Leon sprang back into consciousness with a gasp and a horrible pain in his shoulders. The clanking of chains alerted him to the reason why. His arms were being held over his head. He sighed. "Oh, what the fuck?" He yanked down harshly on his chains.

"Hey!" Cried the man he and Rose had rescued. He was suddenly alert, eyes searching desperately for her form, but she wasn't in the room. Panic swam in him like he'd never expected. Where was she? What had those bastards done to her? "Stop it!" Hissed the man whom Leon had thus far ignored. He was chained up just behind Leon, and with a temper so short, the blonde didn't give a damn about this guy's discomfort. "Hey Yankee, got a name?"

Leon sighed again, not really wanting to be distracted by conversation. "Leon."

"Quiet type, aye? I'm Luis Serra. And guess, you, me, and your lady picked the wrong place to vacation, eh?"

Instead of answering, Leon walked around and yanked on the long chain again.

"Hey. Stop it!" Luis whisper yells. "You move, I move...and I'm beat up enough as it is!"

Leon continued to ignore him, instead pulling on the chain and looking up at the joint up in the ceiling rafters that was keeping them in place. Luis looked up, too, and smirked, impressed by Leon's sharp mind.

"I can see what you're thinking. Bet you've been in spots like this before, huh? My guess...," Leon grunted with effort as he yanked and pulled, his muscles glinting with sweat and his irritation spiking further when he realized his $600 jacket was missing. Luis didn't know when to shut up. "You're here looking for someone. One more guess...maybe, some missing senorita?"

Leon paused, looked over his shoulder from where he'd been forcing the chain, and whipped the chain so that he could force Luis to stand in front of him, arms strained way above his head. "Talk. Now," he said dangerously, nose to nose with Luis.

"Alright," Luis said, his voice strained with the effort. "Heard chatter talking about moving a senorita."

"Moving her," Leon relented on the chain and allowed Luis to drop his arms. "Where?"

"Who knows? But, later, saw some men dragging someone to the old church." He grunted and coughed when Leon finally managed to break the joint and yank the chains down. He fell to the side but caught himself before he could faceplant. Leon's shoulders screamed with relief as he wrapped the chain around his fist, eyeing a sneaky Ganado that had entered the room. Luis was completely unaware as Leon swung the chain with force at his head. Luis ducked out of the way, allowing for the chain to knock against the Ganado's head. Leon rushed forward, twisting his arms and throwing the chain around the man's neck, and pulling back as hard as he could while Luis pulled in the opposite direction, finally understanding what was happening between them. The Ganado fruitlessly swung his axe at them, hitting nothing but air.

Leon let out a guttural sound between his clenched teeth as he turned with force and knelt on the chain, snapping the Ganado's neck and ending his life. "And what about the girl I was with?" Leon grunts, turning his head when he hears Luis scurrying towards the body and rooting around in his clothes.

"No idea! I was knocked out-again," says Luis unhelpfully as he exclaims in victory, producing the key to his shackles. Luis quickly undid his own chains and held his arms out smugly as he backed away from Leon, who was advancing on him slowly.

"Hey, we're not done here!"

Luis shakes his head, a bitter smile on his face as he tosses the key to the other side of the room. "Later amigo," and then he turns and runs away. Leon sighs, feeling exhaustion and annoyance making his entire body ache as he shuffles toward the key to free himself. He had to find Rose and Ashley now, though his main priority had to be Ashley, he couldn't help that the person he was would never leave his partner behind. He'd grown to like her quite a bit since they'd gotten here. She didn't deserve this any more than Ashley did.

~~/~~

The air was thick and stale, mingled with the scent of damp wood and moisture that clung to the walls like a shroud. Rose blinked into the gloom, trying to comprehend her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was the confrontation with Mendez—the towering figure approached them, sinister intentions cloaked in shadows. The sharp hit to her head dissolved her consciousness, and now, waking alone in a dim room, fear surged through her veins.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then pushed up from the ground. The cool texture of concrete beneath her fingers felt solid—real. Panic began to settle as she noticed the absence of Leon. Where was he?

