Chapter Twenty-Four: Separated

One hour earlier…

Sherry Birkin was swallowed into darkness, her legs bruised and banged up from her rapid descent into the sewers. She wasn't sure how far down she had fallen or if she had been taken anywhere. In fact, remembering the past five minutes was impossible. She knew Leon was above her somewhere alone probably standing around like most grown ups do when they're trying to figure things out.

She smiled a little bit at the stupid look he probably had on his face. Like a What do I do now? It was funny to think about even if it was all terrifying. Sherry had always been that way strangely able to turn horrible situations into funny experiences. Even situations that weren't meant to hold any humor whatsoever. She had always guessed she was crazy or maybe demented, laughing at dark humor more than any single normal person should.

Sherry always struggled at Umbrella Raccoon Prep Academy for that reason. Her friends stared at her questionably, boys avoided her, or at least her mind told her that. Leon reminded her of those boys from her school, youthful features and cool albeit nervous demeanor was comforting in a way. It was something that told her that even adults sometimes had no clue. Growing up with two Umbrella scientists for parents had its way of making you feel inadequate.

Leon reminded her of her own Father in way, before he became the monsters that stalked the police station searching for her. His ice-cold blue eyes and half smile was just like her father's. He had a caring look in his boyish features that made her feel safe. Now he was gone, again she was back to surviving on her own. For a moment Sherry shook with fear, her self-doubt returning again. Sherry brushed her legs pressed into her chest in the pitch black darkness of her hole.

"It's okay Sherry, just look at the bright side." Well for one, the monster was gone, she recognized it's grasp on her shoulder…Daddy. It was him she knew it, it was the only reason she wasn't dead after all. Even as a deadly monster, his commanding grasp on her shoulder felt familiar.

It pulled her down and left her, obviously it still had no reason to harm her. Sherry's tight grip on her legs loosened.

What's another good thing? Well…Leon wouldn't just leave me alone, if he could, he is going to find me.

Sherry nodded quickly in the darkness, But where am I?

Sherry got on all fours and crawled through the crawlspace she was in. Wherever she was, water dripped nearby, echoing through the chamber. She continued along until she saw a few slivers of white light in the distance. At the sight of this she crawled faster than before skittering towards the first light she had seen since coming to.

For a moment she considered calling out, to see if anyone could hear her. Maybe that girl and that other boy would hear her and come running.

What were their names? Claire? Jake? She couldn't remember, but if Leon trusted them, her intuition said she should do the same.

She opened her mouth to call out then froze, her voice catching in her lungs. Someone was already speaking up ahead, she moved fasted now through the concrete space, her hands steadying herself in the passageway. From behind cover she peaked into the light to see a man standing in a dimly lit cell. He was alone but speaking, his voice was shaky and erratic. Sherry shut her mouth instinctively, something about him wasn't right. She had never heard such unfounded terror in a person's voice as s she had in his.

His hair was slick back against his temple and tied into a short ponytail behind his head. His tan white buttoned up shirt was drab and wrinkled as if he had been by himself in the room for days. Sherry squinted to get a better view of his surroundings. There wasn't a whole lot to see, but just beyond him she could make out the iron bars of his cage.

An inmate?

It was more the reason to stay quiet and keep moving. With that thought Sherry shuffled forward trying to forget the scary man in the cell.

If I were looking for me…

Sherry had to decide where to go to find Leon, if he was looking for her he was going to pick the most likely spot. If he circled back to find her it would be somewhere before they entered the sewers but also somewhere on his way out. It made the most sense, nowhere in particular made sense, the police station was way too dangerous despite what she and her parents first thought. However the underground seemed more understandable, the cell block had the scary man in it but what about the dog kennels?

Their first pass on their way to the sewers, Leon and she had passed through the kennels that were right behind the cell block. If she passed right through the cell block, then getting back to the kennels was not impossible and could run her right through his path. With a new path in mind and the means to get there within the safety of the walls of the undergrounds, Sherry pressed on through the darkness for the kennels.

"You lost the girl?" Ada said grabbing Leon by the collar of his RPD uniform, "how do you lose a child in a zombie infested police station?"

Leon threw up his hands, the black VP70 handgun almost falling from his grasp. "I didn't lose her, something took her."

"Took her? Nothing in this place takes people, it eats them alive." Ada said, her striking gaze narrowing on Leon's clueless gaze. "Your incompetence probably got a child killed."

"She's not dead," Leon muttered.

"No offense Leon," Ada's cool voice interrupted him, "but how the hell would you know?"

Leon leaned against the opposite wall of the door to the cell block, "I don't know, there's something about her Ada, she's a fighter."

"Fine, what's her name? Maybe while your screwing around in the sewer I can call out to her while searching for John."

"Sherry, she's Sherry Birkin." Leon said.

