and all rational thought fled as she ran. In the wrong direction, apparently, because as she turned into the next room, she saw it walking toward her. The room was brighter and now, she could really see how grey it's skin was. It's face was wrinkled but still obviously set in a neutral gaze. It was almost more terrifying than if it had been frowning or even growling at her. This thing wasn't human but it gave off an air of invincibility.

"Get back!" The words burst out as she shot a bullet at it, hoping to at least stun the thing, but the giant didn't even flinch. It continued forward and she was quickly running out of space. Ada spun around and retreated the way she came, trying to make as much distance as she could.

So, shooting it obviously wasn't going to help. She could try with her more powerful gun but if this thing really was so powerful, then it could end up just wasting bullets and she needed those for other threats. Her boots felt almost like feathers compared to the thundering steps behind her, but she knew that whatever this thing had on her in strength, she had on it in speed.

That was, until she opened another door and nearly tripped over a licker's muscled limb. She choked down a gasp as she regained her balance but froze in her steps. The licker hissed and turned it's naked head from side to side, trying to listen for her. The footsteps were still following, but they were nearly drowned out by the rushing of blood in her ears. She was too close to this licker. I could turn just a few inches toward her and they'd touch.

Panic had her making stupid decisions and she pulled out her nearly empty magnum to fire off the last few bullets into the licker's head. It jolted and slumped before it could even cry out. She shoved the now actually empty gun away and retrieved her handgun to continue forward.

The door slammed open behind her and Ada began to sprint. Another stomp forward and something hit her hard in the back, knocking the air out of her lungs. She gasped in pain and fell onto her knees for a moment, the pain making her ears ring and her sight go blurry but she had to press forward. She swallowed down the noises threatening to escape her and got back to her feet. Another stomp and a gust of air hit her cheek. She was too close. Way too close.

Ada wasn't aware of what noises she was likely making as she half limped away, her back still protesting every breath she took. It was right behind her still and there was no easy way for her to evade than to just twist and turn around as many corners as she could until the footsteps faded.

She hated this. Everything about this was horrible and a part of her screamed to just let it all end, please, but there was nothing she could do. Dying wasn't an option, not when she still had to get out of here and the monsters weren't going away anytime soon. So, she pulled up her big girl pants and pressed on until, finally, she felt slightly less like a mouse running from a fucking lion.

"Herbs..." She panted as she twisted to get into one of her pockets, pulling out some of that crushed herb she found in the hall. It wasn't as good as the spray, especially with only the green, but it was better than nothing.

When Ada looked up to see where in this living hell she ended up, she saw the familiar lay out of the S.T.A.R.S. office. Great. She just did a whole fucking loop and gained nothing but a possibly fractured spine! With a frustrated huff, Ada gave one more glance around in case there was an herb she forgot -there wasn't- before going back out.

Just before she left, though, she turned back and looked over it all one last time. She remembered the letter in that locker room from Chris Redfield. Honestly, the guy sounded like a complete idiot and a jerk, but he was obviously close with his fellow team members. He talked to his friends so comfortably, even in just a letter about his well being. It was almost touching to see.

And it hurt to know that she'd never learn anything about the other cops she was about to work with.


By the time Ada managed to get the fuse where it belonged -who the fuck decided to twist the wires around as well?!- and open the cell door, she was beyond ready to just get the hell out of this place. Her feet ached from so much walking and a headache was starting to rise from having so many near death experiences, but she shoved it away.

The inside of the cell hadn't changed at all since she last came here, but that was to be expected. She avoided looking at Ben's face as she took slow steps forward, crouching to finally grab that key card. She thought of just hanging it from her neck to save the pocket space but decided against it in the last moment. Any zombie could easily grab that off of her and in the best case scenario, it would mean another fight she'd have to go through for this stupid card. And at worst, she'd end up getting choked by it.

After tucking it away, Ada took a deep breath and began searching Ben's pockets for additional information. Call her a little nosy, but she wanted to know more about what was happening here and if there was some way to undo it? That was being too hopeful, she knew that already.

There was a small tape recorder hidden just inside of the man's jacket and Ada gave a small smirk as she picked it up, flicking it on. The little red light started to glow, signaling that it was still working -probably the only damn thing in the whole station that did, at this point- and pressed the play button. Voices started coming from the device and she held it against her ear.

"...But that doesn't explain the rumors about the orphanage." It was Ben's voice. "I just find it too coincidental that Umbrella's one of the benefactors."

Ada's eyes narrowed as she struggled to figure out what the topic was, exactly.

"You told me this interview was about the new scholarship Umbrella set up." This voice was female, which meant Ben hadn't been talking to Chief Irons. Was this not the reason he had been thrown into a jail cell, or did the chief have some kind of alliance with this Umbrella company?

