"Leon? W-What are you talking about?" Helena asked, feeling as shocked as everyone else. In fact, the only person who wasn't so surprised was Leon himself.
"I'm talking about keeping my partner safe, and getting you cleared, Helena. Now-"he held up one hand, to stop anyone from talking or objecting quite yet. "-I need to know who will help me, and who won't, but will keep quiet."
All at once, everyone started to talk, trying to get Leon's attention, before Chris took control.
"You're absolutely certain that she was forced to help Simmons in the states?" Chris asked, narrowing his eyes, and Helena knew he was thinking about how Leon had defended Ada. Or, at least the woman who looked like her.
"Yes. Helena's not to blame." Leon insisted, and before she could object, Sherry spoke up.
"You said you had proof that should have cleared both of you?"
"Y-yeah. Leon found an SD card before we got away from the tri-towers, and we sent the info back to the DSO. Hunnigan was able to extract the data, and find proof that we were set up by Simmons. But…" Helena trailed off, shrugging. It was stupid. Leon should just hand her in, instead of doing something so…so dumb.
"So they're setting you up to take the fall for them." Jake said out loud, seemingly to himself. "…Eh, what the hell. I say we give her a hand."
"I agree with Jake." Sherry said, before her and Leon turned to look at Chris, expectantly.
"…I can help get you back into the country, but I can't do anything after that, okay?" he finally sighed, and Helena felt like bursting into tears. She was going to get them into so much trouble when they found out what happened.
"You guys…" she finally said. "You can't. Leon, you have to take me in…They're going to find out."
"If they find out, then they find out. But I'm not going to let them lynch you for something you were forced to do, Helena." Leon said, before contacting Hunnigan. "Hey. I'm not turning Helena in. Chris Redfield said he'd help get her back into the country, and both Jake and Sherry said they'll help. What about you?"
Helena keyed into the conversation, and waited for Hunnigan's answer. For a minute, there was nothing but the sound of someone taping on their keyboard, before:
"I'll help. Helena can stay in my basement for a while, and I'll see if I can get some papers made up for her before you get back into the states. They won't hold for very long though…enough to get her to my house at most." She said, quietly. "My basement won't be permanent though-They're going to be going after me and you if she isn't brought in. Do you have a story yet?"
Leon shook his head, knowing that Chris and Jake were the only two not keyed into the conversation after Sherry joined. "No, I don't. I'm thinking of simply just saying that I didn't want to bring Helena in, and she got away from me. I was on my way in with her, she took a chance, hit me and ran for it."
"They're not going to believe you, Leon." Helena said, feeling even more overwhelmed.
"They're not? Not when I have all of my work for the United States under my belt?" Leon smiled at her, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "All I have to do is mention the time I rescued Ashely Graham, and people make themselves scarce. We can do it, Helena."
"But-"she started to object, when Chris shook his head.
"Trust me, I know now not to argue with this bonehead. Now, if you can get us to the B.S.A.A. base in Vietnam, I can get us a plane back to the states. While it's taking Jake and Sherry to the base in Hawaii, we can figure out how to get you through customs." He said, running his thumb over a badge. B.S.A.A, covered in blood.
Helena looked away.
"Hunnigan said she'll try and get some papers for Helena, enough to get her to a temporary safe house," Sherry said, before frowning at Helena. "How do you feel about being blonde for a bit? If we can grab so temporary hair dye…That will help. Glasses…" Sherry started to mutter to herself, and after a check of the fuel level, they all piled back into the helicopter.
Chris took over the piloting, and Helena sunk into the back, between Sherry and Jake.
"It'll be okay, Helena." Sherry said, before yawning.
"I hope so, I really do…"
Helena trailed off, pausing her story as Ada drove them up to a very flimsy looking bridge. "Leon said that they'd rebuilt the bridge, but that doesn't look like they did more than throw a few planks over the river…" she muttered, and Ada snorted.
"They did a good job of making it look that way, at least. Now, I'm amazed that Leon got Redfield to agree to sneak you into the states. I'd think he had no give nor take in any situation." Ada said, driving the car up to a dilapidated house. A man stepped out, and waved to her. "And I was wondering about the hair," she said, putting the car into park and shutting it off.
"Leon's a lot more persuasive than you think. He got Chris to stop trying to shoot your double in China. Well, for a little bit, anyways. Who's that?" Helena asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and ignoring the comment about her hair.
"Did he? Well, another reason to not assume things of Leon. He always seems to do something new each time I see him. Keeping me surprised, I guess." Ada replied, also unbuckling her seatbelt. "An arms merchant. Last time me and Leon were here, he was the only one not out to kill us. Obviously he's Leon's contact in the area."
Climbing out of the car, Helena looked around as Ada greeted the Merchant. It was like she'd stepped into a horror movie, the trees were all enveloping, and already she could feel the isolation.
"Helena, this is the Merchant. " Ada walked over with the man, and he stuck his hand out for Helena to shake.
"It's nice to meet you," Helena said, shaking his hand. "Leon told you about me?"
