Ada woke up with that stinging in her shoulder again, but it wasn't nearly as bad anymore. There was still a dull ache that felt deep, like her bones themselves hurt. But as she moves her shoulder in small rotations, she confirmed that it wasn't broken or fractured.
Then, as she opened her eyes, she noticed the familiar brown jacket draped over her and couldn't help but smile. He really was a wild card, to say the least, but at least he cared to some extent. And another glance at her shoulder proved that statement further. He'd ripped off her left sleeve to bandage up the wound. He'd probably used the last of his herbs on her too. It was nice, but also slightly worrying. If Leon didn't have any herbs or bandages, would he be okay on his own?
Of course, Ada shook her head as she started to get up. He was FBI and very capable, as she'd seen with that tyrant and the truck. She should probably start finding him, though. She had no idea how long she spent asleep but she couldn't waste the time being slow now.
But of course, that also proved difficult as she found herself in yet another sewer area. Ada let out a long groan before she dropped down into the disgusting water, trying not to think about what all could be in it. Her shoulder was bandaged but it would easily get infected if she had to stay around this area for too much longer. Keeping her head high, she waded through the water and tried to mentally map out where to go next. There should've been a path just forward, right?
That path soon turned into two and she hesitated for a moment before deciding to go right. The map she grabbed off of a random desk showed that there was an observation room this way. What there was to observe down here, she wasn't sure, but maybe it would get her closer to the lab. That's probably where Leon was, right? Hopefully.
As she moved on, the walls around her slowly started looking less and less like stone. She paused for a moment to look at then and shivered as she realized that something like a fleshy vine was attached to it on all sides of her. It was disgusting, but it didn't look too alive, so she didn't focus on it.
It only got worse from there. The thick vines turned into actual mounds of flesh that had her gagging at the look alone. What the hell happened?! It looked like someone had...she wasn't sure she even wanted to guess. There were tubes of intestines strung along each mountain, but there was a path around them, thankfully. Suddenly, the water didn't feel as bad. Ada really didn't feel up to climbing over those piles.
Ahead, something groaned and Ada froze. Her flashlight was turned toward a tunnel just in front of her and she waited, gun ready to shoot anything that moved. Her ears searched for another sound, but nothing came.
Just as she was about to take another step, one of the mounds stood up and she moved back. "What the hell?!" She couldn't make sense of the monster. It had...limbs? But also a little neck-mouth thing on it's shoulder. And an eyeball looking from the other shoulder. What the fuck even was this?!
It groaned again and labored forward. Nope! No, no no! She was not going to get anywhere near this thing! Raising her gun up, Ada took a clean shot to the eye and it popped, fluids rushing down into the water. She nearly gagged again but took a second shot as the eye opened again. That seemed like it's weak spot.
Two more shots and the mess of flesh slumped into the water again. She waited with baited breath for a minute or two, just watching it. Once she was sure it wasn't going to get up again, Ada let out a sigh and tried her best to squeeze past it. If she thought she wouldn't get the smell out before, she definitely wouldn't get out now. She'd probably smell like sewer for the rest of her life.
"I hope Leon didn't run into that." She muttered as she climbed a ladder, glad to be out of the water now. Her boots made wet sounds whenever she stepped, but there was nothing to be done, so onward she went. This felt like a pattern, having to press forward regardless of what happened. Leon wasn't kidding when he said it would be dangerous.
Finally, she got to a new, slightly cleaner, room. There were a few herbs around and some ammo for her handgun, but not much else. Ada stored the items away for later, knowing she'd really need them. From there, she jumped down a few levels in an old scaffolding set up and landed-
In the observation room! Ada smiled in relief as she labored forward, looking around the area for more items. It wasn't nearly as empty and she got some better bullets too. There was a half full carton of milk, but she didn't trust drinking that, so she left it. From there, Ada went to the wide windows on the far wall, the dirt covering the glass making it difficult to see out of.
She pressed her hand against the glass as she looked out, straining her eyes for anything. It just looked like a bunch of scrap metal and other trash. No zombies, thankfully, but there wasn't really anything-
Wait.
Ada narrowed her eyes as something crossed her vision. Was that...a person? She could see boots and those led up to pants and-
"Leon!" Ada's eyes went wide as she stared at the figure. It was too dark to really see much of him, but it was definitely Leon. He was slumped away from her, so she couldn't tell if he was resting or...worse off. She bit her lower lip as her heart sunk with dread. Please let him be okay. She didn't want to lose another survivor, especially one like him. There was no stopping Umbrella without him and, well, a part of her was also starting to get used to him. He was nice enough and proved to be one of the only friendly faces she'd seen since she and Claire got into this city.
"Hang on, Leon." She spoke as if he could hear her. "I'll get you out of there."
Ada walked out of the observation room with a new sense of duty and determination.
Whoever the hell decided to lock the doors with missing cranks and key puzzles was going to meet Ada's wrath. She was so close to opening the door that would get her to Leon, but of course there had to be more puzzles to solve! Honestly, for a corporation that was known for it's genius scientists and bioweapons, they sure had shitty building designs.
