A/N :- The usual shizzle, I don't own Resident Evil. First off, I'm dedicating this to Coxcomb who is, and continues to be, an inspiration to me. Her story 'Nothing Is Ever Simple' inspired this work and for that I'm thankful. Many thanks also to Zet Sway for being constructive and opening my eyes. Finally thanks to Sally for taking time to review!
The Facility – Chapter TwoChris woke up the following morning to a completely silent house. He could see the rays of sunlight peeking through the crack in the curtains and using that as logic, he guessed that it was a pretty nice day outside. He rolled onto his back and idly stroked his semi-erect penis. He hadn't slept naked in a while and it seemed that doing so had made his body rather aroused. Deciding that he couldn't really be bothered pleasuring himself and would only do so if his slight morning wood refused to go away, Chris grabbed a discarded towel from the bedroom floor and wrapped it around his waist. Since there were no signs of life around the house as he wandered down the stairs and into the kitchen area, he could only assume that Leon was out doing food shopping or something. He yawned and glanced out of the kitchen window to see his now clean clothes flapping in the slight breeze. He never really understood the point of drying clothes outside. Jill had always said something about them smelling nice but the one time Chris had tried line drying his clothes a bird had crapped on them so understandably he was sour on that particular subject.
He had a quick root through the kitchen cupboards and discovered a box of cereal. Unsurprisingly it was that nasty healthy fibre crap. He poured himself a hearty portion and added a liberal splash of milk as well as four spoonfuls of sugar before sitting down on the sofa and digging in. If he was at home, he would normally either watch a bit of TV or read a comic but it didn't look like Leon owned either. He briefly wondered what Leon did to wind down. He almost dropped his bowl of cereal as he heard the door opening. Leon walked into the lounge carrying a large plastic bag.
"What's that"? Chris added, nodding towards the bag and spraying a mouthful of milk and half masticated cereal over the arm of the sofa.
"I've picked up some clothes for you" Leon replied, pulling a face at the mess on the sofa arm. "I contacted the taxi company this morning and they told me that your bag wasn't at the office with the rest of the lost property so one can only assume that it's gone" He explained. "I don't wish to take you on a shopping trip so I thought I might as well get it sorted for you while I was out"
"You mean you did something nice"? Chris asked with genuine surprise. Leon rolled his eyes and dumped the bag by the side of the sofa.
"If you want to look at it like that yes," He replied as he wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a nearby tea towel.
"How did you know what size to get"?
"How do you think I knew?" Leon said as he wiped at the cereal and milk blobs with the tea towel. Chris was learning quickly that Leon was an incredibly tidy person and couldn't abide the slightest mess.
"You guessed"? Chris suggested.
"Of course I didn't guess" Leon snapped. He was back in the kitchen now, getting himself a drink of orange juice from the large fridge. "I just looked at the label in your clothes. Any idiot would think to do that" He looked pointedly at him.
"Alright, there's no need to be a jerk about it" Chris shrugged, dumping his bowl on the coffee table for the simple fact that he knew it would piss off his partner. Small victories like that made him feel better. He grabbed the bag. "I'll go and try these on" He muttered as he headed for the stairs.
"Look Dennis, enough is enough alright"? Leon was trying his hardest not to shout but Dennis was being particularly annoying. He knew that he should've never accepted a partner. It wasn't as if he really needed the money right away anyway. He could've hung around for a bit, waited for a solo mission to crop up. He should've stuck to his guns and protested from day one. "I need you to get rid of him. He's lazy, incompetent and he's just going to slow me down"
"Leon, don't worry about it ok? I have it on good authority that Chris is highly skilled and experienced" Dennis replied, sounding rather bored. Leon could hear him typing away on his computer as he spoke. "Whatever problems you're having with him I'm sure you can sort it out. I can arrange for your pay to be doubled-"
"It's not money that's the-"
"Triple then" Dennis cut him off. "I'm going to have to go Leon. I've got an important meeting to attend. I trust that you won't be contacting me again until you have a status report"
With that, Dennis hung up. Although he seemed like a warm and polite person, Dennis could certainly be a hard ass when the situation warranted. It was obvious that Leon wasn't going to get anywhere by complaining to him. "For fuck's sake"! Leon shouted, hurling his phone onto the sofa. "Why must I be cursed with a partner who wouldn't look out of place in Planet of the Apes…" Leon's voice trailed off as he turned round and found himself face to face with Chris. The other man was wearing the combats and t-shirt Leon had bought him earlier.
