Chapter 3: Resident Evil 4
"I guess this is his hard drive," Asuka casually slipped through files as she spoke. She no longer had to worry about Shinji peeking at her – him sitting, facing the wall across the room made sure of that, "Every other file is porn. He's disgusting…"
"It's Kensuke, what do you expect? I bet if you held a black light over his keyboard you could see it from space," the thought made her cringe, "Why are you even going through them? You don't want to stir something else up, do you?"
"It's better than just sitting around doing nothing. With any luck, we can go into an easy game for once. Maybe one that's more realistic than zombies in space or devils on earth," Shinji didn't have anything particular to add. To him, there's nothing really to say at this point – sure, the games are fun, but he's beginning to worry that they might be in here forever. It's been roughly a full day now and so far there's not a single sign of them getting out, "By the way, I heard you and that pregnant devil talking. It's a game, remember that. She was reading the emotions of Trish and Dante, not you and I. Don't go getting any funny ideas," she spoke with a sternness that made him believe every word.
"I know," about another minute passed in silence before the room filled with the sound of an engine starting, making both of the children jump.
"What's that? What did you do?" he leaped up and looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the location of the noise.
"I didn't do anything!" slowly but surely, a large, pixelated ball of black and green came down through the ceiling. Not a single feature on it was distinctive outside of a single pixel that had a large K on it.
"Oh hell… we need to get out of here! That's his anti-virus!" the logo was familiar to her – she, too, used Kaspersky on her laptop at home. She also knew how effective it was, "We need to get into a game now!" she frantically sorted through the various files of Word documents and porn until she came across a game, represented by a RE4 printed on a piece of paper, she vaguely remembered playing when she was much, much younger, "Damn it… this'll have to do. Get over here!" Shinji wasn't about to question how she knew all of this. Without a word and a quick glance at her, the two grabbed the piece of paper as the room went black for a moment before slowly loading the area.
"Not too bad," Shinji looked down at his wardrobe and was pleasantly surprised it was something normal this time around. A simple, light brown jacket rested on his shoulders, and underneath that was a gun holster topping off a ski-tight shirt. Heavy-duty pants protected his legs from the fairly cold air, and he could feel a single pistol underneath his right arm in the holster, "Hey Asuka, where are we?" he looked around to find himself in a wooded area with a small village in the distance. Notably, Asuka was completely absent.
"Well, isn't this just fine and dandy?" Asuka, not nearly as fortunate at Shinji, found herself tied up high on a large wooden log as roughly fifty people wandered around her, going about their business as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "Shinji gets to be Leon, and I'm stuck in this girl's body. Great, just great," the orange turtleneck and short skirt seemed like somewhat of a contradiction to her, but that was the least of her worries, "That idiot better be coming here. I'll be damned if I don't even get a chance to fight."
"I don't get this game…" Shinji spent roughly five minutes trying to figure out what to do – there were two paths; one behind him, and one in front of him. Of course, he followed the path leading to the village, but not before coming across a fairly large house he decided to pass up, "Every time I aim my gun, I can't seem to walk. What kind of sense does that make? Who can't walk and aim a gun at the same time?" he also found that when he so much as touched the knife on his belt, his feet completely froze. To Shinji, this was an unsettling thought; not being able to run away at a moment's notice? No thank you. When he passed through the main gate leading to the village, he had the sudden urge to look through a pair of binoculars he had no idea he possessed. In the middle of the village was a large tree trunk, held up by a mountain of smaller foliage debris and ash. More importantly, though, Asuka was struck up on said log.
"Ain't no mountain high enough," in an act created solely to annoy the people in the village, she sung at the top of her lungs, "Ain't no river wide enough!"
"It takes lessons to get that bad," Shinji mumbled as he put away the binoculars, "Guess I have to save her," he aims down the sight of his gun as he begins to walk, only to find his feet firmly planted on the ground, "I'm never going to get used to that," bringing his gun back up, he jogs into the city and soon realizes not a single person was giving him so much as a second glance.
"Shinji! Get me down from here!" she finally notices him as he begins running to the massive tree trunk, "Seriously, this is a creepy game. You better be a good shot, because I can't do crap but yell 'Leon!' in this body," he didn't quite understand the reference, but he's realized that questions are better left unanswered at this point. Within a few minutes of whacking at the rope with his knife, Asuka came falling down onto the rubble of ash, "Okay, follow me," as Shinji ran after the girl, he noticed that the once-inattentive village people were now looking at him with glaring red eyes and almost growling.
"¡Os voy a romper a pedazos!" one of the men finally yells as the duo break into a two story house.
