:: Author's Note ::
Thank you to everyone who's been commenting on the newest chapters. Your feedback is always appreciated and I'm happy to see the writing doing so well. These last two chapters have been a little flashback and Gabi x Leon heavy, I'm aware. But we're still building up to the formal. Rest assured, I do thoroughly read everyone's comments as they come in. And to those who are getting antsy for more Leon x Ashley development, there's still plenty more to come.
It's been wonderful seeing this writing start to take off. The RE4 remake really seems to have revitalized interest in the Leon x Ashley ship. Enough so more authors have started writing them it would seem. We're not quite at the lofty heights of Claire x Leon or Ada x Leon in terms of appeal just yet, but hey, with how well RE4 is doing right now, you never know.
Either way, the feedback and support has been great. And with that, I present chapter fifteen.
:: End Note ::
Leon's camaro roared down Interstate 95, no real direction in mind, just a need for the open road. Not that Gabi needed an excuse to drive this absolute beast of a car. Still, it was nice to see Leon was up for a little road trip with her. It certainly made her job of keeping him away from the Delta Phi house a lot easier.
"Any particular destination in mind?" she inquired while settling into the driver's seat, content to remain there for the long haul.
He adjusted his seat back and settled in, resting his eyes for a bit. "Think you can make it up to Scarborough?"
Gabi raised a brow. "That's in…Maine, correct? Near Portland?"
Leon nodded. "Yup."
"It's at least a two hour drive," she cautioned.
He shrugged. "Eh…I'm fine with getting out of Boston for a while if you are. Besides, there's someone up there I've been meaning to pay a visit to."
"Oh? Who's that?"
Leon smirked. "You'll see."
Gabi rolled her eyes at the man. He was playing coy again.
"So, any good stories to share, or do you just wanna listen to the radio?" she joked.
He chuckled at that, picking up where he last left off.
"We ended up having to stop twice more to rest before ever getting near the castle. By then, night was already fast approaching once more…"
They could see it cleary off in the distance now, Castle Salazar looming ominously in the murky twilight of the setting sun. For as determined as they were to reach this seemingly unreachable fortress, Leon couldn't deny just how wary he was of that place.
"For crying out loud," Ashley bemoaned, having walked for the better part of the day. "Just how much land does this guy own? It feels like we're never gonna get there."
Luis snickered somewhat apologetically. "Not to worry, mi amor. Just a bit farther now."
"You said that like…four miles ago, Luis," she groaned in complaint. "I'm starting to think you're just saying things to get me to shut up at this point."
"And miss out on your wonderful company?" he flirted with that same smarmy grin of his. "Never. You make an excellent travel companion. Why, I'd go so far as to say…"
Their conversation was abruptly cut off by the sound of Leon coughing violently. The agent slumped over a fence, resting his hand against the wooden beam as he seemingly hacked up a lung into his palm.
"Leon!" Ashley shouted before darting over and placing a hand on his back. "Are you okay?"
After a few more coughs, the agent looked down at his hand. Blood now coated his palm. He scowled angrily before showing it to the group.
"Still think that break was a good idea?"
Luis was about to respond when Ashley suddenly screamed. Both men turned to see none other than Chief Mendez himself grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.
"Ashley!"
Leon's body reacted almost instantly. He drew his knife and plunged it in the chief's arm, who seemed to regard the wound as if it were a wasp sting. Mendez took hold of a violently struggling Ashley with his other hand before backhanding the agent with inhuman strength, knocking him to the ground.
She managed to get away by ditching both the rifle and Leon's jacket and sprinting away. Mendez tossed both items aside before pulling the knife from his arm and tossing it on the ground. He was knocked back by a round from Luis's Red9 straight to the forehead, followed by several shots to the body.
"Go! I'll hold him off!" he shouted at Leon before kicking the agent his knife.
Leon grabbed the weapon before taking off after Ashley, falling into a dead sprint. All around him the angry howls of the Ganados alerted the agent to the fact they'd stumbled right into an ambush. Quickly catching up to Ashley, he took her by the hand, encouraging her to run faster.
Dozens of villagers popped up from the woods, lunging for Ashley while she screamed in fear. Leon spun around and drew his handgun, popping off a few rounds at their pursuers to push them back.
"Too many…" he growled to himself.
Off in the distance, Ashley spotted a bridge and pointed. "Leon! This way!"
He took her by the hand again and they sprinted for the bridge, only to come to a dead stop as the entire thing was lit on fire. A Ganado over on the far side had just ignited a powder keg, blasting their only means of escape into mulch.
"This way!"
Thinking fast, Leon pulled Ashley down a side path, leading to a series of rickety looking platforms over a steep drop into the chasm below. A board gave out from underneath Ashley's feet, lodging her ankle in the gap and yanking her from Leon's grasp.
"I'm stuck!" she shouted, trying desperately to get herself free.
Leon cursed under his breath and quickly helped her get unstuck. A Ganado rushed them, scythe in hand, prompting the agent to draw his handgun and send a round cleanly through his head. The monster fell backwards, shattering the fragile old boards and causing the entire makeshift bridge to start crumbling.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Leon growled in frustration as the ground threatened to give way beneath them.
"Run!" Ashley screamed.
They sprinted for solid ground as the boards collapsed behind them. Leon and Ashley dove to safety right as their footing threatened to give way, barely avoiding plummeting into the ravine below. Now safely on the other side, they both took a moment to catch their breaths before standing up.
"You alright?"
Ashley nodded. "Yeah…but what about Luis?"
He shook his head. "We can't worry about it now. Come on, we need to move."
They settled into a brisk step, determined to get as far away from that mob as humanly possible.
"Do you think Luis will be okay?"
"I'm sure he has a plan," Leon assured her, his focus on the path ahead. "Sneaky bastard always does."
"I lost your jacket and rifle," she admitted somewhat apologetically.
"Don't sweat it. I'm just happy you managed to get away."
She nodded. "Me too…"
"Listen, you're the one that thing wants," Leon insisted. "If we see him again, just run."
"What about you?" she asked nervously.
"I'll do my job," he assured. "Worst comes to worst, I'll at least be another distraction for you."
Ashley came to a dead stop, prompting him to do so also.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" she asked angrily.
He didn't respond. Leon was slightly caught off guard by the sharpness in her voice.
"How the hell am I supposed to do this on my own? I can't fight. I've got no idea where I'm going. If I lose you, I'm as good as dead, Leon."
The agent sighed wearily. "Ash…"
"No, don't say it," she insisted, shaking her head defiantly. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to just throw your life away like that and leave me here all alone. If I'm not allowed to quit, then you're not either."
"Ashley, it's not the same thing," he argued. "I promised your father I would…"
"I don't care what you promised Dad! I care about what you promised me!" she shouted at him, her lip quivering. "You promised you wouldn't abandon me, no matter what. That you'd stay right by my side every step of the way."
Leon frowned guiltily, finally breaking eye contact with her.
"Well, getting yourself killed in some stupid suicide mission would be the same as abandoning me," she declared angrily, her eyes glassing over. "The only reason I haven't given up is because of what you promised me. Don't you dare go back on your word just as I'm starting to feel hopeful again. Don't you dare!"
He shut his eyes and mentally kicked himself while she quietly cried. Finally, Leon walked over to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You're right."
She looked up at him, wiping her eyes.
"I did make you a promise, and I intend to keep it," he assured. "Sorry for forgetting that."
Ashley sighed at him in frustration, still huffy. "I get you're just trying to protect me, Leon. And I appreciate that. But whether we like it or not, the parameters of the mission have changed. You and I are a team."
He was about to speak when she placed a finger over his lips to silence him.
"And that's final," she declared. "We're supposed to be in this together. So no more of that…protect the President's daughter at all cost…bullshit. Alright?"
Leon couldn't help but crack a smile at her. Try as she might to sound fierce, it was such an awkward delivery he had to stop himself from laughing. She sounded like a puppy trying to bark like a wolf.
