Chapter 4

"This sucks," Ashley Graham said loudly from the bathroom.

Leon Kennedy gritted his teeth in irritation. It was roughly the fifth or sixth time she had made that point known to him today alone, and that wasn't counting the last few days. He was inclined to agree with her.

This wasn't exactly how he had wanted to spend the trip to New York. He swore that he had gotten the short end of the stick, or was on the receiving end of a bad coin toss, or had somehow pissed off President Graham and Director Fischer at the same time without knowing it.

At any rate, he really didn't like having to literally babysit Ashley. The UN would have been far more interesting, being that he would need to keep up with security around President Graham. Here, he just needed to make sure the door stayed locked. The rest of the agents in the hotel would maintain the perimeter. If it was broken, then he had something to worry about.

"I just don't get why Dad won't let me enjoy the city while I'm here," she complained again, just visible in the crack of the ajar door, dragging a brush through her blond hair. "I've never even been to New York! I could have gone to the Museum of Modern Art, or have seen the sights downtown. Instead, I'm stuck here with you, and then I have to go and stand in front of a bunch of cameras for an hour while Dad goes on about national security."

"Yeah, and I'm having the time of my life over here…" Leon muttered to himself from his perch at the window.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "But you should support your Dad. He's going through a lot of stress right now, probably a lot more than other world leaders. Staying at his side in times like this is going to help him out a lot."

And let's face it: we're more than a little understaffed. You could help by cooperating.

President Graham had come to New York to discuss a course of action with the rest of the world leaders at the UN. The growing rate of bioterrorism was too big for any single nation to handle alone. The recent scaling down of the Government Security Agency meant that Leon would have to once again exclusively devote his job to protecting Graham and his family. To be honest, it was boring work compared to what he was used to.

However, if there was one thing he couldn't complain about, it was the lodgings. He and Ashley had the entire Presidential Suite of the Waldorf-Astoria to themselves. President Graham had been rarely there the past few days, instead almost sleeping at the UN Headquarters between meetings every night. He wasn't accustomed to this type of splendor; security usually received run-of-the-mill rooms, often having to bunk up together. For once, being stripped of his secret agent status actually paid off.

Ashley, of course, had been delighted at the situation, at first. After Leon had gotten more than acquainted with her in Spain, she was happy to spend a week with her favorite agent in the same hotel room. He had thought turning her down during their escape from Saddler's island would be enough to put her off entirely, and for the most part, she backed off after that.

Being stuck in a luxurious hotel suite with him seemed to change her mind. The come-ons were subtle at first, but grew increasingly bolder. He was worried that one of these times she was going to try and force herself on him. Fortunately, Ashley had more sense than that.

It wasn't that she wasn't good looking; she was very full-figured for her age and didn't hesitate to capitalize on it. It was that he would have to be stupid to try anything with his boss's daughter, not to mention the fact she was barely old enough to drink. That was something Ashley still hadn't figured out.

When he made it very clear that he wasn't interested in anything more than her well being, the Ashley seemed to realize that this trip, was, in fact, a punishment. She stopped her almost-literal presentations to him, and instead grew sulky, often keeping to herself in her room. He was thankful for the quiet, but the trade off was that there was nothing to really do without her come-ons to shut down again and again.

Ashley stepped out of the bathroom with an exasperated sigh, then spread her arms. "Well, how do I look?"

She had on a black knee-length skirt and a matching blazer over a white blouse. It contrasted oddly with her bright blonde hair, and the thoroughly unhappy look on her face would have placed her better at a funeral. He was used to seeing her in more colorful, albeit provocative garb.

He shrugged as he turned away from the window. "Like the respectable daughter of President Jack Graham."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Anytime," Leon said coolly, even if she really didn't want the compliment. Personally, he didn't mind an excuse to wear a suit and tie. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with. As much as I hate sitting around, I'd rather do that then be a trophy for Dad on camera."

Leon escorted Ashley out of the suite, giving a nod to one of the agents roaming the halls before speaking into the radio on his wrist to the rest of the Secret Service. "This is Kennedy, Princess is en route."