"I was just coming to apologise for calling you a jerk," Chris said calmly. "You're not a jerk really. You've let me stay here and you've bought stuff for me and for that I'm grateful" He cleared his throat. "I didn't realise quite how low your opinion of me was"
Leon opened his mouth to say that he didn't mean it but he had to credit Chris with some intelligence. It was pretty damn obvious that he meant every single word.
"At least I know you've actually got feelings now," Chris continued with a shrug of his shoulders. "Here was me thinking you were some sort of impenetrable ice man. Do you think that maybe you could at the very least try to be a friend? I mean, I know you don't do friends or partners or whatever but if you were to actually be nice and open up a bit it might make our time together a little easier"
"Fine" Leon said quietly with a heavy sigh. Chris grinned at him and gave him the thumbs up. Leon almost smiled.
"If there was a speed limit around here I'm pretty sure you'd be breaking it right now" Leon moaned as he clung to the dashboard in front of him. The mission brief had outlined a strange looking cave entrance in the nearby mountains that they needed to check out. Leon had rather stupidly allowed Chris to drive the jeep.
"You should've seen the look on her face when she came home from work"! Chris continued his fresh monologue, completely ignoring Leon's last statement. "I mean she was acting like I'd clubbed a baby seal to death not just made a little mess. How was I supposed to know that the blender has a lid"?
"It's generally how it stops the liquid from coming out" Leon replied sardonically. Chris however, didn't seem fazed.
"She didn't let me forget that one for ages," He added as he pulled the Jeep to a stop. Leon leapt out of the passenger side and hurried over to the trunk. Chris joined him and the pair equipped themselves with magnums. Leon grabbed a Beretta and Chris grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun.
"Intelligence think that there's some sort of secret facility located beyond that cave opening" Leon said, nodding towards the cave entrance that was a few metres away. He strapped a couple of first aid sprays to his belt and handed a torch to Chris. "You ready"?
"Locked and loaded partner" Chris replied with a suggestive smile.
"Well I wouldn't say this cave looks strange" Chris commented, swinging the beam from his torch around the cave walls.
"Do you ever stop talking"? Leon asked with distaste. He was moving slowly, using the hip light on his belt to guide him. He would never admit it, but he was starting to think that Chris was actually right. They'd entered the cave and nothing out of the ordinary had jumped out at them. In fact, if truth be told, nothing had jumped out at them at all. The cave looked just like any other cave one might come across.
"I hate silence is all" Chris broke Leon's thoughts with yet another inane comment. Leon decided not to justify it with a response. He ran his hand along the cool stone wall looking for a clue. He knew that Dennis and the agency wouldn't have demanded an investigation without good reason. There had to be something they were missing…
"Ouch! Fuck"! Chris exclaimed. Leon craned his neck round and in the low light he could make out the form of his partner who seemed to be hopping.
"What did you do now"? He asked coldly.
"That's real nice that is" Chris spat, still hopping. "I just cracked my toe against some stupid thing sticking out of the ground and-"
At that, Leon raced over to Chris and dropped to his knees, swinging his hip light and looking for the thing that Chris had nearly tripped up over. It didn't take him long to find it. A thick metal handle was sticking out of the ground a mere foot in front of him. He crawled forward and, on closer inspection, the handle was attached to what looked like a very heavy manhole cover. "I'm fine by the way," Chris continued. He'd stopped hopping now but was shifting from foot to foot, obviously still in pain. Leon snorted, if the guy couldn't handle a little pain then he really needed to grow a pair.
"Are you helping me with this or not"? Leon demanded. The handle looked as if it was long enough for two people to hold at the same time. Perhaps it was designed that way. After a moan and a wounded look, Chris limped over and, on Leon's count of three, the two of them pulled hard.
The manhole cover opened with ease and a dim light flooded the cave around them. A rusty metal ladder went downwards but it was too long for them to see what it led to.
"You ready"? Leon said, nodding at the hole. "I'll go first" He added without waiting for Chris' reply. They were getting on with things and that was a good sign. It meant that there was still the possibility that they could be done within hours and that Chris could be shipped back to America and life as he knew it could return to normal.
The trip down the ladder was long and uneventful. Chris seemed to be keeping his mouth shut and Leon wasn't in any hurry to invite the oaf to start talking again. The further down the ladder went, the colder the temperature was getting. When they finally reached the bottom they discovered they were in some kind of corridor. The walls and ceiling were made from sheets of dull grey metal and the floor was a metal grill. Leon looked down and saw a network of thick pipes under the grill.