"Alright," he finally relented. "We're a team."
She smiled up at him happily, her mind at ease once more.
"But that still leaves us with the issue of what to do about the chief," he insisted.
Ashley scratched her chin in thought before turning her gaze towards the direction they'd fled from.
"He's gonna hunt us down again at some point, right?"
Leon nodded. "Most likely."
After giving it some thought, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves before looking up at him with a newfound sense of brave determination.
"Then I say let him do it. We're going with Luis's plan."
"She actually agreed to be used as bait?" Gabi could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Leon smirked at the memory. "You should have seen her, Gabi. There was not a single shred of fear in her voice."
She laughed in amazement. "Well, hot damn. Guess you must have rubbed off on her in Spain."
He shook his head. "Ashley was always a courageous girl. More so than she gives herself credit for. It's easy to be brave when you have guns and training and experience with this shit. She had none of those things and still found the will to stand up and fight back."
"And she really said bullshit?" Gabi asked, having a harder time believing that particular part of the story.
"I was just as surprised as you are," he admitted.
She snickered in disbelief before settling back into the driver's seat. "Well, okay. So how the hell did you bring down Ser Frankenstein?"
His smile faded somewhat. "It sure as shit wasn't easy. Ashley and I stumbled upon an old abandoned logging mill and decided to use it to set up our trap. There was a warehouse in this mill with barrels of diesel fuel just laying around…"
She could hear him coming. Those heavy boot steps were so distinct they were almost impossible to miss. Ashley had tucked herself away in the warehouse of an old logging mill, where she now stood waiting for that horrid man to arrive.
It didn't take him long. As the door to the warehouse opened, it took every ounce of courage Ashley possessed not to run away or let her legs buckle. She was trembling from head to toe, but still holding her ground. He appeared from the doorway, that giant of a man dressed in the vestiges of a priest. The two locked eyes with one another, each silently considering the being in front of them.
"Well, you wanted me," she challenged with all the strength she could muster in her voice. "Come and get me then."
Chief Mendez looked around the near lightless room. Seeing they were alone, he turned to the door and twisted the metal handles around until they were wound together like a pretzel. She swallowed the lump in her throat, resisting the urge to back away from him.
"Your soul requires cleansing," he declared before approaching her. "Come, child. We shall bathe you in the black waters of our most holy sacrament."
The closer he got the more her nerve began to seemingly waver. Only for an impish smirk to suddenly appear on her lips.
"You're the only one about to get bathed, freak. In fire."
He came to a dead stop, turning sharply to his right. Leon burst out of hiding and kicked the barrel in front of him towards Mendez, sending it rolling towards the chief who stopped it with his own boot.
Realization struck him too late upon peering down at the red barrel of diesel fuel. Mendez snapped his gaze back to Leon, snarling angrily as the agent drew his Silver Ghost and took aim.
"Hasta luego."
He fired, igniting the fuel and engulfing the chief in a massive fiery blast. The flames soon began to engulf the warehouse. Ashley, who had already ducked for cover, ran to the nearby ladder and climbed up. Where she rushed to the second floor fire escape.
"Leon, hurry! The building is about to go up!" she shouted down at him from the railing above.
His focus was not on her, but rather on the figure laying on the ground in front of him. Just as he'd feared, the blast alone was not sufficient to kill Mendez. The chief slowly rose to his feet, the vestments he wore crumbling away into fire and ash. The lower half of his abdomen was completely missing, his legs now connected by nothing but a bloody spine, yet still the inhuman monster could somehow stand on its own power.
An inhuman growl sprung up from its throat as razor sharp, needlelike talons grew from its fingers. Four massive pincers grew from its back, whereupon its centipede-like spine elongated as the creature bellowed in murderous rage.
"Ashley! Run!"
She sprinted away to safety, placing her trust in Leon to keep his word and follow after her once he'd dispatched the monster. Once she was safely out of harm's way, Leon drew his TMP and switched off the safety.
"You wanna get ugly? Let's get ugly."
"I've seen a lot of grotesque abominations masquerading as human beings since Raccoon City, but Chief Mendez was an especially disturbing sight to behold," Leon admitted. "Like some sort of unholy cross between a centipede, a scorpion, and a man."
Gabi visibly shivered at the image that appeared in her mind. "How does a parasite even cause mutations like that?"
He shrugged. "It's not unheard of. There are multiple species of parasite that can infect a host brain and manipulate its behavior."
"Know any examples?"
"Certainly." He rubbed his eyes in thought. "There's…three I can think of off the top of my head. Dicrocoelium is the first one that comes to mind. A parasite which infects ants and compels them to climb to the top of a plant so they can be eaten by a passing herbivore."
"But why would the parasite want to do that?" she asked curiously.
"It gestates in the herbivore's stomach," he explained. "Where it reproduces, only to then be excreted out so the process can be repeated."
She grimaced at that. "Lovely…"
He laughed. "There are others. A species called leucochloridium which has a similar method of reproduction. Only they develop in the eye stalks of snails. They latch onto the snail's central nervous system and compel the snail to climb to the top of plants. The parasite pulsates with vivid colors that attract birds to it to be eaten."
Gabi was starting to turn green. "These things can't infect humans right?"
"Oh, they absolutely can," he assured. "Now, will they hijack your brain and make you climb a tree or something? No. They'll mostly just give you diarrhea. The only nervous system attacking parasite that's managed to cross the species barrier over to humans that we know of is Las Plagas."
"How does something like that even come to exist?"
He sighed glumly. "That's a difficult question to answer. If you're asking how BOWs are created, the simple explanation is that humans are insidiously arrogant creatures who will jump at the opportunity to play God given the chance. As to how Las Plagas itself was created? That's a bit more complicated. I was only ever given the most basic of explanations by Luis."
"What did he tell you?"
"The original Plagas pathogen was a parasitic arthropod indigenous to the cave systems that ran through Salazar's land. Their gestation cycle involved cave crickets and salamanders. But there was a critical gene-link that allowed the pathogen to jump species and infect humans."
"How was that discovered?"
He chuckled humorlessly. "The same way most new diseases were discovered in those days. People didn't wash their fucking hands."
"You're kidding…"
Leon shook his head vehemently. "Nope. The larva were able to jump to human hosts after Spanish miners in the region were exposed to salamander fecal matter. They gestated and evolved. And in the process, Los Illuminados was born."
She gawked at that incredulously. "An entire cult formed by salamander shit?"
"Wouldn't be the craziest way a new religion was founded," Leon admitted bluntly. "The parasite had pretty bizarre effects on the human brain. Hallucinations, increased aggression, feelings of euphoria. We have anecdotal evidence of a whole slew of symptoms. And it caused the settlers in that area to devolve into a tribal society of cannibalistic cultists."
"Is that how the parasite spread?" Gabi guessed.
He nodded. "Las Plagas was an incredibly hearty specimen of pathogen. In a human host, it could not only incubate but proliferate by releasing egg spores into its victim's bloodstream. This is how the Plagas spread. And as the community it infested became more and more insular, further genetic mutations rapidly evolved the parasite through inbreeding."
She shivered in disgust. "Incestuous cannibal cultists…no bueno."
"Within roughly a century, those mountains became dominated by Los Illuminados," he continued. "Until along came a man by the name of Gregorio Salazar, a zealous noble who led a bloody crusade against the cult during the height of the Spanish Inquisition."
"Kind of ironic, wouldn't you say? How one great evil can stop another?"
"Even if it's completely by accident," he admitted. "Gregorio Salazar had no understanding of diseases. Medicine was a joke in that age. What he saw was black magic and heresy that needed to be purged. Which is exactly what he did. Rather indiscriminately, I might add."
She frowned woefully at that. "Sounds about right for the Inquisition."
"He was brutal," Leon insisted. "Salazar butchered men, women, and children alike in order to purge the cult from the lands. Anyone believed to possess 'tainted blood' was rounded up and executed. Those who weren't were entombed underground, buried alive to be snuffed out alongside the Plagas parasite."