Suddenly, a shadow flitted across the doorway. Her heart raced as she scrambled back to the wall, clutching her head, recalling the pain of the blow. But as the figure stepped into the room, partially illuminated by the thin, flickering light, Rose let out a soft gasp, daring not to believe her eyes as someone she had not seen in two years flitted into the room.

Ada Wong, the enigmatic agent, stood there, her presence both unsettling and oddly comforting. She was draped in her signature red dress, the fabric shining almost as much as the determination in her eyes. Rose felt conflicted; she knew Ada had her own motives, often shrouded in secrecy. But right now, she was all that stood between Rose and whatever hell awaited outside this room.

"Ada," Rose began, her voice shaky. "Where's Leon? What happened?"

"Leon is alive," Ada assured her, her voice calm but laced with urgency. "But he's in danger. Mendez won't stop hunting until he finds him again. I need your help, Rose. You have to keep him alive."

"Mendez?"

"He's what they call...the big cheese. The village chief. He's the one who's done this to you."

Rose's heart sank as dread washed over her. That man had been massive and hadn't even flinched when she'd shot him. "Keep him alive? How am I supposed to do that? I'm just another target in this nightmare."

Ada stepped closer, her gaze piercing. "You're more than that. Leon trusts you. He fought for you, and he'll keep fighting as long as he believes he's not alone. If he loses that hope, everything will fall apart."

"Is that why you came? To use me?" Rose's voice trembled, a mix of accusation and desperation.

"Not to use you," Ada countered, her expression softening. "To help you both. Leon and I...have a complicated history."

"Seems like that's the only relationship you can handle," Rose snipes, not at all surprised that those two knew each other. She knew Ada had her own hand in bio-terrorism, though often on the opposite side that Leon had always been on.

Ada sighed and took a step toward her. "I know what you think of me, and I don't blame you. But right now, we don't have the time. Mendez has probably injected Leon with the plaga by now, which means he's going to need all the help he can get."

Rose felt the desire to throw up as her mind raced. If Ada thought Leon had been injected with whatever it was that made the Ganados...did that mean that she had, too? And...how exactly did had she ended up here, with her?

"Wait," Rose stammered, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory. "How did I get here? And why are you really here?"

Ada looked back at her with sympathy. "You were unconscious when I found you, Rose. I needed you, so I removed you from where they'd left you. I don't know if they injected you. As for my being here...let's just say that sometimes our goals align. Right now, all you need to worry about is helping Leon survive."

Rose stared her down, not trusting her for a moment. "Fine," she said finally. "But if you betray us, I won't hesitate to take you down."

Ada nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. Her voice was silky smooth, like a cat who knew they would have their meal. "Understood. Now, focus on finding Leon before it's too late." She tossed a pistol on the floor at Rose's feet, then flitted out the doorway.

Rose picked up the pistol, her eyes tracing the engraved butterfly in the silver hilt, and scoffed. The weight of the weapon was a cold reminder of the danger they were all in. She couldn't afford to trust Ada, but right now, finding Leon was all that mattered. She moved quickly, her mind racing with trying to figure out where to go first. She didn't even know where she was. The last time she'd seen him, she and Leon had been under a house by the lake.

Right, so all she had to do was find the lake, and then hopefully she'd find Leon.

She had no idea where Ada had taken her. The place was unfamiliar, a stark contrast to the village she had just left. She had to take inventory of what she had on her. Her pistol was missing, but she had Ada's side arm, so that was a relief. Her herbs were still tucked away safe in her small medical pouch, but the eggs had been smashed to hell in her pockets. She immensely regretted that decision. She still had what little ammo she'd managed to conserve. All in all, she was in decent shape. Her own communicator, thus far unused, was tucked safely in her cargo pocket. She dug it out, brushing off the egg yolk and shells, rolling her eyes at herself, and opening it up.

It took a moment, ringing with a busy signal before Ingrid's face appeared on the screen. "Rosemarie Evelyn Kidman! Thank God, you're okay!"

Rose blushed, not sure if she'd just been scolded or not. "Yeah, hey. 'Okay', is about as well as I can put it. Leon and I were separated."

"Yeah, I was just on a transmission with Leon about an hour ago."

Rose let out a relieved breath, glad that he was okay. "Is he still over by the lake?"