"This way" Leon nodded to the left and was surprised when no argument came from his partner. Could it be that the older man was finally showing him some respect and letting him get on with his job? He turned around to give Chris further instruction but he wasn't there. Since Chris hadn't passed him, the only logical direction he could've gone was right. Leon rolled his eyes and sighed, he knew it was all too good to be true. He sloped angrily down the corridor and soon found his wayward partner.
Chris was standing in front of a large door that was at least twice his height and width. There was a keypad to the left and Chris was examining it with one hand on his hip. Leon glared at his partner's wide back before stalking over to him.
"This is a big door" Chris commented when Leon approached him. "I'm willing to bet that something important is behind it," He added, still puzzling over the keypad.
"I said we were going left" Leon replied through gritted teeth. Chris, as usual, totally ignored him and started to type in seemingly random numbers. "What the hell are you doing"? Leon demanded as Chris continued to tap at the keypad until it emitted a loud bleep.
"There" Chris grinned at Leon, oblivious to his icy glare. "If you try to guess the password, the system locks you out after a few tries"
"So"? Leon spat.
"Usually when the system locks you out you need to call an engineer to unlock it for you. I happen to know the engineer's code for this particular model" Chris smirked at him smugly. Leon shook his head and in doing so, noticed an odd gooey liquid seeping out from under the door. A smell invaded his nostrils. It was similar to rotting meat and damp carpet.
"Don't touch that keypad," Leon ordered, taking a few steps back. His right hand twitched over the magnum in his holster. A loud double beep echoed in the corridor and the door started to move. The smell got worse as a gap between the floor and the door started to get bigger as the door opened, sliding upwards.
"Too late" Chris said sheepishly. The door was opening at an alarming rate. Whatever was behind it, they were going to have to stand and fight. Chris grabbed the shotgun from his back and shot a look over at Leon. The younger man was standing ready, his weapon raised, his expression focussed. A low, guttural moan broke the silence and a long thick tentacle slid through the gap. With a noise like a whip cracking, it shot upwards and went straight for Leon. Chris fired and hit the tentacle dead on but instead of exploding in a mass of blood and gore, sharp spines, at least three or four inches long suddenly unfurled from the end of the tentacle. Another whip-crack followed and, lightning fast, the tentacle whipped across Leon's body. Chris watched helplessly as his partner recoiled but not before firing off a shot from his magnum. The door was nearly halfway open now and more tentacles were slithering across the metal grill. Leon let out a whimper of pain but kept firing. Chris joined in; unleashing bullet after bullet but all of them had little to no effect on the creature.
"The bullets just bounce off this thing"! Chris yelled, sounding slightly panicked.
"We can't do this" Leon hissed through his teeth. "We're not prepared. We need to get out of here now"
"Let's go" Chris replied, firing one last shot at the tentacle nearest to him. Leon started to limp off back down the corridor, clutching his side. Chris ran over to his uninjured side and forced his partner to wrap his arm around his neck. Leon tried to break free but Chris gripped him around the waist with his other arm.
"I don't need you…" Leon spat as they hurried along the corridor.
"Bullshit" Chris said with a quick glance behind him. There didn't seem to be any sign of the monster but if they didn't hurry there soon would be. They reached the metal ladder and Leon clambered on, hissing with pain as he reached up for the next rung. His left hand curled around it and he tried to haul himself up whilst keeping his right arm wrapped around his injured left side. Chris could see his knuckles start to turn white. "Get on my back" He ordered.
"What the hell? You can't carry me…" Leon argued. His side was aching horribly and he could feel the sticky wetness of the blood beginning to seep through his fitted top. He knew there would be no way he could climb the ladder under his own steam. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he actually needed his partner. He grudgingly stepped down from the ladder and leapt up onto his partner's back. A loud roar from the monster urged Chris onto the ladder. Leon wrapped his legs around Chris' waist, digging his knees in slightly as Chris moved as quickly as he could the ladder. His arms wound round his partner's neck and he heard Chris mutter a curse when the older man caught sight of the blood that was streaked up Leon's forearm.
Chris hauled himself and Leon up the ladder. His eyes kept travelling to the blood that was congealing on his partner's right hand and arm. He knew that the wound must be agony but Leon was being stubbornly quiet. All Chris could hear was his partner's slightly pained breathing.
Fortunately, the hole leading back to the cave was wide enough for them both to fit through. Chris fell to his hands and knees when he climbed through but quickly got back up.
"I can walk now…" Leon muttered, sliding off Chris' back. His face was pale and his forehead sweaty. It was the first time Chris had seen him look anything but perfectly composed. His mouth was a grim line of pain and his blue eyes dull. His eyes widened however when the monster uttered another fearful roar. Chris dived back as the tip of one of the tentacles appeared from the hole. Thinking fast, he pulled an incendiary grenade from a pouch on his belt and threw it down the hole. He and Leon barely had time to dive out of its way before it exploded in a ball of flames. The creature emitted a horrific high-pitched scream and the tentacle wilted back down the hole.