"That's awful…"
He nodded in agreement. "I detest his methods, but you can't argue it didn't work. There was no trace left of that disease once he was done." Leon clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Until that bastard Dr. Saddler arrived with his Umbrella cronies."
"How was it they were able to bring back an extinct disease?"
He folded his arms and relaxed back in his seat again.
"Luis told me the whole story. After he saved my life, that is…"
Leon plunged his knife into Mendez's shoulder, causing the monster to howl in pain and drop him. He landed on his feet and handsprung away as the creature attempted to strike at him with one of its back pincers.
"Cease your pointless struggling. Abandon your body to the will of our God," it commanded in its demonic, inhuman voice.
"If this is your God's will then I think I'll hold onto my body, thanks," Leon retorted. "No amount of enlightenment is worth turning into a Cronenburg monstrosity."
Mendez snarled at him angrily and charged. "Enough with your blasphemy!"
He dove out of harm's way and took aim with his TMP, firing directly into the midsection of the creature's exposed spinal column in an attempt to bring it down like the trunk of a tree. When his SMG ran dry, the agent switched to his shotgun, ducking a wild swing from the monster's pincers before blasting its midsection with buckshot.
Until finally, his efforts were rewarded. The creature's spine snapped, no longer able to hold the weight, bisecting Mendez in half. It was too early to celebrate, however. As soon after, the creature righted itself and used its pincers to leap up into the support beams above. In his haste to cripple his adversary, Leon feared he may have just inadvertently made it stronger.
He fired up into the roof as Mendez rained fiery debris down on top of him. Leon shielded himself from the burning wood, quickly stamping out his scorched clothes. The agent needed to get to higher ground immediately. He blasted the creature back before quickly climbing up the nearby ladder to the balcony above, taking cover behind a wooden pillar as he loaded more shells into the shotgun.
Mendez attempted to charge him, swinging from support beam to support beam, only for Leon to blast it back down to the ground. With a frustrated growl, the creature jumped back up onto the roof and gained some distance, keeping itself out of the effective range of his shotgun, forcing the agent to switch to his Silver Ghost.
The monster hurled flaming chunks of wood at him, while he retaliated with shots from his handgun. Mendez proceeded to pick up a flaming barrel and prepared to throw. Leon took aim to detonate the barrel before it left the creature's pincer.
Click! No bang. He was out of rounds.
Leon cursed at the top of his lungs and dove away as Mendez hurled the flaming barrel of fuel at him. The barrel detonated, collapsing a section of the balcony, sending the agent tumbling down end over end onto the concrete below. His ears rang and his vision swam as his head collided with the floor. Up above, he could see Mendez looming over him with another flaming barrel. It was over.
He shut his eyes.
At that exact moment, Luis came bursting through the door up on the second floor balcony, Red9 in hand. He took aim and fired a single shot straight at the barrel. The blast knocked the creature back down to Earth, destroying its right pincer, arm, and burning the right half of its face.
Leon didn't think, he simply acted, drawing his knife and launching off from the ground. Time seemed to slow down around him, his muscles relaxing, eyes zeroed in like a hawk on the enemy. Mendez lurched up off the ground and roared only to be swiftly silenced as the agent plunged his knife through its chin, driving the blade into the creature's brain.
All the strength and fervor left its being. He followed up by twisting the knife and jerking it sharply out of Mendez's head before slashing it across his throat. It clutched at its neck and croaked out a loud death rattle, splatters of blood leaking from its mouth. Finally, Leon drove the knife through the back of the creature's head, severing the brainstem from the rest of the body.
The creature collapsed, defeated at last.
Leon yanked his blade out of Mendez's skull, causing the right eye to pop out of its socket and spilled onto the floor. He picked up the grimey false orb and inspected it. Somehow, they'd done it. The chief was dead and they now had their key into the castle.
Back outside, Ashley smashed a window on the first floor with a brick, avoiding the backdraft from the fire.
"Leon!" she called through the now open window. "Over here! Hurry!"
He quickly pocketed the false eye, gathered up his discarded equipment and dove out the window. The agent laid on the ground for a moment, catching his breath while Ashley scampered over and knelt down next to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
Leon offered a somewhat chiding grin before giving her the thumbs up. "Just terrific. Next silly question?"
She chuckled at him and rolled her eyes, visibly relaxing. "I'm glad you're alright. When I heard those explosions I was afraid you might have been…"
"Leon!"
They both turned to see Luis jogging over towards them. Leon sat up off the ground, considering the Spaniard in a slightly different light than he did before.
"You alright?"
He nodded, the look of noticeable wariness no longer present on his face. "Yeah…thanks for the assist back there. You saved my skin."
Luis smirked at him. "Guess that makes us even now, si?"
It was then Ashley noticed something that made her frown with worry all over again. "Leon, you're burned."
He looked at where Ashley was pointing. Sure enough, his right forearm was noticeably red. Most likely a partial thickness burn. Once the adrenaline wore off that was going to sting like nobody's business.
"I have some medicine that will take care of that," he assured before offering Luis his palm. "Give me a hand up."
He helped Leon back to his feet, who grunted in pain from the exertion, clutching at his side.
"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.
He waved off her concern. "It's nothing. Just some bruised ribs that've been giving me a bit of trouble."
She frowned up at him, unable to help the worry in her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Leon nodded, smiling for her sake. "We just need to be a bit more careful moving forward. With any luck, we can…"
They all jumped upon hearing another fuel tank detonate in the warehouse, followed by a section of the roof collapsing.
"Perhaps we should save this conversation for when we're safely on the tramway," Luis suggested. "That fire will draw attention for sure."
Leon nodded in agreement. "The sooner we're away from this place, the better."
He clapped his hands together and pointed towards the direction of the tram.
"Right then. Vamanos!"
"Ashley helped me patch up during our tram ride up to the castle. It was then Luis finally opened up to us about who he really was…"
It was about a twenty minute tram ride from the logging mill to the castle. Ashley was in the process of applying an advanced healing agent to Leon's arm while Luis mostly kept to himself in the corner of the tram cart, peering out over the dark forest below.
Leon hissed sharply as Ashley sprayed his arm down with the healing agent. "Fuck, that's brisk."
"I'm sorry," Ashley apologized sincerely while wrapping gauze around the burn. "Is it bad?"
He nodded, gritting his teeth. "Every time I use that stuff it's like fire ants have gotten in my wounds."
She grimaced at the comparison before looking down at the can of medical spray. "What even is this stuff?"
"An advanced regenerative healing agent," he explained. "It was developed by a major pharma and biotech conglomerate called Tricell."
Ashley shrugged. "Never heard of them."
"They're the company who helped develop and mass produce the T-virus vaccine. Tricell won the bid for contract rights to the declassified information regarding Umbrella's bioweapons research. They've been using it to develop bleeding edge medical advances ever since."
She smiled at that. "It's nice to know something good came out of that travesty."
Over a couple yards away, Luis snickered at her comment in hearty amusement. Both Leon and Ashley turned their gaze towards him.
"Nothing good can come from that research," he insisted while shaking his head. "It's too much power for any man, any corporation, to hold on their own. Whatever advances Tricell might make, the temptation to exploit those findings for power will always be there. It is…axiomatic, truly."
A bitter look formed across Luis's face.
"The legacy of Umbrella should be allowed to die along with the rest of the company. Not since humanity first split the atom has there existed a greater threat to our species survival than that of bioorganic weapons."
There was a tense silence that followed. Finally, Leon spoke what had been on his mind for some time now.
"You worked for them didn't you."
Luis chose not to respond. Ashley, meanwhile, looked rather shocked by the agent's accusation.
"For Umbrella," Leon insisted. "That's why you know so much about this place. It's one of their labs, isn't it."
"It was," the Spaniard admitted. "But not anymore. Los Illuminados saw to that."