"I'm not sure now...hold on, let me check." There was a brief pause as Ingrid typed away at her computer, clicking through computer screens to pull up their trackers. "No, he's over by the church. Not too far from you, actually. There's an underground passage underneath a waterfall that goes straight there. I'll send you the markers on your map now."

"Thanks," Rose said. "You're the best."

"Just doing my job," replied Ingrid with a shy smile. "But uh, since you're alone, dreamy am I right?"

Rose rolls her eyes, feeling her blush deepen and Ingrid giggles when she sees it. "We're working, Hunnigan," she reminds her, trying to sound serious. Her lips twitch as Ingrid nods, holding back more snarky behavior.

"All I'm saying is you should totally ask him out when you get back. You know, if he's mentally stable enough for you."

Rose frowns, the topic of Leon's sanity a heavy one in her heart. She had no doubt that he was capable of forming connections, but he wasn't exactly accommodating to his own wants and needs. If he agreed to go on a date with her, it'd probably just be so that he wouldn't upset her...or maybe to get laid. Either option seemed like a viable choice where Leon was concerned. She didn't want it to be like that. She didn't want to be thinking about dating Leon at all. She was supposed to be his partner and his doctor, that was it! This conversation was completely unprofessional. "Not gonna happen," she says firmly. "I gotta go. Bad things tend to happen if I stay in one place too long."

"Be safe, Rose."

She hangs up the communicator transmission and pulls up her map. Her icon was a neon green, indicating her position. A red icon indicated the church, where she needed to go, and a blue icon indicated where Leon was, just south of the church. It was dark out now, and raining. It was bitterly cold, biting into her skin uncomfortably, and she really wished she'd brought a thicker jacket, like Leon's.

Rose fallowed the map closely, sticking to thick tree coverage until she found another sign that said 'Lago' on it. Soaked to the bone, she didn't really want to go anywhere near the lake at this point. She could only imagine the wind down there. Still, her map was leading her in that direction, so she sucked on her chattering teeth and jumped down a steep drop. She landed hard, sending twinges of shocking pain up her shins, and her left leg immediately gave out. She cried out as gravity pulled her back to the ground, and clenched her jaw tightly as she forced herself to stand.

The path she took seemed to have the most fallen tree branches and exposed roots. It was as if the foliage was purposely trying to slow her down or trip her up. Tree's slapped her in the face, causing small gashes to open up on her cheeks. Her temper was starting to get the better of her as she limped along, but thankfully, the few Ganado's she had encountered were easily avoidable. The path that she found herself on was littered with debris from a recent skirmish, and the rain made the ground tremendously slippery, causing mud to cake onto her boots and had almost pulled her right boot completely off. She'd had to stop to retie them.

She eventually hopped down off of a wooden platform above the lake. She'd been right, it was even colder down here. The wind ripped at her hair, pulling it loose from her braid and stung her face. She could see the tunnel just below and across a small spread of land. The dark waves of the lake licked harshly against the sandbar, crashing in displeasure that she would not have need to cross it's deadly waters. Sighing, she resigned herself to having to climb down the steep incline, and lowered herself over the edge, wishing she had Ada's grappling hook.

Luck was not on her side. As she descended, her leg once again gave out, sending her tumbling down the incline. She landed hard with the wind being knocked out of her, pain shooting up her leg, bit she quickly scrambled to her feet. She couldn't afford to be down for long. The tunnel entrance was within sight, and she knew she had to keep moving. Her knee felt like all the cartilage had been ripped out as it buckled on her first step, and she screamed through her teeth as she kept herself from falling again. She was covered in mud now, caked on her clothes and any exposed skin. The rain chipped away at what was on her face, but she still had to fight the tears of frustration and pain. She began to panic as she realized that her leg would no longer support her weight and she was now vulnerable and exposed.

The waves of the lake seemed to mock her helpless state. She could see the tunnel entrance, but it might as well have been miles away. Damn this rain. Damn this cult. Damn Ada Wong, and God Damn this bum leg! Desperation clawed up her throat in a sharp cry of agony as she forced herself to drive forward, dragging her leg as if it weren't her own. Each movement sent a jolt of electricity through her entire body. She had to get out of the rain, and then she could take some of those pain meds she'd been saving. A humorless chuckle escaped her when she remembered them, and with renewed vigor, she forced her way to the entrance of the tunnel and into relative shelter. At least the rain would be out of her face.