"Crap, crap, crap, crap," with each step up stairs, Asuka mutters a small curse to herself, "I can't grab it, but there's a shotgun in this cabinet," the constant yelling outside continues as they speak amongst themselves in Spanish. Following her orders, Shinji grabs the large gun and follows her back down stairs, "This is going to be a long fight, so conserve ammo. Headshots only, understand? Save the shotgun for now, just use the pistol. If you start getting surrounded, you have a few incendiary grenades," she leads him down the stairs and makes a B line to the small, one way area behind the stairs. Shinji noticed just how well she knew this game – even more than the last. This location was quite ideal for the two, that's for sure; no more than two or three people could pass through at a time, which would keep them from hoarding on him.
"I didn't know you played games, Asuka."
"You want to talk about this now? Yes, I used to back in Germany. Things get boring up there. Care to read a novel on my life?" the windows smash inwards, showing several arms reaching in grabbing at the air, "Or would you prefer to actually make yourself useful?"
"Don't need to get snippy," she heard his mumble, but decided to ignore it for now. The possessed people clawing through the woodwork were much more important, at least in her mind. To her surprise, he wasn't a bad shot in the least – sure, he had the laser to guide his shots, but the laser barely moved when he was aiming. It was no doubt the game's engine helping him aim, because when he went to reload, his hands were shaking more than anything she'd ever seen. Not surprising Asuka in the least but making Shinji yelp, the sound of a not-too-distant chainsaw revving to life could be heard.
"Okay, the chainsaw guy is really powerful. If he gets close, he instantly kills you, so watch out. He also has a lot of health, so try and use the shotgun on his head."
It surprised Asuka a great deal just how skilled Shinji was in this whole scenario. Judging by the other games, she reasoned that in each game, they adopt the reflexes and skills of the players they're imitating, which isn't what surprised her. No, what came as a shock was just how relaxed he was with everything. Throughout all three games so far, he's been completely fine. Sure, he freaked out a little in the last one, but he still managed to keep his cool and fend off some of the strongest devils from hell. Relaxation has nothing to do with the character they're playing, she reasoned, so it must just be him. The idea of Shinji being brave was a completely foreign concept to her – Asuka's used to this scrawny, jumpy little boy who can barely take on a strong willed person let alone a forty-story-tall angel. But in here, he's somehow different… or, she thought, maybe he's just different with her.
"You hear that?" the sound of church bells fill the air, and Asuka finally releases a sigh of relief as all the would be attackers turned one hundred eighty degrees and left them, "What's happening?"
"They're in a cult, don't worry about it. Well, they're gone now, and we have two options. The first one is we just wait here for the game to kick us out like it has in the past, or we can actually go through the game and hope we find a way out before we die. You're the leader, you choose," Shinji raised an eyebrow at the girl. A complete conversation without as much as an insult? Blasphemy in their relationship, as far as he's concerned.
"We might as well keep going. If you remember, we get kicked out when we trigger something, and sitting around here isn't going to help," and so began the fairly long walk that would soon lead them to yet another onslaught of possessed village people. Before that, however, there was roughly a mile of land to cover before reaching the destination. This, of course, leaves quite a bit of open room for talking.
"So, you with Wondergirl yet?" she spoke up at they began passing the church.
"What? No, what made you get that idea?" she placed her hands behind her head as she strolled along.
"I see how you look at her. Perv," while it certainly was true that Shinji spent a fair amount of time gazing at the albino, it was far from a sexual experience, "You ever going to ask her out? People at school are starting to talk, you know."
"No, I'm not. She's a friend, that's it," the girl let out a sarcastic 'mhm' as they continued to walk, "And what about you? You seem like the type to always have a boyfriend."
"You saying I'm easy?" the harshness of her voice could cut diamonds.
"N-No! I'm just wondering. You've been here a couple months and I don't even see you talking to other guys outside of me," she snorted at his comment, but took it for face value. 'No point in reading into the psyche of someone as stupid as him.'
"Because I'm already taken. I have a boyfriend in Germany waiting for me to get back. We've been dating for about two years now. It was just a harmless little crush at first, but hey, we've lasted this long," the thought of a guy being able to handle her temperament made him shudder, "You'd be surprised what you don't know about me, Third."
"Well then tell me, I'd be happy to know more about you," the sincerity of his pseudo-demand surprised her, but she managed to hold it back.
