She didn't know what to do. Where to go. All she could even think about was the image of Leon falling to his death and the silence that followed. Would she have felt more comfort from hearing his body hit the floor or would that also haunt her?
The elevator took her back up to the surface as the self-destruct timer counted down. They were like two forces opposing each other, one trying to save her and the other trying to kill.
Ada didn't know which one she wanted to win.
Another sob slipped past her lips as she watched the facility fall apart below her. She was angry and sad and so many different things at once. How dare Leon say that he trusted her, touch her hand or even kiss her when it was all a lie! How dare he lead her on with a string of lies! How dare he even try to use her own kindness against her!
But he wasn't a complete liar, because as good of a spy as Leon Kennedy was, she was still able to see into his eyes and know what he felt. He trusted her to get that sample. He might've meant what he said when he told her to do the right thing. He probably didn't want to die either.
Most of all, Ada felt sorry that she ever got stuck in this mess. With Annette and Leon dead, there was nothing to do but run away. No one was going to be able to testify to what happened at NEST or that Umbrella even did anything wrong. And what if Claire didn't make it? Then no one else would even know what happened in Raccoon City. Would this even end up on the news, or would the government cover it up? Would she be alone in this suffering?
She wasn't sure she could live with that, but like everything else that happened so far, she had no choice but to press forward. Always pressing forward, because that's just who Ada Wong was. She survived the troubles of her police training, the RPD, those sewers and now NEST. Nothing could stop her from getting out of this alive, damn it!
Once the elevator stopped on the ground level, the speakers above blared in warning. "Nine minutes until self-destruct." That wasn't a lot of time at all. Less than ten minutes to find a ride out of this place and get to a safe distance away? That hopelessness returned in full force and she wondered if it was even worth the effort. Could she really put more effort into surviving if there wasn't a way out? If she sat here and rested, at least she could accept her own death before it was taken from her.
Ada dragged her feet as she walked to a control panel, not hesitating to take a seat at one of the rolling chairs. Various screens and buttons lay across the panels. It looked like some kind of security area. She had only stayed on the one level of NEST and even that was huge to walk through. Who knew how much more there was to the entire facility. How many more labs they had or where they kept the monsters they made. Thankfully, it would all be destroyed soon enough. The viruses, mutations and everything Umbrella had been secretly working on.
One of the screens to her left came to life and Ada turned her head to stare at it, surprised when the static cleared to show someone looking through at her. It took a moment for her to realize who it was.
"Claire?!" How had Claire gotten to the NEST? Ada barely made it in at all and that was only because of L-
No. She couldn't think about any of that right now. Not him, at least. She shoved the fresh grief away and stared down at the screen, hoping for an answer.
"Ada?! Is that you?!" Claire called back, her voice sounding muffled with the poor connection, but it held enough to understand. "How the hell did you get down here?!"
Ada suddenly remembered that they only had nine minutes to evacuate and if Claire was here, then one of them had to find a way out. There was no way Ada was going to let the girl just die like this. She was innocent and deserved to find her brother, if she hadn't already. "That doesn't matter right now! Listen, the whole place is going down! Do you know a way out?!"
The image went out for a moment and Ada nearly panicked, her heart beating quicker with every second that passed. It felt like she was wasting time just being here at all. If Claire didn't know a way, then-
"Yeah!" Claire's voice answered back and then a second later, the image cleared again. She was looking around at something. Where even was she? "I found a train that leads out. Where are you? We can wait-"
"No! Don't wait for me! Just go!" Claire looked hesitant but before Ada could say anything, the room shook. She regained her balance quickly, her mind returning to what she was just about to add. "Please! I'll find another way, I promise! Just get out while you have the time!"
The screen went to static again and Ada watched the it carefully, trying to make sense of the few images it flashed. "Ada?! Are you there?!"
"Claire?!" She shouted back, hoping the girl had at least heard the first part of what she said. If they were still waiting up for her...
"You're breaking u-" The screen went to just static and Ada cursed. It was no use trying to get the thing to work again. Now, with uncertainty and fear for the younger girl's life, Ada had no choice but to find that train and make it out. It was ironic that despite how the world seemed to want her dead, it pushed her to move on now that she was beginning to admit defeat.