"That was close" Chris said, mock-wiping his brow. He turned to look at Leon who hadn't gotten up from his dive. "Oh shit…" He ran over to the younger man, skidding slightly on the damp stone. Leon was lying on his uninjured side moaning softly.
"We need to get out of here," He said quietly.
"Just let me have a quick look" Chris replied, starting to lift up Leon's top. "It looks bad…" he mumbled. The spine had pierced Leon's side and torn upwards leaving a nasty gash that was oozing blood steadily. Chris tried his best to remember what his old friend Rebecca Chambers had told him about basic first aid. He removed his t-shirt, grateful that he'd chosen to wear a vest underneath, and grabbed his combat knife from his belt. He cut the t-shirt into strips and wordlessly wound them around Leon's side, trying his best to apply pressure. It was likely that the wound would need stitches but his priority was getting them both to safety. The t-shirt bandage would do for now. He helped Leon pull himself into a sitting position before helping him stand. Leon accepted this help without comment but Chris could tell the younger man was clearly uncomfortable with appearing so vulnerable.
The pair of them exited the cave and made it back to the Jeep. Chris helped Leon into the passenger seat before getting into the vehicle himself. He turned on the engine and the radio immediately started to blare out the old disco classic 'I Will Survive' by Gloria Gaynor. Chris couldn't help but smile at the irony. He wasn't sure if it was relief or just himself winding down, but he started to laugh. This drew a glare from Leon.
"Oh come on, it's funny" Chris said, gesturing towards the radio. Leon narrowed his eyes and shook his head, slumping back against his seat. Chris rolled his eyes and pulled away from the cave entrance. "So what's the deal with you then? Surely this whole non emotion-showing robot thing you've got going on is an act"?
Leon simply ignored him and closed his eyes. Whether he was actually getting sleepy or just wanted him to shut up, Chris didn't actually know.
"You could thank me for saving your ass" He added.
"Or I could berate you for nearly getting us killed" Leon replied smoothly, his eyes still closed. "I told you we were going left and you just completely ignored me" he shook his head. "Do what I say next time" It wasn't a request but a downright order. Chris sighed heavily and concentrated on his driving. He was beginning to think that there was no getting through to this guy.
The drive back to the house was long and largely silent. As soon as they were back in the house, Leon dug his first aid kit out of a cupboard and insisted on attending to his wound himself. Chris watched helplessly as the younger man fixed himself up with Steri-strips and bandages before sitting down on the sofa to write up a report on their findings. Chris was sure that Leon was going to include his insubordination and would've protested but Leon didn't look like he was in the mood to be argued with. Chris sat in the armchair flicking through a discarded newspaper but it was no use. He didn't know a word of Spanish and the pictures weren't sufficient enough for him to get the gist of the stories. He threw the paper down and leant back in the chair staring up at the ceiling.
"I could do with a drink," He said aloud, not expecting a response. Leon didn't look like much of a drinker and even if he did indulge it would probably likely be something uppity like red wine. Chris hated red wine.
"I don't have beer if that's what you're thinking" Leon replied quietly, looking up from his papers. "But there's some whiskey in the kitchen cupboard nearest the fridge. You can fetch me a glass too," He added as Chris stood up.
"Should you really be drinking with those painkillers you took"? Chris asked in a concerned tone. He dug around in the correct cupboard and located the bottle of amber liquid. A quick sortie in the cupboard above produced two whiskey glasses.
"Sometimes only a drink will do," Leon replied, holding out his hand for the glass. Chris shrugged and poured him a healthy measure before handing it over. Hell, he wasn't the guy's mother. He poured himself one and placed the bottle on the coffee table between them before settling back into the armchair. He downed half the contents of his glass, feeling his body relax as the whiskey burnt the back of his throat. He loved the warm feeling that followed in his stomach.
"I'm sorry I screwed up back there. I guess I didn't really do much to raise your expectations of me and my abilities"
"They weren't high to begin with" Leon replied shortly knocking back his entire drink in one. "I've always thought you looked like the gung-ho act first think later type, and today you proved those thoughts right" He wiped his mouth and ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to be in pain and it had been on the tip of Chris' tongue to ask the younger man how he was but his comments had, as much as he didn't want to show it, hurt his feelings somewhat. He finished his own drink and poured himself another one. He slid the bottle over to Leon who did the same. Chris swirled the whiskey around in his glass for a moment. He opened his mouth to try to defend his actions but Leon beat him to the punch.