"You already know the gist of my life. Graduated college last year, lived with Nerv all my life, blah, blah, blah. Pretty boring stuff. Neither one of my parents were really in my life much – my father because he was a sperm donor, and my mother because she's selfish. I was raised by Kaji pretty much. Near the end of my time there, though, Kaji was traveling so much that I would spend weeks on end at Paul's house – oh, Paul is my boyfriend. He's in the military, so he's had his own place since he was about twelve," she noticed the look of confusion on Shinji's face, though she only looked towards the horizon in front of her, "German military takes recruits as early as ten. He was an orphan, and since he was skilled at piloting planes so young, they just gave him a house. Well, apartment, but still. They don't use the children until they turn sixteen, but the kids who have been in the military since ten are regarded as some of the best Germany has to offer. He's already a better pilot than most… at least, on paper. He's only done simulations so far, they won't let people pilot until they turn eighteen. So he has two years to wait."
"That's pretty impressive. So you guys met through the military I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, Nerv in Germany is connected to the military base. I plan on moving in with him when I get back," Shinji noticed a very small smile on her face that he would have missed if he hadn't been looking directly at her.
"You love him?" that small smile grew ever so slightly larger.
"Absolutely. People are constantly telling me how young I am and all this other bull crap, but I don't care. I know how I feel about him, and I'd do anything for him. He's the only real reason I pilot – if it wasn't for him, I'd be doing it just for fun like I used to. I pity people who don't have someone like him," seeing such a vulnerable side to the girl he's grown to see as a rock was a little unsettling to the boy.
"Wow, I had no idea. So then are you going to marry him?" to his surprise, she let out a small laugh.
"That's kind of what you do when you love someone, so yes. We already had a mach wedding right before I left. No rings or anything, just vows and a short honeymoon," he noticed a small blush cross her face, "Take that for what you will," an awkwardness only felt by Shinji hovered over the two while Asuka was lost in her dream world of herself and Paul. 'I can't believe she told me all of that… and she loves someone! Who would have thought that? Sure, she clearly has emotions, but who knew she was even capable of loving someone like that?' "And what about you? All I know is that your dear old daddy is the commander."
"I'm the same as you, I never really knew either of my parents. My mother died a long time ago – I don't even remember her – and my father left soon after. I've been living with my uncle since then… well, of course, before I came here. There's really nothing to tell, at least nothing exciting like you had. So… what do you want to know?" she let out an annoyed sigh.
"Jeez, no wonder you want to pilot so badly, your life must have really sucked before this. Hell, I bet you love this whole game thing, aren't you? It's a break away from the normal, no?" as she expected, he didn't respond, "No harm in having some fun. Sure, this is annoying and I'd rather be home, but it's better than sitting in an entry plug all day. We might as well make the best of it," they soon came to a large gate, and the peaks of the sides of a canyon could be seen over the large stone wall, "Ah, here we are. Okay, be careful, because there's a lot of-" a swift bash to the back of the head tends to stop people halfway through a sentence.
Shinji was the first to wake up, and the first to feel a throbbing headache that now nearly crippled him. With a soft grunt, he looks around what appeared to be a church at first glance and, upon trying to stand up, he realized he was tied and facing away from a still unconscious Asuka. Their hands were bound together as they sat, and if she had been awake, they could have easily stood up. However, no such luck.
"Asuka, wake up," whispering for no apparent reason, the boy tried nudging the girl awake, "Come on, we have to get up," she let out a drawn out groan as she rolled her head to the side.
"What the hell…?" just like Shinji, she tried to stand up only to find it impossible, "Damn, my head…"
"Someone knocked us out and tied us up, I don't know where we are. Does this place look familiar to you?" she rolled her eyes at his overly obvious statement.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious. And no, it doesn't, but I haven't played this game in years. Way to watch out back, by the way," their voices echoed in the largely empty room. While it looked like it could have been a church at one point, that euphoria clearly hasn't been present in some time. A thick layer of dust covered absolutely everything, all of the seats have been randomly pushed aside with time, and the alter was littered with fallen candles and the remnants of what was once a fire, "Damn, they probably injected us with a parasite."
"W-What? Injected?" before she could explain, the sound of two large doors opening could be heard across the room. Walking through them were three men. The first was extremely short – no taller than three and a half feet – and dressed as if he was a prince. The other two men looked exactly alike, though only the cloaks they bore could be seen; each was no shorter than seven feet, only exaggerating the shortness of their leader.
"Ah, I see our guests are awake. Allow me to introduce myself," stopping roughly a yard from the couple, the short man bowed at a perfect ninety degree angle, "My name is Ramon Salazar, the eighth castellan of this lovely fortress. Please excuse the mess, but you understand the hurry we were in," he begins to slowly walk around the two, all the while gazing down at them, "I promise, as soon as Las Plagas take hold, you will be free to go. Until then," he stops in front of Asuka and smirks, "Just try and relax," she noticed him peeking up her skirt, but didn't really see this as the time to get all defensive.