It was worth it to see Ashley scowl whenever she heard her assigned name. He found it very fitting.

They left through the front lobby as its famous bronze clock chimed the Westminster Quarters. All around them, Leon picked out the planted agents that were watching the entrance as civilians. It wasn't hard when you looked for their earpieces. A few other Secret Service agents were waiting for them in front of the hotel with the three black SUVs that would serve as transport. Leon helped Ashley into the middle vehicle and slid in next to her. "Princess is loaded up. Arrival at destination in ten."

Once within the safety of the car, they made their way towards the UN Headquarters. It was actually a short distance from the Waldorf, only around seven city blocks, but for a high profile person like the President's daughter, a lot could happen in such a short distance. The worst, however, was listening to Ashley lament on not being able to use her father's limo.

Situated right on the banks of the East River, the UN had been seeing a lot of activity in the past year as terrorist attacks escalated. Today was even worse as the convention drew the biggest horde of press and media compared to the earlier days. The convoy had to slowly move through the sea of people that choked the roads as they approached, eventually coming to a stop in front of the building.

As soon as Ashley stepped out of the car, it was all Leon and several other agents could do to keep her from being trampled by the press. They were eventually aided by the police, and Leon took her by the upper arm moving through the area as fast as he could. Reporters and journalists shouted questions at her, desperate for any information that even the President's daughter might know.

He had to bat away several reaching hands, but they soon they broke free from the mob, passing through another line of security that held the crowd back and entered the building. Ashley smoothed her clothes, looking unhappier than ever.

"God, kill me now," she moaned.

"Hang in there, kid," Leon said with a chuckle.

They joined up with a few other agents, and Ashley left with them to go join the media in preparation for the speech. Leon took the opportunity to go meet up with Fischer, who was hovering outside of the large conference room; ever since the cutbacks at the GSA, his own boss had been doing his part to bolster security.

He sighed, making a quick detour to a catering table to grab a cup of coffee. Ashley had taken a little more out of him than he thought.

"Alright, Kennedy," Fischer began as he and Leon escorted Graham towards the front of the UN. A small stage and podium had been set up on the steps for his speech. "You're in charge of security up front. I'll be manning the outer perimeter. We have a few of our people within the crowd to help keep tabs, not to mention the spotters in the surrounding windows."

"Got it."

Outside, he was greeted by a sea of cameras and people, a nightmare for any security team. Nonetheless, he assumed his perch, just off to the left of Ashley, who would be just on the edge of the cameras. Graham stepped up to the podium fishing into his inner jacket pocket to grab his speech notes.

"People of New York, and people of the world," he began once the cameras were rolling. "I know that these recent times have been taxing on all of us. It feels like we are running out of allies; the Global Pharmaceutics Consortium has tried to correct things in the past, but I understand the distrust that some may feel against it…"

Leon slowly scanned the crowd of faces and cameras. The occasional camera flash tore at his attention, but he steeled himself and focused harder. There had been more presidential assassination attempts than people thought, but they usually failed out of incompetence. But it was no excuse to relax; even these short term public appearances put Graham in danger, especially in times like this, and especially when he was exposed in an outdoor public speech.

"…what we now need is an organization that everyone can trust, and that everyone can rely on. It is not my intention to put another military force on this world, which is why I invited our fellow nations to come up with a solution that would benefit us all. It has come into agreement to give control to the people of the world, and not an organization. This new arm of the people, titled the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, will be dedicated the new threat to our safety that has arisen. "

Graham continued his speech, talking about the objectives of the BSAA as well as their operating potential. Leon caught Ashley's eye. Her bright beaming smile looked utterly fake. He never saw her that happy about anything in the political world. She almost looked happy in a scary way. He looked away, back to his job of watching for signs of danger.

"…each nation will command their own branch for the benefit of its people, and each nation will assist their neighbors in times of crisis. The BSAA's sole purpose is the protection of civilians against any bioterror threat, relying on quick, efficient deployment, and unmatched expertise…"

"Enrico here, might have a problem."

