X~X
9
X~X
29 September 1998
"Is it cold out here to you?" Leon asked when Elise gave a small shiver.
"A little, then again that's usually what it's like for me," she answered with an apologetic smile. "Big guy hasn't been in the east wing for a while, so dropping down where the ladder broke should be a safe way to get back to the jail."
"I'll head down first," Leon informed her, and she nodded.
Leon judged the distance from the edge of the balcony to the roof below. He licked his lips in thought before preparing himself to jump down. He knew the proper procedure to make sure he wouldn't get injured. Elise watched in worry as Leon jumped down, she moved to stand at the edge of the balcony and saw that he was righting himself and moving his feet against the ground to gain traction. He turned around and looked up at her, motioning with a hand.
"I'll catch you," Leon called up to her.
Elise nervously nodded, biting her lip in thought. If she messed up her landing, then she could be injured for a while and that would cut into their time to escape, but if she hurt Leon then they wouldn't be able to escape at all. He took longer to heal. She didn't want to do that to him. Leon shifted his weight and noted the hesitation, the overthinking. He couldn't help it when his heart skipped a beat at the sight of her in the rain.
"Do you trust me?" Leon asked and he watched her blink in confusion.
"Of course I do," Elise stated, almost insulted that he thought she didn't.
"Then jump," he said.
Elise took a deep breath and jumped down from the balcony. A soft grunt came out of them as he caught her. He was glad he made sure his feet wouldn't slide due to the wet floor. Her arms were around his shoulders and she had her face in his neck. Her legs had subconsciously wrapped around his waist. He smiled in amusement, it was obvious she wasn't the biggest fan of heights.
"Told you I'd catch you," Leon teased and she gave him a playful glare.
She began to unwrap her legs from his waist and he helped her down. She leaned back a little and looked him in the eyes. He felt his smile grow when she reached up and gently brushed her lips against his. Her hands ended up resting on his biceps as she pulled back once more.
"I didn't have any doubt in you," Elise quietly told him.
"Good, because you're stuck with me," he informed her and she let out a soft laugh.
"I could think of so many things that could be worse…" she stated, squeezing his arm a bit. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, after this," Leon said, his tone serious. "What are we?"
"Easily more than friends," She answered, not really sure how to put it.
"Would you continue seeing me after all this is over?" He pressed, they needed to put it into words to finally talk on whatever was between them.
"Yes," she confirmed, but she then bit her lip. "I just don't know if things will allow us to…even if I really want to."
"This is traumatic bonding," he explained and she felt her heart drop at his humourless laugh. "It's also the healthiest relationship I've been in."
"It's the first one for me if it makes you feel any better," her soft chuckle told him that she was nervous.
"So…" He trailed off, licking his lips nervously. "Are we…"
"If it's alright with you."
His fingers twined with her's and he hoped his actions were loud enough to show his answer. Judging by the soft smile on her face, it was. Her hand twitched a bit before she squeezed his. He was honestly glad they had talked, and he knew where they stood. The walk back to the jail was filled with a light atmosphere and companionable silence. It was like they needed to have that talk, to figure it out.
"There are a few ways I can warm you up after we get to safety," Leon's suggestive mutter made Elise turn a bright red.
"I…I could take you on that offer," she admitted, before giving him a teasing smile. "Watching you move those shelves was incredibly attractive."
Leon's cocky grin made her scoff before looking into the parking garage. There were a couple of dogs that still remained, sniffing around for their next victim. She squeezed Leon's hand before untwining their fingers so she could use her rifle. He kept watch behind them as she systematically took the dogs out, starting from the furthest one and making her way closer.
"Have I told you that you are one hell of a shot," He complimented, watching as she put the rifle on her back for an easier reach.
"You'll make me blush," she chuckled, her cheeks turning pink.
"I like it when you blush," he admitted, watching as the pink became a bright red. "Does it go all the way down?"
Her answering squeak got a laugh out of him. WIth all that was going wrong there was something that gave him a bright spot. The cell that kept Ben caused them both to sober up a bit. His body had moved, rigor mortis had set into his face and was slowly moving into the rest of his muscles. It gave them a time frame for how long it took them to get the parts and head back.