She finally let the tears roll down her face when she reached the mouth of the tunnel. Shivering, she leaned against the sharp, jagged wall and slid down, ignoring the scraping on her back. Her good leg pulled up to her chest and her bad one stretched out across the floor. Her hand foundered around her pockets for her aid kid, and she pulled it out with a sigh of relief, only to freeze when she heard a new sound. It was a low, guttural growl. Turning to peer into the darkness of the cave, she could see two yellow eyes, menacing and hungry, staring at her from just a few feet away. The dog had been injured severely, and her heart raced as she realized that she had no choice but to fight. Drawing her weapon, she prepared for the beast to attack, and scrambled back up, using the wall for support.

The dog lunges, and she narrowly dodges the attack, feeling a rush of air as it snaps its jaws at her. Shakily, she raises the gun and fires. The dog screeches, having been hit in the leg, and propels itself away from her before turning around and lowering itself on all fours, ready to pounce on her again. She shoots twice, the bullets lodging themselves in the dog's head. She sighs as the dog drops to the floor with a whine, and she starts to relax again. To her horror, the dog gets back up, its body splitting in two from its head to its shoulders, revealing horrifying tentacles and a row of huge, sharp teeth.

"Are you serious?" She gasps, backing up clunkily as she raises her gun again and fires another five times before the gun clicks empty. The dog jumps on her, knocking her to the ground, and attempts to close around her. It takes all of her strength to keep the jaws separated, the tentacles stinging her as they slap against her arms and face. She screams, managing to get her good leg up to separate them a few more inches while she grabs her flash grenade from her pocket, pulls the pin, and shoves it down the things throat. She uses both her legs to kick as hard as she can, causing the beast to fly off of her, and she just manages to turn around and shield her head when the grenade explodes with enough force to cause a white hot flash to light up the space and send blood, guts, teeth, and fur flying. It coated Rose's back, getting stuck in her hair and she sobbed as she practically melted into the muddy earth.

Herbs, and pain killers. That's what she needed. The wind blew particularly hard and caused some rocks to fall, but it was enough to spook Rose. She picked up her gun again and pointed it aimlessly, her eyes darting around while she breathed deeply, trying to quail the panic that had started to consume her. When it became clear that she was going out of her mind and that nothing was there, she finally dropped the gun and dug for her first aid kit. Popping the lid on the little orange bottle, she tapped out two little white pills and threw them into her mouth, chewing and swallowing them like candy. The bitter, chalky taste grounded her, bringing her back to reality and out of her pain-crazed mind. They would kick in soon, and she would be able to get back to what she was doing. She needed to speed the process up, however. So, she unbuckled her belt and shimmied her pants down her legs, trying her best to keep her already soaking wet panties from getting muddy, she sat as far into the cave as she dared and still be able to see.

Next, she pulled out a green herb and groaned as she realized she needed to scoop up some water from outside. Crawling over, she dipped the herb in a puddle and got it thoroughly drenched, then picked up a large rock and began grinding the herb into a paste on the ground. As she carefully applied the paste to her knee, she could feel a slight cooling sensation on her swollen, red flesh that helped numb the pain. The green herb had always been a life savor in dire situations like this. She took a deep breath, leaning her head against the wall tiredly, trying to steady her nerves. The tunnel was eerily quiet now, save for the distant drip of water, the wind and rain, and her own labored breathing.

She briefly fantasized about what anyone would think-what Leon would think-if they happened across her now. She was sitting in a cave with her pants down around her calves, leaning against a wall and looking like she'd rolled around in the mud for fun. She was exhausted, and alone, and she hoped Leon was much better off than she was. Again, she wondered what she'd been thinking when she wanted to come back to work. It was funny how excited she'd been to be given this assignment a week ago. She should be on her way home by now.

As the pain began to ebb, she pulled out her map to check on Leon's location. Maybe he would have retrieved Ashley by now and all she had to do was catch up.