"And how long does that take?" as Shinji spoke, Asuka nudged him in an attempt to get him to silence.
"It really does depend, but do not struggle. It will only make the process… uncomfortable," with a gentle wave, he begins walking out of the building, "I'll see you two very soon," the doors slam shut, and Asuka gives Shinji another hard nudge.
"Just keep your mouth shut! In this game, they don't care if you live or die, but they do care about me. Idiot," the redhead was able to squirm free of the rope fairly easily after only a few minutes of struggling, "They should really learn how to tie a knot," mumbling to herself, she unties Shinji and the two stand up, wringing their still-sore wrists, "Well, I knew where we were going before, but now I have no idea. So, you're the one with the gun, lead the way," stepping to the side, she motions him to the door.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a man with a strong Spanish accent filled the room with his seemingly omnipresent voice, "His guards are outside waiting," Shinji looks up to see him sitting on one of the horizontal support beams. How he got up there in the first place was a mystery.
"Ah, Luis, about time you showed up," Luis jumped down and smiled at the girl, looking at her up and down.
"I see the president has-"
"Equipped his daughter with ballistic missiles, yeah, real funny. Listen, any idea where we are? Is this Salazar's castle?" the man raised one of his perfectly trimmed eyebrows.
"How did you… never mind, it doesn't matter. Yes, this is Ramon's fortress, and this is the old church, clearly. By what he was saying, it appears as if you've both been infected with Las Plagas. I suggest you try and find the machine to rid your bodies of the parasite before you become too far infected," he begins to walk away, but not before handing Asuka a bottle of pills, "Those should help fend off the creature. Perhaps we'll meet again," and with that, the Spaniard left through the back door.
"That was just plain creepy," Shinji finally spoke up, though under his breath, "He's at least twenty five, and he was just hitting on a fourteen year old. That's sketchy…"
"Fifteen," with a quick correction, the two make the same path as Luis through the back door. Of course, he was nowhere to be found, and they were now placed on a large walkway on top of a wall, "And just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's wrong. Sure, ten years is a huge difference now, but what if I were thirty? Ten years wouldn't seem like a big deal then."
"I don't care, that's still wrong," she sighed at his stubbornness. While Shinji was supposed to be the one leading, Asuka's nature ended up taking over and she took point – a decision she'd soon regret. Making Shinji jump, she fell back, holding her nose.
"Jesus! What the hell? Ow!" a small amount of blood trickled down her cheek as she stood up, still holding her nose, "What hit me?" she tended to her wound as Shinji poked in the middle of the air. To his surprise, his finger was stopped by some unseen force – as if it was an invisible wall, "So the game cut us off? That's stupid!"
"Well it's only a game, the programmers have to stop coding for environments eventually," in anger, the German kicks the invisible wall as her foot, of course, bounced back every time, "I don't think that's going to help…"
"I don't care! That freaking hurt!" with a final hard kick, what sounded like static filled the air as her foot stuck through the invisible wall, though her ankle was surrounded in pixelated black and green textures. Her anger subsided, and both children looked at her stuck foot, "That… doesn't look good," she grunted as she tried to dislodge her foot, to no avail, "Great. Just great. I broke the game," the static slowly grew louder as she spoke, "And that's really getting annoying!" obscenities were yelled by the girl as the world instantly turned back into the office and the two fell onto the floor five feet below, "They can't put us down gently? Really?" her nosebleed was gone, and so was the aching in both of their heads, but, as usual, their clothes were gone as well. Without a word, Shinji took his place in the corner.
"How long have we been in here?" a single large beep filled the room, drawing the attention of both children. The looked to the center of the room to see a large command prompt, an exact copy of a typical computer one, as letters were slowly traced out.
'Working on getting you out. Hold tight. Love, Misato.'
"It's about time! At least they know we're in here, Jesus!" Asuka, quite literally, jumped for joy.
A/N – As request by Electric Eclectic, Bayonetta is DEFINITELY on the list (frankly, it'll probably be the next one). Also, PSN CptBardiel threw out a few good ideas, so Bad Company II, Grand Theft Auto, and F.E.A.R. are also on the list. Also, I forgot to put a summary for Devil May Cry last chapter, but really, if you don't know anything about DMC, turn in your gamer card right now. Check out the next chapter, and keep on keepin' on!
Summary: I'm sure we've all played at least one RE game before, but in case you missed RE4, it's pretty much the same as RE5. Leon Kennedy is sent to rescue the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, who was kidnapped and taken to an unnamed village in rural Spain. Leon fights to get her back and soon finds Las Plagas in every single one of the inhabitants of the village. Typical Resident Evil goodness follows suit.