Ada did solve it, eventually. Of course she did. It wasn't a difficult puzzle and if she had all of the pieces from the beginning, it would've taken maybe a minute or two to figure out, but she didn't. After what felt like hours of avoiding horrible monsters -one of which she had already fought before in the RPD underground area-, zombies and the like, she managed to gather all of the plugs and arranged them properly.
"About time." She huffed in irritation as the door's lock slid open. She knew the frustration mostly came from wasting so much time. Who knew where Annette was now and Leon was still locked in that scrap room. She wanted to make sure that he was okay and that she wasn't about to watch someone else die.
Ada wasn't sure she'd be able to handle that. After Marvin and Ben as well...she couldn't do that.
Pushing the door open, Ada made her way into the room and immediately called out. "Leon! Leon, are you there?!" Oh, please tell her he was. If he was suddenly gone, she was going to-
"I'm here!" His voice echoed back and Ada let out a sigh of relief. He sounded pained, though, so she made quick work of finding him and nearly flinched when she did. He was slumped over the pile of rubble behind him, his skin slightly shinny with sweat and grime. His lips were twisted in a grimace as he looked up at her, both hands holding onto his very injured leg. She approached quickly and knelt beside him, her eyes never leaving the large shard of metal sticking out of his thigh. How he wasn't sobbing, she had no clue.
And he didn't have herbs either, did me? He had used them for her gunshot would. Now she felt worse.
"Hey." He panted the word out, his lips turning up slightly, but they fell again as he continued. "I don't think I can get it out. I've tried and..."
"Are you sure?" She didn't want to look at it but her eyes kept staring. It looked horrible. "What if you bleed out?"
Despite the obvious pain, he huffed out a chuckle. "It's not too deep. Just hurts like a bitch."
Right. Okay. She had training for this too, but her hand shook as she held the shard lightly, her gloves protecting against the sharp edges. She hesitated, her eyes looking at him another moment, muttering out a quick, "brace yourself" before she pulled. He let out a loud groan but bit it down quickly. Ada worked fast, pulling out the spare bandages she found and poured some of that ointment on it.
"Here, let me-" He started, but she was already pressing the cloth to his wound, making him hiss sharply.
She wrapped it up tightly, hoping it would hold for now. She'd have to be careful with how she used her medical items now. They both had a foot in the grave and if they lost track of how many herbs were left, it would only get worse.
"Help me up?" He asked as he started to shift, his good leg preparing to lift him, but his other was still not moving. Ada nodded and braced herself as they locked hands and she pulled him up. The pull made her shoulder ache and she let out a pained groan of her own, but he was probably too focused on getting up to notice. Once he was standing, slightly hunched forward, he gave her a slight smile. "Gotta say. I'm really glad to see you."
Honestly, that felt nice to hear. "Can you walk?" Her eyes went back to the already red bandages.
He nodded and straightened out a little more. "Yeah, I can-" But the moment he tried to step forward, he gasped and would've fallen if she hadn't reached out and grabbed in him time. She let him have a moment to gather himself before pulling his right arm over her shoulders, her other hand going to his chest. It hurt, having that pressure on her, but she would handle it if it meant getting him to actually walk.
When he looked reluctant to let her help, she hardened her expression. "Let me help you. There's no point in making it worse." And he knew she had a point, because he chuckled but nodded in agreement. Good. He wasn't being so stubborn anymore.
"There's a cable car just up ahead that'll take us to NEST." He spoke as they started forward at a snail's pace. "I managed to swipe the wristband that gives us access to it." Ada nearly smiled at the triumphant expression he had. It was odd, seeing him open up to her more.
As they moved on, Ada couldn't help but get distracted by the feeling of Leon's muscle under her fingers where she held his waist. He was a lot more toned than she first thought and now that she could see him without the jacket...well, the shirt was tight enough to leave little to the imagination. Who knew the jacket hid so much.
She shook the thoughts from her head, focusing on getting them to move together. It was expected for an agent like him to have some kind of training, right? And with the kind of stuff the FBI handles, it made sense for him to be toned. She tried to avoid looking at his pecs, knowing that it would look really bad if he caught her staring. And he'd be making the right assumptions too.
Snap out of it, Ada. Focus.
They made it to the cable car much slower than she would've liked but at least opening it was easy enough thanks that wristband. But before either of them entered, Leon stopped her with a gentle hand on her vest.
"Hey." His tone was gentle and hesitant. "You've seen the stuff we're going to be running into. I don't blame you if you want to back out now. It'll probably be the only chance you get."
A few hours ago, Ada probably would've been annoyed at his insistence that she leave him behind and just get out, but it was kind of touching. He wasn't trying to be an ass, he actually cared. "Thanks, but I want to see these people may for what they've done. I'm staying."
His concerned frown turned into an easy smile and he limped into the cable car. "You're one tough girl." He sat on the only bench, grimacing again as he held his leg for a moment. Ada took the initiative and walked to the control panel, closing the door and sending them down to NEST. An automated voice informed them of where they were going and cautioned against leaving the car before it arrived. There was no going back now. She was in this to the end.