Ben's laughing tone rang through. "Come on, Annette. Nobody cares about that." Ada filed the name away for later. "They wanna know about the G-virus, and the-"

"Where did you hear that?" Annette suddenly sounded defensive. Ada didn't like the sound of any virus that was being kept under the public's noses.

Ben continued despite her interruption. "-and that big, fuckin' sinkhole in the city; which, by the way, rumor says it goes straight to your underground lab. Now, are you gonna talk to me, or are you gonna-"

"This interview is over!"

There was a long pause before Ben cursed and the tape ended. Ada lowered it from her hear and stared at the device for a moment, not sure what to think anymore. She knew the solid facts, that Ben had been trying to dig into details Umbrella, and likely Chief Irons, didn't want him to dig into. Ada usually wouldn't be one to just believe any conspiracies, especially from someone as eager as Ben had seemed...but he was locked away for this, which just proved that this information held at least some kind of truth.

"Shit." Ada sighed as she stood up again, pocketing the tape recorder as well. "Hopefully someone else has more answers." Possibly Leon, if she somehow managed to find him again. Or whoever this Annette person was, but that was just as unlikely to happen. For all she knew, Annette was another wandering zombie in the streets.

Well, there was nothing else she could do now, so Ada did a last check around the cell and luckily found a little slip of paper from Ben. It didn't hold much, just a short message about the zombies around, but now she had a name for that giant -a tyrant, apparently- and knew that Umbrella definitely wasn't a friendly organization. With nothing else to see, she left the cell.

The words kept swirling in her mind, repeating and rephrasing the conversation she had just heard. Umbrella was making donations to an orphanage or something, right? And they were handing out scholarships...but that could've been a cover up for whatever was in their lab? She just didn't know. It all felt so complicated and maybe, if she hadn't heeded those warnings to stay away, she'd know a little bit more.

Or she'd be dead.

"Focus, Ada." She snapped back to reality, the key card practically burning a hole in her pocket. The gate first, then questions later.

As she walked back through the halls, she made careful shots and used extra precaution against any undead she happened upon. She was making it out of this alive, especially now that she had a way out. Nothing would ruin that now.

But then, as her luck always had, shit started up again.

The sound of barking bounced around the halls and Ada recalled those cages she came across before. That fuse hadn't just been to the single cell door, but to the entire area. Activating it probably opened those cages and now, she had zombie dogs to deal with as well. She quickened her pace, eyes darting around every single dark spot she couldn't quite see at first glance. A dog came out from an open air vent just ahead of her and she gasped, stopping in her tracks. She held her gun out and shot at it's legs before sprinting backward.

The zombies she had just passed reached out for her, but she dodged and weaved around them. The last one required another shot to the leg but it fell easily enough for her to just get through.

Then, at the end of the next hall, came those footsteps and she nearly had a heart attack. The giant was marching toward her, nothing able to stop it. Ada spun around once again and headed back to the zombies. She'd rather risk going through them than getting past this guy! But she didn't account for the dog as well and suddenly, Ada was completely cornered. Five zombies and a dog on one side, reached out to tear out her throat, and on the other was the tyrant, aiming to kill her in any other way it could.

Panic bubbled up and she didn't know where to go or do. Her hands shook and her heart rose higher and higher into her throat, nearly suffocating her. She was trapped. Stuck. With nowhere to go and no way out. She whimpered as the tyrant got close enough to start raising it's fist for a punch. Her hand went to her side to try for her gun but grabbed something else instead, but it was already too late. She was pulling on something and dropped it down. If it was a grenade, then she was dead, but it wasn't something new to the situation at least.

She squeezed her eyes shut in time to avoid getting blinded by a flash but the sudden brightness still had her seeing spots when she opened them again. The tyrant was stunned and she took the opportunity to run past it. Sounds filled out behind her as the creatures slowly recovered as well, but she was already heading back toward the parking garage. She didn't care if she led the whole army back there, just so long as she was able to get out.

The sight of those cars was so relieving that she let out a real laugh, her hand already reaching to get the key card out. The wall beside her exploded out, dust and smaller pieces of brick hitting her, but she couldn't recover in time to avoid the hand that wrapped around her throat. Her feet left the floor and Ada's mind went completely blank except for the need to escape, escape, escape!

She choked as her hands tried to do something but just ended up flailing uselessly. Her legs kicked but the tyrant didn't budge. It was horrifying, being so close to it's face now.

Another desperate choke as her lungs started to burn, but a bright light flashed onto them and the sound of an engine turning on just managed to squeeze past the fog in her mind. She turned her head enough to look and saw a truck heading their way at full speed.