"Heh heh, he did, Stranga'. But we should get movin'- it lets late here fast, and you're stayin' in the far house, past the farm." He said, and Helena was surprised. She'd expected a heavier accent and less English from him.
"How should we progress then?" Ada asked, and the Merchant pointed to a cart with two older looking horses attached.
"We can take you an' your things up to the house with the cart. Your car won't make it- too rough." He explained, and Helena nodded slowly. It did make sense that the car wouldn't work- the pathway looked too narrow for it anyways.
As her and the Merchant loaded her things into the cart, and Ada's she noticed, Ada tapped on her phone.
"There, Laurie Jenning just caught my flight back to the states. Don't worry, I flagged the customs officials so they'll be looking for you state side for a while" she said, before she starting to type something else. "And now Leon knows that's my fault and not that you ran back home." She smiled over at Helena. "I wasn't using my ticket, so she might as while use it."
"…Thanks. But, won't they be able to see that I didn't get off in the end?" Helena asked, all of the luggage loaded.
"Yes, but it will take them a while. The terminal cameras are going to suffer a terrible glitch as well. And I linked that to a different group, so it won't point to Leon or Hunnigan." Ada said, before jumping up into the cart. "Coming?"
"Ah, yes. You know Hunnigan?" Helena asked, climbing into the back of the cart as the Merchant sat up next to Ada and got them moving.
"We've talked. She lets me know where Leon's going, and sometimes I help her, make sure Leon doesn't get his pretty little head hurt." Ada replied, and Helena snickered.
"So, was that why you were in China?" she asked, relaxing more as the ride continued. After moving away from the beat down house, the forest spread out, and she found herself enjoying herself. Until the dog jumped up on her. "Ah!"
It seemed like a friendly enough animal, but it was smelly and covered in mud, and it was trying to sit on her.
"Bajar!" the Merchant snapped, and the dog whined, before jumping off of Helena, and the cart, to run off up ahead of them. "Sorry, Stranga'."
"Ah, no, that's fine. I was just a bit surprised. Is he your dog?" she asked, pushing her question to Ada to the side.
"No, but he hangs around. Some of the villagers been teachin' him to listen though." The Merchant replied as they rumbled over a smaller bridge, before entering the village.
"…Hasn't changed much," Ada said, looking at the people milling around, and Helena raised an arm as a chicken flung itself into the cart with her. Once the bird had calmed enough and had stopped flailing about on her lap, Helena picked it up and passed it to one of the villagers, who then looked at it like they'd never seen one before.
"That's just the outside, Stranga'. 'M still tryin' ta get the Plaga out of them, and the church?" he nodded to the building. "We have that machine that kills em. But-"
"But too many people are infected, and you can't get rid of it all. It's too big in some of them too, I wager. How are they being controlled then?" Ada asked, and the Merchant laughed as he drove them into the main farm.
"Heh, when they came ta' my family, they gave me the wrong one. The only difference is I don't need some silly stick to keep em calm." The Merchant said, and Helena heard Ada hum thoughtfully. She was too busy watching the people, the infected villagers, continuing their work as if they hadn't driven right through. So this was the Plaga…
"You have a master Plaga? I never knew." Ada said, and Helena turned back to their conversation.
"Ya think I'd tell ya, Stranga? No, I knew why you were in the area, and it wasn't just because of the other Stranga." He replied, and Ada sighed.
"Point…"
"So-"Helena spoke up as they prepared to enter a tunnel. "-are all the villagers infected?"
"No, Stranga'. Some we could help, some moved here from different villages, ta help me. An' one of the girls in town has a baby on the way. Been a long time since there's been a child round here." The Merchant replied, before stopping the cart. "Well, here we are, Stranga'. Your new home."
It looked as dilapidated as the other houses, but from what the Merchant had said, the inside was probably different.
"Ya go take a look, and I'll grab your things." The Merchant said, and Helena slid down out of the cart.
There were plenty of brambles underfoot, and the porch creaked as she stepped onto it, but Helena had high hopes for her house.
'…My house. Isn't that a thought?' She thought to herself, waiting for Ada to join her before she entered.
"Well, let's see if Leon is a better interior decorator than he is driver," Ada said with a smile, and Helena pushed the door open.
A/N: Finally! A new update ;u; Sorry for the waiiiit haha
The Merchant having a master Plaga is kind of a headcanon reason as to why he doesn't A.) Attack you and B.) Why the other enemies leave him alone if they (somehow) end up in the same room as him. And it gives a reason why he's still alive after Saddler died and explains the townspeople uvu
I don't want Helena to be alone with just the Merchant and the occasional Ada for this fic ;u;
Also I used google for the Spanish word so it's probably wrong- sorry! ;o;
Probably after the next chapter I'll start writing more drabble chapters to fit the world, rather than follow a strict plot like these first few chapters?
(For instance, a chapter about Helena living in Hunnigan's basement and then having to move to Claire's basement. Then one about Helena helping out around the village. One about Ada bringing Helena fast food and wine so they can bitch about Leon. One about Helena figuring out how to get Netflix streaming- you get my point ;P)