He quirked his head at him in intrigue. Luis sighed in a melancholy tone.
"I was a researcher for Umbrella before they went bankrupt. Dr. Saddler hired me on to help study the Plaga parasite."
"You were a biologist?" Ashley asked in disbelief.
He chuckled somewhat awkwardly. "Well…a parasitologist, but…si."
She frowned at him somewhat perturbedly. "You told me you were a cop, Luis."
At that, a resentful scowl formed on his face. "I was a cop…and hated every moment of it."
Leon chose not to respond, simply listening.
"You spend a year of your life in the academy and another training on the job just to round up drunks and deal with squabbling couples dirty laundry." He shook his head. "No one respects the badge anymore in this day and age. If you don't do your job perfectly you get labeled a misuse of taxpayers dollars. Working security for Umbrella earned me four times what I was making as a cop. And what's more? The benefits allowed me to pursue a career that would truly help make a difference in the world."
"Is that really what you thought you were doing?" Leon asked skeptically. "Making a difference in the world?"
He frowned regretfully and turned away from them. "When I first met Dr. Osmund Saddler, I thought the man was a genius. No other executive in Umbrella believed in the potential Las Plagas promised. Imagine a world in which criminals could be made into model citizens with a simple injection. In which all forms of addiction and vice are eliminated through selective neurological therapy."
"Along with the concept of free will," Leon retorted bluntly.
"It was never my intention to help create this abomination," he insisted guiltily. "I thought Saddler's work was ethical." Luis scowled angrily. "But he was just another power hungry narcissist with a messiah complex."
"How'd he manage to bring back Las Plagas?"
Luis leaned against the tram, casting his gaze out the window again. "The parasite was discovered fossilized in the mummified remains of those who were entombed below these lands over five centuries ago. Dr. Saddler used the T-virus strain to reanimate those dead miners, bringing back Las Plagas as well." A harrowing sense of dread filled his being. "But he did not just simply bring it back from the dead. It was mutated. This new strain, this new parasite, was nothing like what was once worshiped by the original cult."
"And Saddler knew all along what he was doing," Leon guessed.
The Spaniard nodded angrily. "He became obsessed with the power Las Plagas promised. When Umbrella crumbled, it was just the opportunity he needed to break free. He reinvented himself, revived the cult just as he revived its vessel of worship. By the time I learned what that bastardo was doing, I couldn't stop him. He kept me in line through blackmail and coercion. But when Saddler no longer had any use for me, he attempted to do what he is now trying to do to you."
"How did you escape?" Ashley couldn't help but ask.
He smirked at her playfully. "My training was useful for something at least, mi amor." Luis sighed, looking up towards the castle. "The truth is…I have some unfinished business with Los Illuminados. There is a vial in the lab I used to run that I must acquire. A vial containing a sample of the Dominant Plaga type."
Leon narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "Why do you need that?"
"Why do you think?" Luis insisted. "I need the Plaga sample so that a cure can be perfected. No one must gain access to this terrifying weapon."
"Why not just tell us that from the beginning?"
He scoffed in frustration before turning to Leon. "Would you have been so quick to follow me knowing I once worked for Umbrella, my friend? You need my help if you hope to survive. What's more, I could use your assistance in acquiring that Plaga sample."
"My only concern is getting this parasite out of our bodies and Ashley back home."
He nodded in understanding. "Si. Then our goals are aligned. The sample is located in the very same lab holding the equipment I need to cure your condition."
Ashley and Leon both looked at each other. Finally, the agent relented.
"Alright. We'll help you."
He clasped his hands together. "Maravilloso. All we must do is acquire the key to my lab from my guest room in Salazar's castle. It is there I stashed away the medicine as well."
Leon stood up and walked over to Luis. "Alright. But let's get something straight here. If you seriously want me to trust you, I'm gonna need all the information you have. No more vague answers. Got it?"
He considered the agent's words before extending his palm out to him.
"Comprendido, my friend. We have an understanding, I hope?"
Leon stared at him in thought for a moment longer before finally shaking his hand. An accord had at last been reached between them.
They'd arrived in Scarborough after about two and a half hours of driving. Leon was giving Gabi directions for how to get to the specific neighborhood he wanted to go to.
"Where are you taking me exactly?"
"My mother's house," he answered candidly. "I'd been meaning to pay her a visit since I got out of quarantine."
She smiled sweetly at him. "Good on you, checking in on your mom."
"It's not just to say hello. There's something of mine she has I need to get back."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"A memento from Spain…"
Her smile faded somewhat. They arrived at a small upscale suburban home located within a gated community. Though the size of the property was fairly average, the location and amount of land told Gabi that Leon's mother did alright for herself.
They pulled up the driveway and hopped out of the car, taking a minute to stretch before walking up to the front of the house. Leon knocked on the door and a woman with long sandy blonde hair opened, beaming a radiant smile at him.
"Leon!" She wrapped her son up in a big hug. "Goodness, it's so good to see you. You didn't tell me you'd be stopping by."
"Hey, Mom," he responded warmly. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"Oh, psh." She waved him off. "You know you never need an excuse to come see your mother." The startlingly pretty woman then turned towards Gabi curiously. "And who's this with you?"
"Gabriella," she introduced while offering a hand in greeting. "My friends call me Gabi. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Kennedy."
"Jessie," his mother introduced while shaking her hand. "Leon, why didn't you tell me you're dating again? She's beautiful."
Leon turned away, scratching the back of his head. "Gabi's just a friend, Mom."
"Well either way, you're stunning," Jessie insisted.
She giggled at that, offering a bright smile of her own. "I know this is a bit personal but I have to ask, how old are you?"
"Fifty-three," Jessie answered candidly.
Gabi shook her head in amazement. "No you're not."
She laughed at that. "Oh, you're sweet." Leon's mother gestured for them to come inside. "You two come on in. Hang your coats up by the door."
"Is Shane home?" Leon inquired.
She shook her head. "He's at work at the moment. Probably won't be back for a couple hours. You two make yourselves comfortable in the living room. Have you eaten?"
He rolled his eyes at that while Gabi just quietly snickered. "Not since breakfast."
"I'll make some sandwiches then. Gabi, is honey mustard okay?"
"That'll be just fine," she called back to her while they both took a seat on the living room sofa before addressing Leon as soon as Jessie was out of the room. "Well I see where the looks come from. Your mother is beautiful."
He chuckled somewhat awkwardly. "Thanks…I guess?"
Feeling just the slightest bit nosey Gabi looked around, spotting what appeared to be a family photo depicting Leon's mother as well as a man with short dark brown hair.
"Is that your dad?"
He shook his head. "No, that's Shane. My stepdad. Mom remarried about two years after my father passed away to one of his old work colleagues."
"How'd you feel about that?"
"Who do you think it was who helped set them up in the first place?" he insisted candidly. "Shane was one of my father's best friends on the force. He trusted him with his life. And what's more, he was there for my mother after Dad died when me and my brothers couldn't be. We all agreed Mom had no business spending her twilight years alone in an empty nest, so we did everything in our power to support their budding relationship."
"Well, for whatever it's worth, you just earned brownie points with me," Gabi assured. "Any man who takes care of his mom is…"
Her voice trailed off as something clicked in her brain. There was a small detail in what he just said that, she felt, warranted further investigation.
"Hold the phone…" She spun around and glared at him in shock. "...you have brothers?!"
He gave her a slick smirk in response. "Wanna see them?"
Gabi had never nodded her head so fast to a question before in her life. He stood up off the couch and made his way over to a nearby mantle before returning with two different photos.
"These are some of the most recent ones of them," he explained while setting both pictures down on the coffee table.
She was gobsmacked all over again. One thing was clear staring at these two photos. The Kennedys had clearly won some sort of genetic lottery.
"That's my older brother Tommie on the right. And on the left is my younger brother Ryland. He's considered the pretty one in the family."