"It's been two hours already?" Elise said in surprise.
"Two hours…from the rigor mortis in the face?" Leon asked, reaching into her backpack for one of the components and grabbing into her jacket pocket to get the other. "At least a part of me is keeping you warm."
"Small victories I guess," Elise thoughtfully muttered. "What is it with this station and puzzles?"
"I don't know, and I like puzzles as much as the next person," Leon answered, chuckling when she simply rested her head against his shoulder in annoyance at their situation. "Did he ever do anything?"
"No, we didn't really get to meet in person until a while before his death," she answered as he moved the components around to try and get it to work. "Then again, a woman walking around without a bra is bound to get someone's attention."
"White shirt probably doesn't help much," he added and she let out a low chuckle.
"Is that a complaint, Mr. Kennedy?" She asked, and he sputtered a bit before laughing.
"No, Miss Winters," he answered. "I happen to like them."
Her cheeks burned heavily at his words and she swatted his shoulder. His grin was easily noticeable due to his ears rising as well. She wasn't sure how to go forward from that. She heard the family chuckling at something and her blush increased. They were poking fun at her…partner…boyfriend? Ah, at her lack of knowledge on how to respond to a man flirting with her in such a manner.
"Got it," Leon said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Nice," she stated, moving back when he turned towards the cell.
"I got it, you got the last component," he said, hurrying inside and grabbing the pass.
He paused and grabbed something else. A tape recorder. He went back to Elise and turned it on, wanting to listen to what was on there. The light from the floor lights lit up the area just the slightest and he saw the grime and blood that covered the two of them.
"But that doesn't explain the rumours about the orphanage," Ben's voice filled the silence and Elise stared at the device in thought. "I-I just find it way too coincidental that Umbrella is one of the benefactors."
"You told me that this interview had to do with the new scholarship that Umbrella just set up," a woman's voice stated, causing the two to frown in unison.
"Come on, Annette," Ben stated, and Leon watched as Elise tensed at his sleazy tone. "Nobody cares about that, they want to know about the G-virus and-"
"Where did you hear about that?" The woman's quick question cut Ben off and Elise bit her lips in worry.
"And the big fucking sinkhole in the city, which, as rumour has it, goes straight into your underground lab." Ben continued, not caring about the woman's objections.
"This interview is over," the woman stated, her tone terse and heeled footsteps making it known she had left.
"Bitch." Ben muttered and Leon's frown deepened.
"G-Virus…" Leon stated. "Do you know anything about it?"
"I think…it might be what's causing the outbreak," Elise stated, her face growing a little pale. "No wonder the mold had incredibly difficulty getting it out of my system."
"No water for us," Leon agreed.
"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it," she gave a weak laugh. "Has that paper always been there?"
"We missed it," Leon stated, his tone apologetic. "I'm going to just…"
He rested his chin on her shoulder as she picked it up for them to both read. His grip around her waist was tight and she knew she had worried him. Learning that your new…girlfriend had been infected with one type of virus that then had trouble fighting off another had to be difficult. She quickly read the paper and felt Leon's shoulder slump. It would've been nice to know about the Tyrant before they had to run from him.
"A bio-weapon trying to hunt down another," Elise muttered and Leon frowned. "That's going to end in either flames or darkness."
"I won't let that happen," He stated, and he watched her eyes widen. "You've kept me safe. I do the same, it's what partners do."
"Partners in more than one way," she agreed, chuckling at the soft frown on his face. "We need to move, I don't doubt that the power being restored to this area isn't going to cause an issue."
An alarm going off followed her words and Leon let out a soft sigh of disbelief. The sounds of the cells opening pushed them into action. She reached a small switch box and grasped onto the handle while pulling it down. The power being restored allowed them to exit through a side door. Sweat began to travel down her face as the tyrant began to stomp towards them. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, not wanting them to get caught by the other bio-weapon.
"Shit," Leon hissed as they readied their guns.
They could deal with the zombies, the tyrant seemed unbothered by the bullets sent his way. He was too close to them. Elise pushed Leon to get him to move. The side door was finally open and they needed to get out of there.
"This guy is ridiculous," Elise huffed, ignoring how her legs were burning.