It all happened in flashes. Suddenly, she hit the floor and pain spread through her back again, but she could breathe too. She just sat back and wheezed air back into her lungs, feeling coming back into her body. Then, the car door opened and Leon of all people jumped out.

"You're lucky I got here in time. Another second or two and you'd probably have lost your head."

Ada coughed roughly before taking a glance up. How on earth did he look so calm? Especially with a response like that. He did help her onto her feet but then her eyes were locked on place that tyrant was laying, crushed between the wall and the front of the truck. "Thanks. I guess I owe you?"

Leon gave her a little huffed laugh but couldn't say anything before the car started to move again and-

Holy shit! Nothing ever died down here!

"You've gotta be kidding me." Leon cursed as he pulled something out -wait, was that a grenade?- and threw it at the front of the car. In seconds, the whole thing exploded and Ada flinched back from the impact. She stayed and watched for a few more seconds, just to make sure the thing was really dead this time.

"So," Leon started as he walked toward the gate, his gaze expectant. "Did you get that key card?"

Ada looked away, finally feeling slightly safer, and flashed it in the dim garage lights. "Right here." She muttered as she walked to the panel and swiped it. Like magic, the gate began to raise, leading their way out. Fuck, why were the most simple things always so complicated?

As Leon led the way out, Ada ran up behind him, her mind returning to what she'd found in Ben's cell. He didn't spare her a glance, but she knew he was listening to her regardless. "Hey, I also found something you may want for your investigation." She pulled the tape recorder out of her pocket and handed it to him. To her surprise, he actually stopped to look it over, his expression both curious and dare she say impressed. "It was an interview between Ben and someone named Annette."

He looked at her for a moment before slowly nodding, a little smirk playing on his lips. "Nice find. Maybe you're worth something after all." He pressed the play button and listened to it for himself. Ada followed along silently, taking in the new scene around her. It was dark out and raining lightly, but if it were any other night, it might've been peaceful.

There were a few crashed cars that she didn't pay much mind to. There weren't any infected either, which meant that this place was cleared out already or no one was already here to begin with.

"Shit." Leon's voice rang from ahead and she rushed to catch up. "He didn't get anything. Should've expected that."

"What?" Ada furrowed her eyebrows, suddenly confused. "I wouldn't say all of that was nothing." There was a lot of information on that.

"Well, it wasn't anything new to me." He tucked the tape away so casually that she could've thought it was just a pack of cigarettes' or something. Not a tape that confirmed rumors about this Umbrella corporation developing a virus. Or, at least that's what she got.

Her confusion gave way to frustration. "If you know so much then why don't you just tell me? This would all work a lot easier if you did."

"Because that's still classified information."

At first, his casual tone made him seem more mysterious, but now it was just irritating. "If these people really are the ones behind all of this, then I want to take them down." She stated boldly. "They can't just get away with doing this! The whole city is completely destroyed and who knows if there are any survivors besides us! Someone has to do something about it!"

Leon didn't stop walking, but he did look at her. At least it was something. "And you think you have the authority to be busting these people? You're a rookie."

"So? I don't see anyone else trying to help." Ada stood her ground, knowing that Leon honestly could just leave her because he was FBI, but she had to try. There was no instructor to tell her where to go or what to do. She was a long way from her police academy and if this was the only good thing she'd do as a cop, then she wanted to make sure she did it right!

They stopped walking and the conversation changed as Leon cursed again. "The road's closed." He stated, then pointed to the shop at their left. "We should be able to get through in that gun shop, though."

Without another word, he led them forward and Ada had to strangle down the urge to continue where she left off. This wasn't something they could just debate about all night. They had to find these people before they left the city or even the country and if he didn't want her help then...well, he'd have to suck it up. She was helping no matter what.

"Yikes." Leon said once he finished picking the lock to the door -which was kind of illegal, last she saw, but this was a desperate time. "Looks like someone was excited to get themselves a gun."

No kidding. The whole place looked like it had somehow caved in at the front, but it was open enough that they could avoid it. Ada looked at the empty shelves and hoped that whoever got here first managed to get out alright. The only thing she could find left over was a half empty packet of handgun bullets -which was helpful but not quite enough- and an upgrade for her shotgun.

Just as she was heading out the other side, something flashed in her vision and she tensed, a hand already landing on her gun but she stopped short of pulling it out.

"Don't move!" A male voice whispered at her and she immediately followed the order.

"Sir, I'm not here to hurt you-"

"I said, 'don't move'!"

Shit. This was just shit. She had training on how to deal with people like this, but this suddenly felt so different from back at the academy. This was a really emotional person with a gun held at her head and nothing about this felt good. At all. She kept her eyes low to avoid accidently intimidating him -not that she was really good at that sort of thing anyway- and tried to reason with him. "We're just passing by. Can you lower the weapon, please?"