"I'll find you, Claire." She promised herself and ran forward with her gun raised, not waiting for anything that could block her way. She stumbled and tripped on herself with every quake the facility made. Things exploded behind her and pipes fell from the sky, some nearly hitting her. It was like running from a meteor shower. Who knew when the next thing would hit her.
Just as her luck was turning up at the sight of the lift, Ada fell to the floor when something hit the bridge she was on and she turned back to see that tyrant again. The dread rose as she scrambled to her feet, not even caring to fire off a shot or two as she ran away. Out of everything to suddenly show it's ugly head, this bastard was the last thing she wanted to see! It's heavy footsteps followed her easily as she jumped across a few fallen platforms and made her way closer and closer to the lift. If she could just get enough of a head start to turn the lift on, then maybe she could lose it.
But just as she ran across the bridge over to the lift, a support beam came crashing down and she narrowly missed it. An explosion pushed hot flames across the entire bridge and she was sent flying, landing blew and hitting hard on her injured shoulder. Her mouth gaped from the pain that coursed through her. She couldn't find her breath and her head pulsed at the impact. She let out a long groan and rolled onto her back, trying to recover as quickly as she could.
Another beam fell inches away from her and that was all the motivation she needed to crawl onto her feel and press the big button at the control panel to the lift. The whole platform shook separately from the explosions far too close behind her for comfort and then it started to raise. Parts of the lift itself was on fire as well, but it didn't look like it'd do any damage. She took a glance back and felt her heart quicken with relief. The tyrant was gone. She got rid of-
A crash behind her and she saw the tyrant had jumped down. This time, it's dark trench coat was ripped away with the flames that flooded over it's mutated arm. It had claws now, similar to William's and the sight made her head pulse all over again, but there was no moment of rest. The tyrant marched forward and narrowly missed her as she jumped away. Her shoulder screamed at her to stop but that wasn't an option.
She ran from one side of the lift to the other, trying to get as much distance between them as possible. The whole thing continued to shake as they moved, which only made aiming at the thing harder, but my a miracle, she managed to hit the tyrant with a few shotgun rounds. It wasn't going to be enough, she already knew that, but what else could she do?
"Shit!" Ada shouted as chunks of concrete nearly the size of her fell onto the lift as well. The tyrant marched toward her despite the obstacles and slashed wildly. She blocked a vicious blow by hiding behind one of those concrete rocks. The strike never hit her, but the rock was shredded to pieces. She wouldn't be able to survive even one of those attacks.
Ada was growing weaker and her exhaustion threatened to take her then and there. Her legs burned with the urge to just stop for a moment but every time she paused to take a shot at the monster, it came back swinging again. There was no rest and as she ran back toward the opposite side for what felt like the hundredth time, she felt the tip of it's claw slice into her back. It threw her onto her chest, her head connecting with the floor harshly.
All air left her lungs and her pulse beat through her entire body, making it feel like her veins would pop from the pressure. She shakily pushed herself up, trying to clear her head. Her chest was aching from just how fast her heart was beating. How funny would it be if she survived all of this, only to die of a heart attack?
A metal case came sliding down beside her as the tyrant started back toward her. She immediately threw the case open and gasped at what she saw inside. In this entire experience, she never thought her luck had been good. Between ending up in -hopefully- the only city over run by zombies and ending up in a collapsing facility, she thought that all possibility for good luck had run out. But then she looked down at the weapon inside of this case and nearly cried.
A rocket launcher! A fucking rocket launcher!
She wasted no time in gathering it into her arms, letting it rest on her shoulder and pulled the trigger once she aimed it directly on the tyrant's chest. "Say 'hi' to Papa for me!"
The recoil knocked her onto her side but she hit her mark. The tyrant blew apart, flames over taking it's entire body until all that was left was it's legs. She dropped the weapon and nearly laughed again. It was dead. Finally dead. There was no getting up from that.
Ada slumped back as she let out a heavy breath. The adrenaline still coursed through her, making her limbs shake with the exertion, but it was a relief at least. She could breathe again, could thing even! Nothing was immediately trying to kill her and the lift still had a little ways to go. She looked back down at the rocket launcher, still in awe that it was even there. Who just had one of those around? Either way, she silently thanked whoever had gotten it there. They saved her life.