"We need to hurry, the security box isn't too far away," Leon stated, holding up the pass as they entered the parking garage.
"If he comes through, what then?" She asked, accidentally running into him when he stopped in front of the security box.
"We fight, and then run," he said, sliding the pass as she thought she heard something over the gate unlocking and slowly sliding up.
Elise didn't get to say anything when the back of her jacket was grabbed and she was bodily lifted with ease. She turned to see the tyrant studying her. She grimaced as he tilted his head to the side. He should've ended her, he had enough time to. Her mind quickly figured out why he hadn't. Kill the survivors, pick up the bio-weapon that was running around. She refused to become a test subject for a major corporation she got bad vibes from. The tyrant let out an annoyed sound when a foot went into his face. The strength of her kick was enough to make him stumble, but not enough to drop her. Leon grimaced at the anger on the tyrant's face and tried to think of ways to save his girlfriend. The tyrant looked at him and reached forward with a hand, making the dirty blonde duck and move out of his way.
"Let her go," Leon ordered the tyrant, not standing down.
The tyrant grunted, swinging Elise around a bit as he moved to grab at him. She kicked at his head again, distracting him from Leon. Her narrowed eyes showed she wasn't happy at all with the situation. She shifted her weight the best she could and wondered if slipping out of one of the jackets would work. Yet, she didn't want to lose Leon's jacket. The roaring of one the S.W.A.T cars caught her attention and Leon quickly dove to the side as the truck slammed into the tyrant, causing him to drop Elise.
Elise didn't have much time to get her bearings when Leon slammed into her and immediately searched for any sign of an injury. She leaned into the palm of his hand when he cupped her cheek with it. His eyes traveled to the small bruise on her neck and he swallowed thickly. It was still there, and a small part of him was very pleased by that fact.
"I'm all right, love," Elise gently told Leon, placing her hand over his. "I need to check one of the cop cars before we leave, there was a rumour that car seven four three nine was having issues with the trunk and an officer left something in there you might have a use for."
"Always thinking of the issue at hand," Leon quietly said, amused as he brushed his lips against her forehead. "Don't scare me like that again, okay?"
"I'll try to make sure another Bio-weapon doesn't come after me," she said.
"You two are so sweet my teeth are hurting," Ada's voice stated, she was amused by them. "This is twice that I've saved your asses."
"I didn't realize you were keeping score," Leon retorted as he pulled Elise to her feet and she stumbled a bit.
"This isn't a game," Ada informed him, stepping up to the two.
"He's still alive," Elise warned when she heard the tyrant moving, readying her rifle.
"Does nothing die down here?" Ada couldn't help but ask, taking something out of her trench coat pocket and pressing it.
"Good question," Leon muttered as the S.W.A.T car engulfed in flames.
"He probably isn't dead, but he'll slow down enough for us to put some distance between us," Elise stated, frowning in thought. "Give me a second."
Ada was giving the bio-weapon a kindness in allowing her to run of and grab something. Leon, on the other hand, wouldn't stop watching her with worry. Ada couldn't help but almost feel sorry for the two kids. The British one didn't ask to become a weapon and Leon had the misfortune of developing feelings for her. The pale haired woman came back and handed something to him. His eyes lit up as she caught her breath.
"I take you two put the gate up?" Ada asked as she walked towards it.
"Yeah, and this," Leon said, throwing the tape recorder to her before grasping onto Elise's hand. "I was hoping you could explain what's on it."
"Maybe," Ada said, giving them a thoughtful look. "After I hear it, let's get out of here."
Ada took the lead and Leon felt a weight on his shoulder. Elise had an exhausted look on her face, but was still going strong. That's his girl. His lips went into her hair and he chuckled. They were both covered in grime, blood, and sweat. Neither smelt the best, but he still caught hints of apple from her. Ada glanced back at them and rolled her eyes behind her glasses.
"It's weird being out in the city when I haven't in days," Elise said in thought, and Leon nodded.
"It's quiet," Leon stated.