Birkin! John mentioned that name before…

"I see," she said quietly.

"What?" Leon asked.

"It's nothing, just don't understand why a child would be here alone in the first place."

"It doesn't matter does it? If she dies Ada…"

"If she dies Leon, her blood is on your hands. Not mine."

Leon rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Look, maybe Bertolucci knows something?"

"That two bit reporter became useless the minute he locked himself behind a cage." Ada scoffed, "you wanna talk to him, go ahead."

Just then there was a clang in the back room leading to the dog kennels.

"Shit…" Leon said raising the VP70 scanning the concrete corridor.

"You get left, I got right, something comes out we keep shooting until its dead." Ada said calmly, Ada read the shock on his face as they started for the back room. She had to admit, making him squirm in boyish wonder was exhilarating.

There was another skittering noise, the pair stopped readying their weapons, Ada's finger slightly pressed against the trigger of her Walther. Suddenly a short, shadowed figure dove in front of them.

"Leon!"

"Oh my god!" Ada yelped.

Sherry threw her arms around Leon's belted waist; Leon wrapped his arm around her. "Sherry, you're okay."

Ada shot Leon a smirk, raising one eyebrow. "Always the boy scout." She whispered.

"How did you get away?" Leon asked.

"It was Dad, I mean…" her eyes met Ada's questioning gaze, "I…"

Leon met her gaze he crouched down to her level, "I must be honest I thought the worst when you slipped down the sewers."

"He won't hurt me," Sherry said, "he never has…" Leon watched her carefully. Sherry pulled nervously at the golden locket around her neck.

"What's this?" Leon asked, his fingers wrapping around the golden locket in her hand, "its pretty, was it a gift?"

Sherry opened it for him to see, Ada's eyes peered from over his shoulder. "Yeah, from my Mom and Dad, they're scientists for Umbrella."

"The big pharmaceutical company?" Leon asked, taking the locket in his hands, careful not to pull at the locket. Sherry opened it for him to see.

"See," inside the locket was a small oval picture of her family. Ada immediately recognized the Birkin's.

Hunk's targets…oh no, kids likely an orphan and doesn't realize it yet.

Their identities were unmistakable, all three blondes and blue eyes, the parents in their white lab coats and daughter with her fancy headband. She had seen the file a million times from Umbrella. That was when she saw it, the faint glow of purple hue coming from the locket's outer half.

G-Virus, either Hunk was unsuccessful or there are multiple samples.

Ada knelt beside Leon, "such a lovely gift, are your parents missing?"

Sherry looked up at her, "Umm, yes, or no, I guess it depends on how you mean missing?"

As the girl fumbled through her words and Leon watched her with concern Ada flicked her hands around the locket and as she fixed her gaze on the cheesy family portrait, tucked the faint purple vial under her watch.

"Leon, we have to locate her parents, at the very least find a way out of here."

He stood up beside her as Ada rose to join him, Sherry watched them both carefully as she closed her dangling locket.

"Now you're speaking my language,"

"First though, I have to look into something." Ada said backing away, "you two head for the sewers, find the lab. If we find her parents maybe they know a way out?"

"Ada," Leon pleaded, Sherry pulled at his uniform, he looked down at Sherry, reading her worried glances carefully. "Right…you do what you have to do. I'll get Sherry to safety."

With that Ada spun in a clean circle and jogged in the opposite direction. She had to make distance between herself and the pair, at least until she had time to verify with her contact that she held the G-Virus in her hands.

For a moment Leon stood in front of Sherry. Sherry watched him carefully, his eyes watching as the mysterious woman had taken off into the darkness. She was young, naïve, and maybe just a little in over her head but she could see the concern in his eyes for the woman.

"I'm sorry your friend had to go."

"No Sherry, it was her decision, kind of been her thing lately…" Leon chuckled, "truth is, I just don't want to be responsible for yet another person getting hurt in this place."

Sherry reached for his hand and held it tightly, "she'll be okay…she looks tough, tougher than you maybe."

"huh…" he laughed a little, "maybe."

"I just wish she would tell me what she's up to, feel like I could help her."

Sherry nodded, "you can't help those who don't want your help."

Leon nodded, his thoughts returning to Marvin Brannagh, Ben Bertolucci, and now the mysterious Ada. He hoped as they headed into the sewers Ada could follow them. At this point he wasn't sure he was ever coming back. As they headed back for the manhole behind the kennels Leon found a sheet of paper on a workbench in the storage room. He scrawled down a note for Claire and Jack and opened the manhole with the code once more.

With one last look back towards the cell block Leon sealed the manhole over them. While it was tempting to leave it open for Claire and Jack he had to consider he and Sherry's survival first. The last thing he needed was for the tyrant in the long coat to come after them. Leon drew a deep breath and pulled the manhole cover closed.