Rest didn't last long. In less than a minute, the lift had finally brought her up to what looked like a train station and she immediately got to her feet. She climbed off of the platform and ran until she met the tracks, her heart pressing into her throat as she looked down both ways. More explosions came from behind, close enough for her to feel the heat on her back, but there was no where to run.
Had Claire left without her? Ada wasn't sure if that was a relief or not. On one hand, she had managed to get this far and wasn't really prepared to call it quits now that she was already so close to freedom. But then again, if Claire had left without her, then that meant at least someone was surely getting out of this place alive.
Ada's thoughts stopped when she saw the train heading up her way and she smiled tiredly. It didn't slow or even stop for her, but she was prepared for that. It whipped past with a burst of air but she was already running along side it, pushing her legs to go faster than they ever had before. Her eyes locked on a metal bark just barely poking out from the side, a perfect handhold for her to get up. But she was already lagging behind and her legs were aching all over again.
"Come on!" She gritted out in frustration, her dread returning as the earth shook and at the tunnel just up ahead. She only had so much time left. Ada reached her hand out once she was close and pushed her legs faster, nearly tripping.
Her hand caught the pole and she immediately pulled herself up, groaning with the effort it took. Her hair whipped around her face but she didn't care as she sat down and panted out, feeling safe for the first time in a while. Her legs still burned but she didn't have to push them anymore. She was on the way out of the city.
As her mind wandered, she couldn't help but wince as her eyes landed on the band still tightly hugging her wrist. She had somehow kept it on this whole time. Her mind went back to what happened in the cable car and she felt her lip tremble. She wanted to hate him for what he did, how he used her, but her heart still tugged. It was pathetic.
Ada let out a bitter laugh as she took the band off, looking at it with a bitter sweet expression. "I...I think I'm going to miss him." He was gone, but those memories she had with him would always stay with her. Even if she managed to move on from the city and find a peaceful life, she'd never forget about him. There was just...something that continued to pull at her heart.
Her vision blurred and she let the band slip from her fingers, hoping that it would burn along with the facility.
When Ada finally managed to push herself up and made her way into the next train car, she saw just a glimpse of that familiar head of red-ish brown hair. It filled her with relief, knowing that Claire had actually made it out and they were now both safe. Ada wouldn't have to be alone with these memories. She had someone else who knew the horrors like she did.
The train door opened with a soft hiss and Ada walked into the car, a smile already pulling at her lips as Claire turned to her, looking undeniably happy.
"Ada! You're alive!" The woman didn't move from her spot, which was fine. Ada wasn't sure she'd have the energy for anything beyond a casual wave, let alone some kind of hug.
"Caught the train just in time." That was an understatement, but Claire didn't need to know how she ran for her life just to get on. Ada's eyes instead turned to a new figure and she startled slightly when she saw blonde hair and blue eyes that reminded her of Annette. "Who's this?" She made sure to add a smile so the little girl wouldn't be intimidated. Ada was known to scare children on occasion.
Claire smiled and gestured to the girl. "This is Sherry. I found her and...well, it's a long story."
Ada nodded, completely understand. She wasn't ready to retell her entire experience just yet either, especially with how many people she'd lost. They could catch up another time, when they both didn't smell like sewer and rotten flesh.
Ada opened her mouth to say something, but then the train shook and all three of them nearly fell. Claire cursed loudly and looked around the car for any signs of a cause. They weren't outside of the facility just yet, but the explosions couldn't be that close, right? If the whole lab blew up before they managed to get out, then there was no hope for them.
Another violent shake and this time, they did fall over. Ada winced as one of the seats dug into her side, but she wasn't able to get up in time to stop Claire from marching toward the door, her eyes set in a determined scowl.
"I'll check it out. Watch Sherry for me, okay?" Ada didn't even get the chance to nod before the younger woman left, the door closing behind her with another soft hiss. From there, the two of them sat silently, unsure of what to do or where to go. Would Claire really be okay? She was a capable person, just getting to this train showed that much, but who knew what else they could face. The tyrant was dead, she had made sure of it, but there were still plenty of monsters hidden away in that lab.