"You know..." She started, feeling more confident as she watched the tunnel ahead. "I still can't believe Chief Irons was behind this the whole time. And to think I was ready to take orders from him." It was more of an offhanded thought, but Leon responded all the same.
"You've made a pretty good cop, though. Maybe you could've exposed him eventually. Hell, you probably will anyway."
Ada turned at that, not quite sure what that meant. "What do you mean?"
Leon gave her an even, yet challenging look. "You're going to spread the word about Raccoon once you get out, right?" That made her pause. She honestly hadn't even thought about it until now. All she could focus on was getting rid of Umbrella and getting out afterward. Leon seemed to see that as well, because he leaned back. "You may be putting yourself in deep trouble if you do. You still don't have the authority to even be here, let alone tell everyone about it."
As much as she hated it, he had a point. Ada sat down beside him, her legs thanking her for the rest. "What do I do, then?" Helplessness settled in like a parasite and she started to doubt herself. How good of a cop could she be if this ended up happening again? Could she really keep quiet about this entire experience? But if she told the authorities, it would put a giant target on her back. She usually wasn't one to be paranoid but who knew what other companies would like her dead for exposing Umbrella.
Leon wore a smile as he turned to her, but his expression was softer again. "Hey, don't worry about it. The FBI can handle the aftermath. Besides, you'll have to get that virus sample first."
He said "you", Ada realized. Not "We". Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned toward him as well. "What do you mean? You're coming too, right?" Could she even survive without him?
His face was just sad now, the smile fading. "Ada, look at me." He gestured to his leg and even grimaced from a new wave of pain. "I'm just gonna slow you down. You've proven to be capable enough on your own so far. I know you can get the sample for me."
"But I'm not even supposed to be here." She argued, suddenly feeling her chest sink at the idea of just leaving Leon. "What if something happens?" What if that tyrant came back or whatever that other monster was, with the claw? He wouldn't be able to fight back.
Ada nearly gasped when she felt his hand grab onto hers, the touch both cold and burning at once. "Ada, you went through the whole RPD without me and I'll make sure nothing else gets to you, but I can't go on like this. I can protect myself well enough, but you have to promise me that you'll do this for me."
"Leon, I..." She didn't know. She wanted to think that it'd be fine, like he kept saying, but she just felt bad with the idea of leaving him behind. Who knew what was inside of NEST, what other monsters she'd face. Who knew if she'd be able to get away this time. They were a team, right? Luck only went so far when it came to this kind of thing and she was already feeling like they were running out. "I don't know if I can-"
Warm lips pressed against hers. Her eyes went wide at the touch, but the reaction it caused in her chest wasn't foreign. Her heart picked up and butterflies twisted in her stomach. His hand was still on hers, holding her palm to his chest. She could feel him and everything around boiled down to those two touches alone. She pressed back, just slightly, desperate for some kind of warmth, but it ended too quickly.
He drew away and Ada strangled down her disappointment. She was too lonely for this. Being away from that kind of touch after breaking up with her girlfriend, it was so refreshing to have it back. His hands squeezed hers tightly, but not enough to hurt. It was comforting.
"I trust you, Ada." Her heart picked up again at his deep voice. It just bagged for her trust. And she did. She trusted him. "I know you'll do the right thing."
She was sold. If it meant coming back to Leon and getting to put a stop to Umbrella and this whole mess, then she'd get that sample. No problem.
And the idea of getting some of that warmth again was the cherry on top.
The cable car stopped and that recorded voice announced their arrival. Ada still felt like she couldn't move, not wanting to pull away and go back into danger, but Leon was letting go of her wrist anyway, so she looked ahead. The mission first, and then solving this with Leon. She wouldn't admit to how exciting the idea of working with him for longer felt. They did make a good team, after all.
"That wristband will get you anywhere you need to go." His voice was still soft and Ada gave him her full attention. "Lose it and we're both doomed."
"Okay." Her voice came out surprisingly clear. Despite the confidence in her new orders and knowing that she could do this without him, she still felt shaky. For a moment, as she stood, she worried about falling, but that wouldn't be so bad, right? Because he'd catch her just like she caught him. They were balanced.
His gaze stayed on her as she walked toward the now open door, that sweet smile on his face. How did the FBI find this Leon Kennedy and make him into an agent, because he seemed to have the eyes of a...well, someone who wasn't taking down criminal industries for a living. Maybe a baker? Or an artist? He looked like he could probably paint.
It took a moment for her to clear her head of distractions, but once she did, that determination returned. She'd get the sample for Leon and for the sake of humanity. She had to, no matter what happened.
You may be surprised, but I'm kind of out of my element when it comes to romance and stuff like that. I usually write horror and not mushy kissing scenes, but I hope it did well enough. Honestly, that cable car scene was hard to figure out because with their different personalities, I wasn't sure how to make their conversation in character but also lead to the same conclusion. Again, I hope I did well.