"You're supposed to be elite," He continued, pushing his papers aside. "You have extensive training both military and police and I would've thought that meant you would be able to follow a simple command. I asked you to go a specific direction and you ignored me. I asked you not to interfere with that keypad and you ignored me yet again. Your inability to follow those commands endangered our lives and the mission"
"You're a pompous ass" Chris shot back finishing his glass and slopping more whiskey into it. "You've had a downer on me since I first stepped foot into that office" He downed his shot yet again and poured another. "You act like you're a perfect example we should all follow but guess what buddy you're just a guy" he could hear that he was slurring his words now but he didn't care. He was a beer drinker by nature and couldn't take his spirits but the whiskey fuelled his anger at his partner. "You need to learn to actually communicate through words, not filthy looks and little snorts. It's not healthy to keep all your emotions bottled up like you do. It's unnatural"
"Don't presume to know anything about me" Leon calmly downed his second glass and poured himself a double measure. "You don't know a thing"
"I know you're a pompous ass" Chris repeated his earlier insult. He'd ditched the glass now and was taking swigs directly from the bottle. "I thought we were both going to make the effort to try and get along" His head was starting to feel fuzzy from the alcohol and he knew he was pretty drunk. He looked over at Leon who seemed his usual composed self. "So how's your side anyway"? He asked with a hint of bitterness. He was bored of arguing and thought it best to try and diffuse the situation.
"The alcohol has helped" Leon answered; he reached over and snatched the bottle and took a swig straight from the neck himself. Chris grinned, maybe his partner was a little drunk after all.
"You know that's like we just kissed" Chris teased after Leon was done drinking. Leon rolled his eyes and passed the bottle back to him.
"If you're eight" He replied. His usual acidic tone had disappeared and he'd said it almost good-naturedly. Chris wondered if the whiskey was beginning to loosen his partner up a bit.
"So how did you end up working for the Government"? Chris asked. The younger man was a complete mystery to him and he might as well take advantage of his seemingly relaxed inhibitions to learn a little more about him.
"I was a cop" Leon was now laid out on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "It was my first day and I turned up in a city that just happened to have experienced a major viral outbreak"
"Raccoon"? Chris offered. Leon turned to look at him in surprise and nodded. Chris offered him a small smile. "Yeah I know all about that. Don't suppose you heard of the mansion incident"?
"The one that got the S.T.A.R.S team suspended" Leon replied. Chris nodded sagely. "That's why I was brought into Raccoon, one of the first of eight new recruits. The team I was going to be assigned to was meant to act as a replacement for S.T.A.R.S" He explained. He reached his hand out for the whiskey bottle and Chris passed it over. "I drove straight into hell. Everywhere you looked there were bodies, dead and decaying. Hell on Earth" He took a deep swig.
"My sister was on her way to find me but luckily I managed to get a message to her to stay away" Chris said accepting Leon's offer of the bottle. "I'd hate to think what could've happened to her"
"I found a child" Leon carried on speaking with a far away look in his eyes, almost as if he hadn't heard Chris speak at all. "Sherry her name was. She'd been stuck in the police station for days…she was terrified. Couldn't find her parents…she was being followed by this, this creature…I managed to get her out of there and that godforsaken city but we were picked up at the boundary by Government officials. I wasn't really given much choice regarding working for them" Leon swallowed hard.
"Do you still see Sherry"? Chris asked. He could tell by the way his partner's face had softened when he'd said the girl's name that he'd obviously cared for her at lot. Not that Chris could blame him; they'd been through hell and back together. That sort of thing could create strong bonds. He knew from experience.
"They let me look after her for a while but I don't see her now" Leon answered the question guardedly. He looked away from Chris' eyes and continued to stare up at the ceiling. It was obvious, even to Chris, that it was a sensitive subject. Even in his drunken state Chris knew not to push it any further. He took another sip from the bottle and started to pick at the label. Emboldened by the whiskey he slowly reached out and patted Leon's hand.
"I'm sorry Leon," He said gently. He expected Leon to bat the proffered hand away with a vitriolic comment. It came as a surprise to him that Leon took hold of his hand.
"Thanks" He replied. His lips quirked almost as if he was going to smile but he didn't allow it to get that far. He also didn't release Chris' hand. Chris gave the hand a quick squeeze back taking in the fact that it didn't feel unpleasant to be holding another guy's hand for what was, at least for him, an abnormal amount of time.
END OF CHAPTER TWO.