There were no words. As Gabi looked over both photographs, just…really taking it all in, all she could think about was how much the girls back at the house would lose their absolute shit if they found out what she'd just been made privy to.
"So…" Gabi finally rolled her tongue back into her head. "...so what are their stories?"
"Well, Thomas used to do model work for Abercrombie & Fitch when he was younger. Went on to get his MBA at Columbia University and now he's a financial consultant on wall street."
She nodded in appreciation, her smile only growing as she turned her attention to the next photograph. "And…Ryland?"
"Ryland left home even earlier than I did," Leon admitted. "He got accepted to some fancy pants acting school over on the west coast when he was still a teenager. One of those academy's for up and coming Hollywood types, I think? He wants to star in action movies."
Gabi bit down on her knuckle in silent appreciation of the youngest Kennedy. Of the two brothers, Tommie was certainly good looking, but Ryland was an absolute doll! Almost like a younger Leon with a brighter smile and cheerier disposition. This is what she imagined Agent Kennedy would look like had he chosen a less mentally and physically taxing career. For all his wonderful qualities Leon was clearly weighed down by the nightmares he had borne witness to, giving him a noticeably broody disposition at times.
Ryland, on the other hand, had the disposition of a Disney Prince.
"So you really were just born into a family of overachievers, huh?" Gabi observed, finally managing to pry her eyes away from the photos.
He laughed at that and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? Our parents raised us well. Mom was our number one supporter growing up. And Dad? He taught us how to stay humble."
"And yet somehow, you were still the black sheep?" she questioned.
His smile faded somewhat. "Don't get me wrong, I love my family. I'm proud of what my brothers have accomplished, but…I'm just not like them."
Gabi nodded in understanding, listening intently.
"Some of the greatest wisdom my mentor Old Man Tobi ever imparted on me was this. The difference between a man who walks through life and a man who runs, is one has been chased by wolves before and the other has not. I've always translated his words to mean that true privilege is not an abundance of opportunities, but rather a lack of obstacles."
"Sounds like something my dad would say," she admitted.
"Those words really struck a chord with me as a teenager," Leon insisted. "I wanted to chase success the way Dad taught us to, but I didn't want to rely on privilege to get there. I didn't want to just coast through life on my looks alone. And I didn't want to just accept the first opportunity that was handed to me either. I wanted to see how high I could climb on my own terms."
A long silence followed. Gabi was almost afraid to ask this, but decided to go ahead and do it.
"Are there ever days you regret your decision?"
Given everything she learned, his response probably shouldn't have come as much of a surprise as it did.
"Sometimes…"
She frowned at him worriedly.
"Don't get me wrong. Now that I'm here, I couldn't possibly imagine being anywhere else. But…when I think about all the horrors I've seen. What I've been through. There are days I can't help but think…"
"Think what?" she asked softly.
He took a deep breath and sighed, chuckling humorlessly under his breath.
"...that I could have just played basketball instead."
And that's when Gabi realized something.
"Is this why you're so hesitant to act on your feelings for Ashley?"
He was about to respond when Jessie reentered the room, a plate of sandwiches and lemonade in hand.
"I see you've already broken out the family pictures," she observed, a warm smile on her face as she set down the tray and pitcher.
Leon nodded before helping himself to one of the sandwiches. "We were just chatting."
"You have such a lovely family, Mrs. Kennedy."
"Thank you," she responded gratefully, taking a seat opposite of them. "We had a rough couple of years since Leon's father passed away, but I try not to dwell too much on the past. The fact is, I'm still a very lucky woman. I have three wonderful children, all of whom are happy, healthy, and independent. I'm married to a fine man. And what's more, seeing my sons do so well has inspired me to pursue higher education again."
"No kidding?" Gabi asked in amazement.
Leon smiled at her proudly. "Mom just finished earning her Master's in Art History. She's helping to start up a new museum here on the east coast."
"All proceeds go towards the reconstruction of Raccoon City," she explained. "I suppose you could say my son helped inspire this little venture."
"You go, Mrs. Kennedy," Gabi insisted, genuinely impressed. "Never too old to start a new career."
She smiled at that appreciatively. "So what about you, dear? You said you're a friend of Leon's?"
They spent some time catching Mrs. Kennedy up on everything new in Leon's life. It was slightly jarring just how normal his mother was. Well, okay, maybe normal isn't the right word. Any woman who can give birth to and raise three rock stars in a row clearly has some sort of special mojo working for her. But aside from the fact she clearly didn't age, Jessie was so unassuming.
She behaved like…well…a mom. There's really no other way to describe it. Mrs. Kennedy possessed a noticeably serene presence and level headed attitude towards life that made her instinctively nurturing and loving. Her obsession with antiques and European artwork aside, the only thing Jessie seemed remotely interested in talking about was her family. Even when speaking about her deceased husband, she did so with a bright and sincere smile on her face.
It really spoke volumes to where exactly Leon's strength of character truly came from. This was a woman who clearly adored her children. A professional mother in every sense of the word. Who even now was doing whatever she could just to continue being a part of her sons' lives. She just sincerely hoped the Kennedy boys appreciated this woman. Though, by the way she talked about them, it seemed like they did.
"I was just heartbroken to hear about what happened to President Graham's daughter," Jessie insisted while sipping her lemonade. "I've supported his campaign since the incident in Raccoon City."
"How much did he tell you about the rescue?" Gabi asked.
"Only what he was comfortable telling me," she assured. "Truthfully, I'm fine with not knowing all the details of his assignments. Leon always calls and tells me when he's about to go on a new one. And he remembers to let me know the moment he's back. Beyond that, all I truly care about is that he comes home safely."
"Still, that's got to be so hard on you."
Jessie smiled at her son proudly. "It's been a journey, to be sure. Watching my son go from the military, to following in his father's footsteps, to working for the government. I can't say I fully understand it, even now. But what matters to me, like with all my sons, is that Leon is trying to be the best version of himself he possibly can be. As his mother, I strive to be the best version of myself I possibly can be in order to support my son. And this is something I tell every young lady who wants children of their own. There's going to come a day when they make a decision with their life that genuinely scares you. How you handle that fear, how you respond to that emotion, will determine how well you cope with the change."
"Honestly, I'm scared to have kids," Gabi admitted. "I mean…I know I want them someday, but I worry I won't make a very good mom."
"That's a very natural feeling to have," she assured. "Take it from a woman who's been down that road three times now, motherhood is a journey in of itself. And as Leon can attest to, it's not without its bumps in the road."
Gabi was about to respond when her phone suddenly went off. She looked down at the contact, noting Lucy was calling her and groaned in frustration. Why now when she was receiving such sage advice?
"Sorry. I've gotta take this."
She quickly excused herself. Once Gabi was gone, Jessie seemed to relax a bit, developing a slightly more casual tone with her son.
"So, just friends?"
He rolled his eyes at her. "Mom, seriously. It's not what you think."
Jessie shrugged her shoulders at him. "Well, you know. I can't help but worry about you, sweetie. Losing Claire and Sheri really seemed to take a toll on you. Is it really so wrong for a mother to want her son to have someone to love?"
Leon leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, his gaze turning towards the mantle. "That's…part of why I came here."
"Oh?" She set her glass down and folded her hands in her lap. "You found someone?"
He nodded. "Maybe…but first, do you have that piece I sent you? The one from Spain?"
"I certainly do." She stood up and walked out of the room, returning with a small box which she placed on the coffee table. "Spanish craftsmanship isn't exactly my forte, but I had a colleague look into that problem we discussed."
Jessie opened the box, revealing a velvet lined bed in the middle of which rested a familiar heart shaped golden locket with ruby encrusted gemstones. She picked it up and offered it back to him, placing the pendant in Leon's open palm.
"It truly is a remarkable piece," she insisted. "Not only is it well preserved given the time period it comes from, you can clearly see the attention to detail in the inlay work. What's more, I've never seen a piece this old with this particular type of locking mechanism. This sort of thing wasn't really common until the Romanticism period. Yet this piece predates that time by at least a century."