"Like hell you are." He spoke in a threatening whisper and she kept her hands where they were easily seen. He was too emotional for a negotiation, it seemed, but this wasn't out of control just yet. "Let me tell you what you're gonna do." He started. "You're gonna turn right around and head back from where you came, got it?"

Ada raised her head again to try and get something else out, something that could calm him, but then she saw a figure behind him and froze again. It was a little girl and she was infected.

Shit.

"Is that your daughter?" She asked, trying to divert the attention.

That seemed like the wrong move, because then he cocked the gun. "Get out of here before I blow your brains out." He hissed, obviously not taking well to the acknowledgement of his infected child. Her heart pulled with guilt, but there was nothing she could do against the fear keeping her frozen.

Leon walked up from behind her, his own gun up. "Lower your gun." He demanded with the most authoritative voice she had heard from him all night.

The man turned his gun to Leon this time. "Hey, stay back-" He panicked when Leon's gun turned to the girl instead. "Wait! Wait! Don't shoot!" The gun was still up, pointed at the agent, which gave Ada the chance to get her own out. Now, he was out numbered and had something on the line. It still made Ada feel like shit to use his daughter against him, though.

"Turn around, Sir." Leon didn't let his gaze leave the girl. "We have to put her down before she infects someone else."

"Put her down?! That's my fucking daughter, not an animal!'

Ada's eyes flicked between the man and Leon, suddenly not so sure that this was the right choice. Slowly, she took a step toward the agent and spoke in a calm whisper. "Leon, let's just go. They aren't hurting anyone."

He didn't look at her, which was nerve racking, but then he nodded and lowered his own gun, slower than Ada had. "You're right."

Now that there wasn't a threat, the man took a slight step back, his voice much calmer than it was. "Emma." Ada hated how kind he sounded. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through. "Sweetheart, I told you to stay put." There was no anger in his voice.

The girl -Emma- took a step forward, her eyes glazed and unseeing. Her breathes were labored and almost just wheezes. When she spoke, her voice was airy, like she was in pain. "Daddy?" Her eyes didn't go up toward her father. They stayed ahead, like she was blind.

The man knelt down, his gun still in his hand but now off of them. He wrapped an arm around Emma, who easily fell into the touch. She was still human, but she wouldn't be for long. "Daddy's here." He whispered. "I'm right here." They hugged for a moment, the only sound being the rain on concrete. "Look what they did to us...those fucking things..." He suddenly turned toward Ada but she didn't flinch away or even raise her gun. All she felt was the hurt in his eyes. "You're a cop. Aren't you supposed to be protecting us?! How come my daughter's-" He choked out a sob and pulled Emma back toward his shoulder.

Emma wheezed again. "...Mommy?" She asked, like she couldn't even see who all was there.

"Mommy's sleeping, Honey. Okay?" His voice went soft again. So fucking soft that it ripped Ada's heart to shreds. "And I'm...I'm gonna put you to bed too, okay, Emma?"

She didn't respond, so he stood and pulled her up onto his shoulder with one arm. Emma slumped forward, giving no move to even secure her arms around his neck.

He turned back to them, his expression pinched with agony. "Just go." He gestured away. "Give us some privacy." The last word was slightly choked as he walked toward a smaller room, likely where he and Emma had been hiding before all of this, and closed the door. There was a beat of silence before Ada couldn't take this anymore.

She was sick of this.

"He's hurting so much because of these people." Leon looked at her as she spoke, giving her his full attention for once. "Civilians like him shouldn't have to go through this. No one should!" Her fists curled at her sides. Neither of them flinched when the gun shot rang out, but it finalize her point. "I want to make sure that nothing like this can happen again, but you have to trust me first." She was nearly glaring at him, her lips pulled down in a frown. "Whatever's going on...I want to stop it. That's the whole reason I came here! To help people like him!"

He hesitated. She saw it in his eyes, but then a barrier broke down and he gave her a sad look. "I'm here to put an end to Umbrella for good. I can't promise you'll even make it out alive."

It was almost sweet that he cared, but she wasn't selfish enough to refuse. "I've made my argument clear."

Leon huffed out a short laugh, like he expected that response. "Welcome to the team, then." His eyes flashed as he walked on.

Ada took a short moment to look behind them, her heart reaching out to those two civilians. No one deserved loss like that, but now she could do something to help others. She was going to make Umbrella payed for this. With that, Ada turned back to Leon and followed after him, almost excited.


This chapter is a lot longer than I thought it would be, but hey, that just means I was having fun! I love figuring out how to balance Ada's personality with her change of morals. It's kind of tricky, trying to figure out where the original Leon stood versus this Ada. From now on, updates will be roughly every two-three days. I have no idea how many chapters there will be either, but I'm guessing on six? Until next time, I guess!