Fischer's voice was next in Leon's earpiece. He spotted his boss, hugging the edge of the crowd and speaking to his wrist as he eyed the crowed. "What is it Rico?"

"Large truck parked illegally on 44th. No driver in sight, right on the edge of our perimeter."

"When did it pull up?"

"Not sure, no one can confirm when it arrived. It looks like it's been here for a while."

Leon narrowed his eyes in thought. Scanning the crowd became background noise to him for a few seconds as he tried to picture what Rico was seeing. Then he realized what he was doing and snapped back to attention, cursing at himself internally for letting his attention waver.

"Kennedy, see anything suspicious up front?"

He focused back on his task and scanned the crowd thoroughly again, including the line of buildings on the other side of the street. Nothing. He lifted his wrist to his mouth. "Negative."

"Rico, if there's no driver, sweep it," Fischer radioed. "All positions standby. Anything red-flags, be ready to move Paragon."

His mouth went dry. Situations like this were the worst. It could be that the truck was parked illegally because someone did it on accident, out of haste or ignorance. This was New York, after all. Parking violations were a dime a dozen. Or, it could be something far worse, like a bomb ready to go off. Maybe not to kill, but to send a message. Or maybe to cause enough chaos to distract security while a shooter gunned down Graham. There were dozens of different possibilities.

"Standby, checking it out now."

A minute passed, then two. When it stretched to three, his gut tightened further. Fischer apparently thought the same way.

"Rico, what's going on?"

Enrico didn't reply. Then he heard the screams.

Dozens of people were pouring into the intersection off of 44th street. Like a ripple, all the heads in the crowd turned, including the cameras, away from Graham, who stopped speaking abruptly.

Something bounded into the street after a pedestrian. Leon caught a flash of red and black, and then it was on the man, tearing and smashing. Cries of agony were quelled as a giant fist crushed his skull, smearing bone, blood, and gore onto the pavement.

He could only stare in shock as the creature lowered its head and began to feast on the corpse. It was massive, standing on squat hind legs with muscular arms, half the size of a compact car. Its body was mostly a shiny mass of muscle and sinew, striped with greasy black fur. Fangs jutted out of an elongated head. It looked like someone skinned a gorilla, then fed it steroids.

-holy shit-

A split second later, all hell broke loose. The crowd moved like water from behind a burst dam, everyone screaming and yelling. More creatures emerged into the intersection, and then bounded towards the fleeing pedestrians in loping strides.

"CODE RED!" Fischer screamed. "EXTRACT PARAGON, NOW!"

The Secret Service was already swarming over Graham, guns drawn, pulling him back towards the UN Headquarters, and presumably, a means of escape. The sea of people was carnage; everyone was pushing, shoving, and screaming to get away. Leon tore through the crowd that quickly swarmed the podium to assist his fellow agents.

A fleeing cameraman bumped into Ashley, knocking her to the ground as Leon was still in process of muscling his way through. Another agent was helping her up, but one of the creatures was suddenly bearing down on them with frightening speed, knocking stragglers away like they were nothing.

He drew his Sig Sauer, but hesitated when he lifted the gun. Civilians packed his gun sights. The other agent bravely tried to put himself between Ashley and the thing, but it simply lifted a fist, bashing him out of the way. The agent fell, blood pouring from his crushed skull.

Leon swore and aimed again, then fired a volley into the creature's back. Other than turning around and roaring at him, they didn't seem to have any effect. But he had drawn its attention away from Ashley. It charged him, and Leon fired into the mass of muscle. It wasn't until the fourth round that penetrated its skull did the creature collapse onto the ground, only feet from him.

Ashley had frozen. She sat on her butt, staring at the heap that almost turned her to a pulp. Leon grabbed her by the collar and hauled her to her feet. "Come on! We need to move!" He whirled around, trying to locate the other Secret Service, but everywhere was panic. There were only half a dozen of the creatures, but way more than a dozen bodies lay strewn around. There was no sign of Graham or other agents.