"But is there any way to get it open?" he asked.
She frowned at that regretfully. "Sadly, without the key, there's no way to get it open without breaking it. Which would be a crying shame. This locket is centuries old and marks an important milestone in the history of artisanal craftmanship, Leon. I must insist you take very good care of it."
He stared down at the heart shaped locket in silent contemplation. When this thing first appeared in that vision he had of Old Man Tobi, Leon convinced himself it wasn't real. Only to then stumble upon the very same object while running around in that castle back in Spain. Truthfully, he had no idea how to feel about that. And the fact he couldn't even get the damn thing open to figure out what was inside bothered him to no end.
Old Man Tobi clearly stated that this thing was supposed to be his heart. And that the stone within represented his future, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. While part of him still wanted to write the whole thing off as the Plaga causing him to go nuts, he had to admit, the fact he recognized this locket from that crazy dream made him incredibly anxious to find out what was inside. If for no other reason than to finally put that trippy vision of his to rest once and for all.
With a small sigh of disappointment, he stuffed the pendant in his jacket pocket. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry."
"Sorry I can't be more help, sweetie."
He smiled and shook his head assuredly. "It's fine. Truth be told, that wasn't the only reason I stopped by. There's something else."
"And what would that be?" she asked patiently.
Leon turned his gaze away again, a slight frown on his face. "I…need your advice on something."
Jessie laughed at that good spiritedly. "It's been a long time since you've come to me for advice of all things. What's on your mind?"
"So…you remember how I told you I've been looking after the President's daughter back in Boston?"
She nodded. "I do."
He remained silent, letting her quietly put two and two together. It didn't take long at all for his mom to figure it out. At which point she placed a hand up to her stunned lips, her eyes growing big with surprise.
"You're saying…you two are…"
Leon shook his head. "Not yet. But…it's clearly there."
She rested back in her seat, taking a moment to process all this. "So then…the President's daughter, huh?"
He nodded, just as shocked about it as she was. "Yeah…"
"That's…significantly more complicated than your last relationship."
Leon sighed glumly. "Tell me about it."
"How exactly did this come about?"
He went more into detail about the things that transpired between them in Spain. Not so much as to needlessly traumatize his mother, but enough to paint a vivid enough picture of where these feelings they shared came from.
"I see. So what do you intend?" his mother asked.
"That's why I came to you. Part of me feels like this is just Raccoon City all over again. Claire taught me that mutual trauma alone doesn't form the basis of a lasting relationship."
"And you're worried that's what this is?"
He nodded.
"You know, Leon, I truly did see something between you and Claire. She seemed like such a good fit for you. And I know I wasn't the only one who thought so." She sighed, sitting up straight and speaking a bit more formally. "But honestly? I think you're using what happened between the two of you as an excuse for the real problem."
Leon turned away somewhat shamefully.
"You never really tried with her," she lectured gently. "The moment things started to go south you distanced yourself."
"You never heard the fights," he insisted. "Mom, it was awful. I don't think it's a fair comparison to…"
Jessie raised a hand up, cutting him off. "What is it your father and I have always told you boys?"
Leon sighed wearily. "Worry only about what you have control over."
His mother nodded in approval. "I will always love you unconditionally, Leon. All I've ever wanted was for you to live a happy healthy life. But you already know why things truly didn't work out with you and Claire. Don't hide behind the circumstances of how you met."
He remained silent, quietly accepting his lecture.
"You've always had trust issues thanks to your father, but that awful Ada woman made it so much worse," she insisted, not even trying to hide her disdain for that name. "Because she hurt you at a time where you were at your most vulnerable. You can be the tough agent man all you want to about it, but that's the simple truth. I know my son. And I know there's still a hurt little boy buried deep inside who's wondering why the woman who saved his life in Raccoon City also broke his heart into pieces."
Again, he said nothing.
"It was that fear that drove Claire away. And that's what you're truly afraid of now, isn't it?" she guessed. "Going through with this and losing what you fought so hard for in Spain."
He slowly perked up at her words. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that, complicated or not, you clearly must have feelings for this girl," his mother insisted. "And by the sounds of things, she clearly has feelings for you too. Are you really going to do to her what Ada did to you, simply because you're afraid?"
That made him pause. Jessie leaned back in her seat and folded her arms, casting a squirrely look at her son.
"You're already aware of everything I'm saying, aren't you?"
Leon twiddled his thumbs, deep in thought.
"I know that look, sweetheart. You've already made up your mind on this, haven't you?"
Slowly, a smile started to form over his face.
"You wouldn't have come all this way for advice without reason. I'm more than happy to help, but I need to know what it is you're truly asking here, first."
He chuckled, his spirits seemingly brightening after that speech. "Maybe I just needed a reminder of my past mistakes. So I didn't make them again."
She sighed at her son wearily. "You and your brothers, I swear. You're the smartest boys I know, as well as the most dramatic. Leon, you're almost thirty years old for goodness sake. You don't need your mother to hold your hand through this. And I can tell just by that look on your face you know that already."
"For the record, I really did also just want to see you again," he assured affectionately. "I know you worry about me constantly. And even though it wouldn't feel right to tell you what all I went through in Spain. Mostly because I care about you too damn much to force that on you, or Shane, or my brothers. I will say, after what Ashley and I went through together, I'm incredibly grateful just to be here right now talking to you again."
She sighed in exasperation, quietly grabbing a tissue in preparation for the waterworks she could already feel coming on. "You do this to me every single time you come over, I swear."
He smiled apologetically. "I just want you to know that I've been listening, Mom. To everything you've tried to tell me over the past few years. Especially now, after having survived that ordeal, I really feel like I'm ready to take your advice and put it all aside for a little while. At least long enough to take care of myself for a bit. Starting with this."
Jessie dried her eyes and sniffled a few times before standing up and smiling at him lovingly with her arms outstretched. "Come here."
Leon stood up and walked over to hug his mother.
"Obviously you have my full support," she insisted, taking a moment to just hold her son again. "And if he were here right now, you'd have your father's as well." Finally, she pulled away and looked up at him. "Just promise me you'll take this seriously, Leon. If not for your sake, or for that poor girl's, than for mine. Just for a little while, put the gun down and let yourself be happy, okay? Promise me."
He nodded. "I promise."
She smiled at that. "No matter what, I'm proud of you. And so was your father. I hope you know that."
Leon was about to respond when Gabi suddenly came back into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, Leon. But we need to get back."
A nervous pit formed in his stomach. "Why?"
"Because Ashley needs you."
Leon was anxious as they made the drive back to Boston. Though not for the reasons he normally would be in this sort of situation. Ashley didn't call him directly. Nor did he receive any sort of update from Ross that might have clued him in to her being in danger. For once, that wasn't his biggest concern.
Something else was going on.
The sun was nearly setting by the time they made it back to campus. Leon put the car in park and hopped out alongside Gabi, immediately making his way up to the front door. Secret service was still present but Ross was not. Letting him know she was not at the house.
Upon heading inside, he noted the place was eerily quiet. Normally there was at least one or two girls hanging out in the parlor or kitchen area, but right now there didn't appear to be a soul around.
Almost immediately he was suspicious. Just what in the world were they up to this time?
It was Gabi who suggested they check out the Chapter Room next. Sure enough, upon heading to the second floor and looking around, he noted there was a conspicuously placed letter resting on one of the tables alongside what appeared to be some sort of toy gun.
"Alright, I'll bite. What the heck is going on, Gabi?"
She shook her head. "Haven't got a clue. They didn't tell me about this one."
A thought occured to him that made his heart quiver in a bizarre mixture of anxiety and excitement. It was something he really wasn't used to feeling. All the same, the agent decided to play along. He opened the note on the table and read its contents, almost immediately bursting into laughter.
"What is it?" she asked curiously
He passed her the note, still snickering under his breath. Gabi took it and read aloud.