The rain was still going on, but not as heavy as it had been. The street lights lit up the area and made everything hazy. Elise picked her head up and ignored the pounding in her skull as she turned her face skyward. Leon found himself looking at her through the corner of his eye, enjoying how the lights lit up her eyes. She pushed further into him when they got too close to one of the empty cars. His hand brushed against her thigh and she shivered the slightest. She wasn't cold, and he knew that.
"Was that the intel you needed?" Leon asked Ada as she finished listening to the recording.
"No, Ben didn't come through," Ada stated, frustrated by the situation.
"Well, what exactly were you looking for?" Leon pressed.
"More info on the people responsible for this mess," Ada answered.
"Good luck, information on Umbrella is difficult to get," Elise said, feeling a thumb rubbing her knuckles.
"You are a bit too sharp for your own good," Ada gave her a warning.
"It's simple logic," Elise stated, not caring for the warning from a woman who knew what she was. "Umbrella corporation runs the hospital here, and when it comes to the hospital there's always someone there to experiment on an unknown patient with no background or family."
Ada had a feeling this woman was going to cause her trouble, but the insight she held was fascinating. A bio-weapon that could blend in so well to normal humans was unheard of, the giant tyrants being the usual offenders. Alice Winters had done an amazing job at creating it. Now, she had to find the other woman.
"Road's out, going through that gun shop looks like the only way," Ada pointed out.
Elise couldn't help but look around sadly. The store was a complete mess, with trash covering the floor and guns knocked to the ground. The damage done to the weapons would make it impossible to use, and the lack of ammo would make it ridiculous to take with them. She did, however, find a scope for her rifle. Ada watched as the woman frowned in thought and slowly attached the scope as Leon stood to the side in case his help was needed. It was tooth achingly sweet, but perhaps that was needed in times like this.
"You two are strange," Ada informed Elise as Leon went to survey the area.
"Are we?" Elise asked. "I think my brother would disagree with you."
"Brother?" Ada questioned, that wasn't right bio-weapons didn't have a family.
"Yeah, my sister-in-law didn't mention that she turned her own family into a bio-weapon?" Elise's comment was paired with a dark look.
That changed a lot about her situation. Ada didn't find the relationship between the British woman and officer strange anymore. Two traumatized people getting together from shared trauma happened often. She did, however, frown at the idea that a confrontation was going to happen between Elise and Alice. An incredibly small part of her was rooting for the blonde.
"How old?" Ada asked.
"I was nineteen, it happened before I turned twenty," Elise quietly answered. "I won't forgive her, but I will happily ignore her to live my life."
When Elise said that she was watching as Leon picked up a magazine and looked through it. Her expression soft. Ada's mouth opened just the slightest before opening. That was past simple infatuation and straight to love. Elise loved that man, and didn't even know it. Stupid girl.
"Don't move," a man gruffly ordered Leon and Elise went on the offensive.
Ada watched as the revolver came into play and was pointed at the man wearing a yellow flannel jacket. Those yellow eyes were narrowed dangerously and the small hand was steady. Leon had his hands up and gave the man a serious look of his own. He was in an officers uniform and was still being held at gunpoint.
"Elise, don't shoot him," Leon gently asked and she hesitated before reluctantly nodding. "We were just passing through, please lower the weapon."
The man looked between the two and noted the badge on the woman's skirt. She was also an officer, her serious expression shifted into worry the second she glanced at the other one before she quickly looked back at him. He had never seen yellow eyes before. It was unnatural and made his skin crawl.
"Like hell I will!" He exclaimed at them. "You are all going to turn around and go right back out the way you came."
"Your daughter needs help," Elise's quiet words made the man point his gun at her, noting she had lowered hers and was sending him an understanding look.
"Don't tell me how to take care of my daughter," he snapped at her.
"Drop it!" Ada's voice made him jump and he noted he was outgunned by the three people.
Elise was watching the man's daughter as she stumbled forward. The one pale eye made her sad, knowing that the girl's life had barely begun. No first date, no driving a car, no drinking, and no more celebrations with family. Leon saw the girl and looked over at Elise, noting her expression. He wanted to comfort her, but knew the time wasn't right.
"Move aside," Ada ordered the man, seeing the wheezing girl. "We need to terminate her before she turns."
"Terminate?! That's my fucking daughter!" The man yelled at her with a glare.