Ada looked back to Sherry and immediately regretted not checking the girl sooner. Sherry was curled up in her chair, both arms wrapped around her knees as she stared at the door, her eyes filled with worry. Ada pulled on her best reassuring smile and leaned forward. "Hey." Her tone was softer than it usually was and it seemed to do the trick in catching Sherry's attention. "She'll be okay. Claire's tough."
"I know." Sherry sounded honest but that worry didn't leave. When the train shook once again, Sherry gasped and held herself tighter. "But, maybe you could just check?"
Honestly, that started to sound like a good idea. Ada stood, one hand staying on the side wall to keep her steady as she walked. Before she could even open the door, the entire wall was ripped away and Ada gasped as she saw the monster latching onto the tail end of the train. It was a mess of flesh, similar to those things she saw in the sewer, but this one was familiar. It had to be another stage of William Birkin. The eye was the same shade, even though it was practically the entire size of Ada's torso. How had he not died back in the NEST?
"Claire!" Sherry cried as she too stood up, her voice loud but shaky. Ada held a hand out to stop the girl from trying to rush in, but the tremble in Sherry's arms made it clear she didn't plan on going anywhere.
Ada's eyes locked onto the connecting cable between the two cars and she got an idea. "Claire! Get over here! I'm going to disconnect the cable!" She shouted and immediately knelt down, her fingers trying to get ahold of the metal rod keeping them together. The train wouldn't stop shaking and it was difficult for Ada to both keep herself from falling forward and focus on grabbing the rod, but she managed to get a good grip and pulled up.
When she looked up again, she saw Claire stabbing the eye open with a pipe, yellow liquid squiring all over her. "Die, you fucker!" She shouted, stabbing it again for good measure before letting go. The car began drifting away and Ada reached out her hand.
"Claire! Come on!" The younger woman turned back and her expression went from viscous to desperate as she ran forward, leaping into the air and reaching back for Ada. Their arms locked and Ada let herself fall backward as they collapsed. They scrambled to get back into at least a sitting position as the train car continued to drift away, leaving that monster behind with it. Then, fire crawled around the sides of the tunnel and William's mutated pile of flesh was engulfed in the flames. Finally, he was gone for good.
Getting out of the train wasn't so much of an issue. It led them straight to the next station, just outside of Raccoon City. They were even lucky enough to avoid more zombies as they walked down the high way Ada and Claire went down to get into the city in the first place. Neither of them really knew where they were going, but it didn't exactly matter. Anywhere was safer than Raccoon.
As they walked, Ada found herself smiling again. It was funny. She'd never been much of a smiling person before, preferring to keep her expressions to herself. It had served her well in the police academy at least but now, she couldn't help but let it out. Ada didn't have to worry about what image she was giving off with Claire and Sherry. They were likely feeling just as free as she was.
"My place isn't too far ahead." Claire suddenly said, catching both Sherry and Ada's attention. "It may be a bit of a walk, though. I came here on a motorcycle."
"It's probably closer than my old apartment." Ada shrugged. She had driven quite a while to get to Raccoon, honestly, and if the drive was annoying then walking would be just terrible.
Sherry looked between them and grabbed onto both of their hands, swinging them slowly. "Claire said we'd get to see where she lived. You both still need a shower."
Claire laughed and gave Sherry a teasing smile. Ada found it endearing to watch. "Don't count yourself out too soon. I'm thinking we'll all need a shower. And a few days of rest on top of that."
"I can agree to that." Ada added, loving the idea of being clean and resting. It had been, what, not even a full 24 hours since she and Claire met at that gas station? And now they were heading to see her apartment and would likely spend at least a few days together. From there, who knew what would happen, but Ada found herself ready to just wing it. It went against her nature in every way, but planning ahead was too much work at the moment.
After all, she had been trying new things all night long.
Man! I'm almost sad that this is over! It was so much fun to write out and figure out! I ended up writing most of it within a few days and just proofread it and revised as they each came out. I'm also happy for anyone who enjoyed this! I may write more Resident Evil stuff, but who knows.