"Hello, Agent Kennedy. If you're reading this then it means your next assignment has begun. The President's daughter has need of your unique skills once more."
Leon picked up the gun and inspected it, shaking his head in amusement. It was heavier than he had anticipated though still quite clearly not real. Upon hitting the catch release and inspecting the ammunition, he noted a series of bright blue spheres composed the rounds. It was a paintball gun.
"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find Ashley Graham somewhere on campus. There's a very serious question she needs to ask you, but forces beyond her control are now conspiring against her."
"Is this really what they've been doing all day?" he muttered to himself while placing the magazine back in the chamber.
"The President's daughter has gone into hiding. In order to find her, we've left you a series of clues at specific locations on campus, the first of which you'll find on the back of this page. But be warned, shadowy agents are pursuing you. You'll need all your secret agent skills for this one, Kennedy. Good luck, and God speed." Gabi set down the note and gawked towards the door incredulously. "Seriously, how extra can they be?"
"So you really didn't know about this?" Leon questioned.
She shook her head. "They told me to keep you occupied for a few hours, but I didn't think they'd take things this far. Anyway, is that a freaking paintball gun? Whose bright idea was that?"
As if on cue, the closet door burst open and a man in a black mask and hockey pants charged at them with a wiffle bat.
"Surprise! Motherfuckers!"
Gabi about damn near jumped out of her skin, screaming at the top of her lungs. Leon, meanwhile, effortlessly disarmed the assailant before taking him to the ground.
"You alright?"
She nodded, a hand up to her chest, heart pounding. "Yeah…about peed myself. But I'll live. Just who the hell is that?"
Leon pulled the mask off his face, revealing none other than Brock Buchanan.
"Holy shit, that was hardcore!" the Alpha Nu senior insisted, a massive grin on his face. "You just planted me in the freaking ground."
"Brock?!" Gabi asked as if not quite believing it. "What are you doing here? Who the hell let you into our house?"
"I was invited," he insisted. "Me and the boys are helping Ashley with her formal proposal."
Leon's heart skipped though he otherwise didn't react. Gabi, meanwhile, groaned wearily at Brock.
"That was supposed to be a secret, dummy."
He winced upon realizing what he just let slip. "Oh, shit. My bad, Gabi."
The agent sighed wearily. "It's alright. I pretty much figured it out on my own." He then offered Brock a hand up. "I take it you must be the shadowy agents we were warned of? You're lucky I didn't go for a knife, Brock."
He chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I didn't really think that part through. But you're right. We were told specifically not to make this easy for you, which is exactly what we intend to do."
"So you went and bought freaking paintball guns?" Gabi asked in disbelief.
"The girls wanted us to use water balloons, but that idea was lame," Brock insisted. "We regularly compete with each other over at Extreme Paintball and Airsoft over in East Brooklyn, and a bunch of guys have their own equipment."
She was already rubbing her temples vigorously. "Oh, sweet Jesus…"
"Hey, go big or go home, right?" Brock insisted. "This is Agent Kennedy we're talking about here. We've got to give him a legitimate challenge."
Leon considered the paintball gun more thoughtfully before raising a brow at Brock. "You sure you wanna do this?"
"Bring it on, Kennedy," the jock insisted boldly.
He chuckled at that and nodded in approval. "Well, alright then. Just so you know, I'm gonna take this seriously."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he assured.
"Glad to hear it."
Leon aimed the paintball gun right at his head.
"Now put your hands behind your head."
Brock's eyes grew wide and he gulped, chuckling nervously while slowly raising his hands in the air.
"Now…you do know what that thing can do at point blank range, right?"
He shrugged. "Not really. But I'm not opposed to finding out if you make me."
The jock blanched, legitimately stunned by his words. Finally, he placed his hands on his head as instructed.
"On your knees." Leon gestured to the ground with his handgun. "Slowly."
Brock gingerly lowered himself down onto his knees, whereupon the agent passed the paintball gun to Gabi.
"Keep this trained on him," he insisted while relieving the 'shadowy agent' of his own paintball gun. "If he moves, shoot."
A wicked grin crossed her lips as she held the gun out with both hands. "Gladly."
After stripping Brock of his weapon and ammunition, Leon pulled out a set of handcuffs and forced his wrists behind his back.
"Oh, come on, Dude. Seriously?" Brock griped.
"Go big or go home, right?" Leon immediately retorted. "As far as I'm concerned, you're officially under detainment by the US government for espionage and conspiracy."
"You are getting way too into this," Gabi insisted with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Once Brock was detained, Leon checked his ammo before turning to her. "You know how to use that thing?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I've been going to the range with my dad since I was twelve. I think I'll be fine."
He nodded.
"In that case, cover my six."
Alpha Nu obviously wasn't prepared for what it was they'd just unleashed. In hindsight, it should have been obvious what would happen if they put a paintball gun in Leon's hands and gave him full permission to shoot anyone getting in the way of his objective. But they clearly weren't expecting him to go this hard.
Still, there were a lot of them. Which is why having Gabi on his team really helped to even the odds. The two were taking cover behind a pair of trees, paintballs zipping past them as the group of Alpha Nus they'd been ambushed by tried to pin down their position. What they lacked in formal military training they made up for in gumption and creativity. This was surprisingly enjoyable.
Gabi popped out of cover and nailed one of the Alpha Nus right in the shoulder.
"You missed!" he shouted back, quickly wiping the paint splatter off his vest.
"Oh, bullshit!" she shouted back. "I saw that hit clean."
The cheater tried to pop out and hit her while she was distracted only to get peppered with a volley of rounds from Leon's gun.
"Alright! Alright! I'm out!" he finally relented in a huff.
Leon quickly ducked back into cover and reloaded. "For the record, I saw that hit too."
She braced behind her own tree and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "It's alright. They just don't want to admit they're getting outshot by a chick."
"You're a hell of a shot, I've gotta say," Leon insisted. "I almost wish I'd had you there to back me up in Spain."
She laughed. "Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass on that one."
One of the jocks tried to sneak around and ambush Leon at point blank. The agent grabbed his gun arm and redirected the shot before he could fire before slamming him into the trunk of the tree. He then used his disoriented body as a paintball sponge while running over to join Gabi behind cover.
"So is this fairly normal behavior for JAU students?"
She nodded. "Sick of it yet?"
He laughed, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I don't know. It's starting to grow on me a little bit."
"It's a shame you're not a student. I'm gonna be so bored after you leave."
They both popped out of cover at the same time and fired, tagging two more Alpha Nus in the process.
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "Hanging out with you has been a blast. I know the other girls feel the same way. It'll be a shame when you have to leave."
He frowned at her words thoughtfully for a moment. "Yeah…it really will be."
A melancholy silence enveloped them both. One that was abruptly ended by more Alpha Nu trash talk.
"Hey, Gabriella! Why don't we stop fighting and you show me how Cubans do it better!"
She gasped in appalled shock and her cheeks turned red. With an angry flare Gabi popped out of cover and shot the vulgar jock right in the crotch sending him crumbling to the ground.
"Oh shit! Chet's down!"
"Worth it…" he mumbled in pain.
"Maldito pervertir," she snarled under her breath.
Leon snickered in amusement. "First rule of field work. Never let the enemy get in your head."
"I have to admit, this is kind of addictive," she responded.
"Well just be careful you don't…"
The final two Alpha Nus jumped out from behind the tree, both aiming their weapons at Gabi and Leon. He grabbed both men's wrists and pulled them into each other, causing their faces to smash together. Leon knocked the one to his right down, taking him to the ground before spinning around and firing on the one to his back, nailing him in the facemask. Whereupon he snapped back to his final target and pressed the gun to his forehead.
"I'm out! I'm out!" he assured, his hands raised.
Leon smirked in approval before helping him up. "Good hustle out there."
"Hey, all joking aside, this has been a lot of fun. If you ever wanna come play paintball with us, I'm sure you'd be more than welcome."