"Then go to her," Elise softly said. "At a time like this, she needs her daddy."
The man looked at the British officer in confusion, before giving a nod of thanks as she gently reached forward and grasped Ada's wrist. Ada gave the woman an annoyed look before lowering her gun. She supposed the turned bio-weapon would know what it felt like than anyone else. Elise would never be able to tell anyone that she had wanted her daddy when she was in Louisiana. She had also wanted her brothers, but that's besides the point. That was his baby, and she wasn't about to stop him from wanting to protect her.
"Emma, sweetheart I sold you to stay put," The man called to his daughter, just for him to call for him. "Daddy's here. I'm here, okay?"
Leon knew that Elise had grabbed onto his hand for comfort and he intertwined their fingers for comfort. He wanted to step forward to help, but stopped himself. The man wouldn't appreciate his words with what's happened.
"Those fuckin' things outside…look what they did to us," the man stated, sniffing just the slightest. "You two are cops, you're supposed to know something, how did this happen?! She was our sweet little angel."
"Mommy?" Emma's wheeze made Elise bit her lip in an attempt to not cry for the girl.
"Mommy's sleeping, honey, ok?" The man told Emma, his voice cracking a little. "I'm going to put you to bed too, okay, Emma?"
Leon felt Elise's hand tremble and looked towards her to see that she was looking at the ground while silent tears went down her face. He hoped that he would never have to make the choice the man was. Elise brought her free hand up and wiped at the tears going down her face. It wasn't the time to cry.
"Go, give us some privacy," the man said as he picked up his daughter and began to walk to the back room.
"You're too soft," Ada informed Elise as the door slammed.
"You know," Leon stated, upset at everything that was happening. "It's one thing to keep the truth from us, but why him?"
Ada raised a brow and Leon grew frustrated with the woman. Elise was quiet, silently agreeing with the other woman that she was too soft. Alice thought the same as well. Leon knew she was soft, and he loved that about her. His mind came to a halt at that realisation. His hands fell to his side as he heard a gun go off.
"I want to find out what's happening here," Leon informed Ada. "And stop whoever is behind it. Helping people like them is why I joined the force."
"My mission is to take down Umbrella's entire operation," Ada informed him, stepping forward and grasping onto the help. "We may not make it out."
"Whatever it takes to save this city," Leon said, no hesitation in his voice. "Count me in."
"Me as well," Elise stated. "I have a major bone to pick as you yanks say, Umbrella has messed with enough lives."
"Fine, but remember that I did warn you both," Ada sighed.
"I understand," Leon nodded.
"Then let's go, we have a city to save," Elise said, giving a confident look even with puffy eyes and a tear streaked face.
Ada found a respect for the woman she saw as too soft. She put her hands into her trench coat pocket and took the lead again. The two officers followed behind like ducklings and she smirked a bit. She knew that if she looked back she would see them holding hands and taking comfort in one another. Cute.
"So, who is it in Umbrella that you want to take down?" Elise asked.
"Annette Birkin, she's the one at umbrella responsible for unleashing the virus," Ada answered. "I'm going to bring her down."
The rain started again and Elise ignored it as it hit her eyes and slowly drenched her. She was more or less looking at the giant sinkhole in the middle of the road. It was one of the few things that she agreed with Ben on. The sinkhole was horrible for the city, and she could barely make out what looked like tracks going into it. She heard Ada's heels click as she led them through a construction zone. Leon gave her a smirk when he reached for her as they came across a landing they had to jump down. His hands wrapped around her waist with ease, finding their spot.
"Based on what I've heard so far, the sewer seems fitting," Leon commented as he looked down into the sinkhole himself.
"Well said, after you," Ada said, motioning him forward into the sewer entrance. "I can't imagine a real scientist being down here."
"Is it sad that I can?" Elise asked as she stepped in something and simply pulled her foot out while making a face.
"According to HQ this leads right into the secret facility," Ada informed them, watching as the two went down the right path.
"The sewers are run by the city, how could they have a facility without the authorities knowing?" Leon asked, frowning a bit.
"Welcome to corporate America," Ada dryly commented. "Umbrella's controlled Raccoon city for years."