"Kennedy! We've got Paragon!" Fischer's voice. He sounded horrified, but there was a sense of control in his voice, years of experience keeping his senses in place. "Secure Princess! Get her out of there!"

"Got it!" he yelled into his wrist, then pulled Ashley along by the arm. Fischer had Graham safe, but it was up to him to get his daughter to safety.

Ashley seemed to snap out of her funk as he touched her, moving quicker, but Leon still hauled her along by the wrist. Her dress heels were gone, and she ran on nylon covered feet. Together they broke free from the plaza where the speech was held, heading towards the front doors of the UN HQ. He didn't have to fight off all of them; he just needed to get Ashley out of harms way until back up arrived.

At the same time, he tried not to think about the people being left behind.

When another one of the creatures broke free of the mayhem and started to lope after them, Leon realized that these things were targeting them. They had been attacking civilians, but whenever they drew close to Graham or Ashley, they forgot about everything else. He really didn't know how, or care; all he knew it was going to make his job a lot harder.

The glass doors that gave entrance to the lobby only slowed them down. Halfway across the wide open floor, crashing behind them signaled the creature simply smashing through after them.

"Ashley, through the first door you see!" Leon yelled, nearly throwing her forward. She scampered off, somehow staying on her feet as he skidded to a halt, then turned and aimed at the monster, wishing he had something bigger than nine millimeter. He drained the rest of the magazine into its frame, but only succeeded in making it stumble as one round clipped an eye. It fell on its face, then roared and got back up, but Leon was already running after Ashley.

He rounded the corner just in time to see Ashley bolt through an open door. The thing was back on his trail, and he wasn't sure if he could successfully lead it away. If he tried, it might ignore him altogether and go straight for her, and if it did, he probably wouldn't be able to stop it in time. He needed to kill it, and in order to do that, he needed to get a clean shot.

He barreled through, and Ashley slammed the door behind him. They were inside a small, windowless office.

"Get back!" he yelled as he released the spent magazine from his gun. Just as he slammed his only spare in, the door exploded off its hinges as Ashley screamed.

It wasn't big enough to fit through the door, but it hardly mattered. The creature simply pulled itself through, taking most of the frame and wall down. It reached for him with a meaty hand, and in the scramble back he tripped.

A wave of foul breath hit him as it snarled and crawled over him, moving faster than its size should have allowed, then lifting a fist. He stuck the gun up and pulled the trigger as fast as he could, each gunshot loud as thunder in the tiny room as it spit smoking brass from the ejection port.

BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAMBAM

When the gun clicked dry, the creature's face was nothing more than a shredded mess of flesh and bone, and it slumped down, landing on his legs. He stifled a grunt of disgust from its shocking weight; it was surprisingly warm, but wet and furry feeling as its blood soaked into his slacks.

Sweating profusely from the sudden rush, he jerked his legs free from under the corpse, scooting back until the wall stopped him. Dust and plaster spilled from the broken wall began to settle. Everything was quiet.

Way, way, WAY too close!

Ashley sat in the corner of the room, her eyes wide and shimmering. She had seen some disturbing things in Spain during her abduction, and from what Leon knew, she was still in therapy. This stuff still terrified him, and he was trained to deal with it. But Ashley was still a kid at heart, and he could start to see her breaking down after how close death had come.

"This is Kennedy, Princess is secure," he said into his wrist, then rubbed his clammy face. From somewhere near his shoulder, hanging on a wire, he heard Fischer reply. He didn't even know when his earpiece had fallen out. He could just hear the faint voice enough to make out about things in control.

Ashley clung to him when he moved next to her, and he hooked an arm around her shoulder in comfort. There was a faint chatter of gunfire outside, what sounded like automatic weapons. It went on for the next few minutes, and then died down, followed by emergency sirens.

"Don't worry Ash, you did good," he said heavily, loosening the tie around his neck. "You're okay now."

She buried her quivering cries into his chest, while he patted her back and stroked her hair, repeating the same things over and over. He just wish he had someone to do the same for him.