He seemed to consider the idea. "I'll think about it."
"Aight, we're gonna head out. Your last clue should be by the bushes over there somewhere."
Leon nodded. "Sounds good. Gabi, you ready to move…"
She was laying against the tree, clutching her side, the most ridiculous look on her face imaginable.
"L…Leon…" Gabi fake coughed before raising her hand away from her stomach, revealing a bright blue paint splatter. "They got me, Leon. They got me right in the parka."
He glowered at her in disbelief. "Really?"
"I can see the light. It's getting dark…" she insisted dramatically, doing another round of fake coughing.
He suppressed a smile, folding his arms. "Who was it you said was getting way too into this?"
Try as she might to hide it, it was clear Gabi was trying extremely hard not to start cracking up. "We had a good run, but you're gonna have to fly solo from here. If you see Ashley…tell her I loved her like a sister. Live or die…Delta…Phi."
She proceeded to perform what had to be the most over dramatic death rattle Leon had ever seen in his life before slumping against the tree. With a devious grin, the agent proceeded to pick her up and sling her over his shoulder.
"Wah!" Gabi squealed indignantly as she was unceremoniously hoisted into the air. "Leon, what are you doing? Put me down!"
"First rule of engagement, no soldier gets left behind."
She started flailing in his grip. "Oh, for the love of…it was a joke, you ass! Seriously, bájame!"
"Sorry, KIA operatives can't speak," he retorted.
"¡Te voy a meter el pie en el culo por esto, imbécil!"
As Leon carried Gabi away, kicking and screaming in Spanish, all he could think about was how this was the most fun he'd had in as long as he could remember.
Looking down at his gun hand, the tremor was nowhere to be seen.
The clues left behind by Ashley's sisters had led them here. To the student event center located on the very edge of campus. Aside from secret service, there appeared to be no one around as they approached the front steps.
Hanging on the door was a sign that simply read to the hero who saved our sister's life, we offer this invitation to come inside. Leon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, whereupon he felt a hand on his arm.
"You gonna make it?"
He nodded. "Yeah…"
Gabi turned him towards her. "Hey…look at me."
She cupped his cheek with her palm.
"You deserve this," she spoke sincerely. "You and Ashley both. After everything you've been through, it's okay to choose to be happy."
Leon finally smiled at her. "Thanks, Gabi."
She hugged him once more before pulling away. "Now, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Ashley when you first got here. If you try to run, I will slap you."
He laughed and nodded in understanding. "Understood, Captain."
With that quick pep talk, Leon and Gabi both entered the events center. Standing in the entrance hall was Lucy, a bright smile on her face.
"And so you've made it, at last," the President of Delta Phi declared formally. "Well done, Agent Kennedy. Once again, you've proven yourself a man of determination, reliability, but above all, bravery."
He rolled his eyes at that, a slight smirk on his face.
"But your mission is not yet complete," she continued. "The President's daughter has a very important question to ask you. If you'll please come with me."
He followed Lucy into the main auditorium. The space was completely devoid of any tables or chairs, giving the ladies of Delta Phi ample room to form a giant semi-circle around the agent as he approached. They were all dressed in their letters, radiant smiles on their faces.
Standing in the middle of this group was Ashley, dressed, like the others, in a pink skirt and blouse. In her hands was a single red rose and on her cheeks a rosey blush. Just one look and it was clear she was as nervous about this as him at that moment.
"H…hi, Leon," Ashley managed to stammer out as he approached her. "Umm…I'm glad you…got my note."
Lucy, Gabi, and the rest of the girls all collectively groaned at her. Leon tried to play it off like it was nothing though his laugh was noticeably awkward as well.
"Yeah, it was…kinda hard to miss."
She broke eye contact with him. "That makes sense." Ashley quickly regained her nerve before offering him the rose. "Anyway, here. This is for you."
He nodded, taking the rose from her gratefully. "Thanks."
An awkward silence formed in the air. Some of the girls started to fidget a bit uncomfortably. Finally, Ashley spoke again.
"So, umm…listen, Leon." She started fussing with the hem of her skirt, looking pretty much anywhere that wasn't directly at him. "There's this…thing coming up soon. And…and I was just wondering…"
Slowly, a smile started to form on his face. Seeing that adorably flustered look, her bright burning cheeks, now that he was here, something about this just felt completely right.
"That is…" Poor Ashley was really struggling. The words just wouldn't form and she started to ramble. "...I've really enjoyed having you here. And…and I've been so grateful to you for helping me work through all the stuff that happened to us in Spain. I know we haven't exactly known each other for very long. But I feel like I could trust you with anything. I just…I want us to be closer. And I kinda get the impression that maybe you want that too? But I don't want to assume anything. And…and now I'm rambling like a complete idiot. I must not be making any sense. But…"
"Ash…" Leon gently cut her off, finding that cool and collected confidence of his again. "...just ask."
She gasped up at him, eyes going wide with shock. He took both his hands in hers, a look of sincerity in his gaze.
"Just ask," he insisted assuringly. "You already know what my answer is going to be."
Ashley smiled up at him bashfully then promptly turned away, biting her lower lip to contain the ecstatic grin that threatened to appear on her lips. It was too soon, she didn't want to spoil the moment. Not yet.
After taking a deep breath and finding her center again, she peered up at him confidently.
"Leon…will you please be my date to the winter formal?"
It had taken them what felt like forever just to get to this point. Now that he was finally here, he could say with confidence that it had all been worth it.
"Of course I will," was his reply. "I'd be honored to."
And just like that, her ecstatic beaming grin appeared in full, followed soon after by every single one of her sorority sisters. Ashley didn't even try to hide it this time. Her feet started doing that adorable little dance whereupon she screamed in utter delight, jumping straight into his awaiting arms and hugging him tight.
The girls all burst into excited applause. Gabi was over the moon for her friend at that moment, clapping the loudest out of all of them. It was then she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Lindsay and Beth were both standing directly behind her. Sarah was noticeably absent.
"Hey, Gabi…" Lindsay spoke somewhat pensively. "...listen, about earlier today…"
She nodded, listening intently with a reserved look on her face.
"We were talking about it with Lucy, and we all agreed we kinda owe you an apology," Beth admitted sheepishly. "It occurred to us that, feelings or not, you and Ashley are best friends. And you've always done right by her even when we haven't."
Gabi placed her hands on her hips and raised a brow at her. "Just now figuring that out? I'd like to remind you girls that this whole thing was originally my idea. You really think I'd screw it up after all the hard work I put in getting those two together?" She showed them the blue stain on her jacket. "For God's sake, I took a paintball to my favorite coat just to make this happen."
"We were meaning to ask about that actually," Lindsay responded. "Didn't we agree to use water balloons for this?"
She waved her off. "It's a long story."
"Well, either way, we're sorry," Beth assured. "We shouldn't have doubted you like that."
"No, you really shouldn't have," Gabi insisted bluntly.
They both hung their heads. She finally sighed and added.
"Sorry I wasn't more upfront with you girls. Leon and I talked and…I realize I may have been a little stubborn about why we've been hanging out so much."
"Feel like finally sharing?" Beth offered hopefully.
She nodded before gesturing over to Ashley and Leon. "We'll get into it later. I promise. Right now, let's just focus on those two."
Lindsay smiled and opened her arms up. "So…we gonna hug it out?"
Gabi wrapped both her sisters up in a tight embrace, mending any lingering hurt feelings.
"Don't worry about Sarah," Beth insisted. "She'll come around."
Lindsay nodded. "I think she's still a little tender about what all was said back at the house."
"Yeah, I figured as much," Gabi spoke in exasperation. A thought occurred to her. "Oh shit. That reminds me. We need to hurry this up and get back to the house."
"Why is that?"
Gabi turned a worried look towards the door. "We may or may not have left Brock handcuffed in the chapter room closet."
Their mouths both fell open simultaneously.
"Like I said, it's a really long story."