"I'm shocked," Elise's comment was just as dry. "There's something moving down here and I can't get a fix on it."
"You can hear that well?" Ada asked.
"If it's a big enough creature I can," Elise stated. "I haven't had much practice on small creatures."
"She was able to keep tabs on the tyrant," Leon added and Elise blushed at his proud expression.
They went down a dark corridor and Elise turned her head to the side, listening to whatever she was hearing move. It slithered around, but also had footsteps. They came near an iron gate that had some light behind it and whatever it was moved. It let out a roar and Leon's eyes widened in fear and disbelief.
"What the hell?" Leon asked Ada.
"Stay sharp, god only knows what's down here," Ada told him.
"Probably something mutated," Elise said. "I feel bad for whatever it is."
The dark corridor ended and outside of it was a metal catwalk, showing the sewage-filled waters below. Elise's nose crinkled at the smell, and her eyes began to water. She almost missed the smell of bayou. The family inside her head let out sounds of agreement and she got the strangest sensation of someone covering their nose to keep out the smell. The others in the group tried not to gag at the smell as Elise shook her head. The catwalk came to an end, and there was nowhere else to go. Ada looked at Leon and he blinked when Elise looked back in confusion. Leon sighed as he looked at the sewage.
"Sorry, love," Elise apologised to him, giving his cheek a small peck before he readied himself to jump down.
He jumped, and promptly got splashed in the face with sewer water. His groan of disgust made Elise give him an apologetic smile when he looked back up at the two women.
"You really like him," Ada commented as Leon wiped at his face.
"It's hard not to," Elise said.
"Are you sure this is the right way?!" Leon called up to Ada.
"Unfortunately," Ada called back down.
"Leon, you need to start running," Elise yelled down to him, picking up something moving. "Whatever it was earlier is moving towards you, and fast."
"Jesus Christ!" Leon exclaimed when whatever she was hearing burst through the wall.
It was an alligator and Elise briefly wondered if there was some kind of myth about American sewers. In fact she was sure there was. Leon took off in a sprint and Ada stood up with a huff. She couldn't believe that these two got into such trouble without trying. Elise was already on her feet.
"Follow me," Ada ordered and Elise nodded.
"I'm impressed you can run in those," Elise said, noting the heels.
"It's a well earned skill," Ada said, sending the other woman a small wink.
Elise smiled a little before hearing something break down in the sewer. Ada took them through a side passage in the tunnels. Elise ignored her feet going into small piles of trash as she listened to Leon fight against the mutated alligator. They ended up on another catwalk and they looked down below to see something in the water. A figure burst through and Elise's shoulders slumped in relief. He was all right.
"Chew on that you overgrow son of a bitch," Leon told the alligator when it exploded.
"Leon, up here!" Ada called down to him, motioning for Elise to release the ladder for him.
"What the hell was-" Leon's question was cut off.
"Just get up here," Ada said, shaking her head. "He's certainly something."
"Yeah," Elise agreed, and Ada shook her head again.
Idiots, the two of them. Still, she couldn't help but watch as the British woman embraced Leon the second he was situated on the catwalk. His smile was warm as his arms went around her waist. Ada couldn't help but note that the two of them fit together perfectly. His hands were on her lower back and his fingers were splayed to get the most amount of area covered.
"And you think I worry you," Elise informed Leon, her voice muffled by his wet vest.
"I'm okay, sweetheart," Leon softly told her, feeling her arms squeeze him a little before she released him to step back.
"We have a mission to finish," Ada reminded them, breaking them out of the strange staring contest they were in.
"Who does Umbrella sell monsters like that to?" Leon asked as Ada went back to leading them around.
"They sell the viruses that make them," Ada corrected him.
Ah. Elise stopped for a few seconds. So that's why Alice decided to do all of this. To change things, to turn back the clock so to speak. For financial gain and recognition. Well, if the government decided to be somewhat kind to her, then she was going to protect her family from Alice. Her eyes slowly went to Leon, and traveled down to his backside. Leon was included in that, her heart was set on him. No wonder her Umma and Dad were inseparable. Her mum and dad had been the same way as well, but she had been unfairly taken away from them.