deernet | accidental video; un: LSKennedy

Entry tags:

accidental video; un: LSKennedy

[bc of the sheer length of the memories, I'm putting them in the comments to spare the community all that scrolling.

please take note of the following content warnings for Resident Evil ZOMBIES. Lots of it. I'm serious there's a lot of zombie horror. Graphic violence and gore, gun violence, shooting, murder, violence against zombified animals, animal death, minors in peril, child death, dismemberment of zombies, cannibalism, infection, medical experimentation, human experimentation, government corruption, police corruption, virus outbreaks, terrorism, biological terrorism, gory and horrific transformations into cannibalistic monsters, body horror, general horror in spades. the memories include some blurry consent lines (Leon is kissed by someone who is lying to him about her actual job) and PTSD and some alcohol abuse.

I'll edit with headings once all the open comments have been posted!

RESIDENT EVIL 2 MEMORIES
- First zombies / meeting Claire
- Marvin Branagh
- The Kiss
- Leaving Raccoon

RESIDENT EVIL 4 MEMORIES
- Saving Ashley
- Reunions
- A moment's relaxation

RESIDENT EVIL 6 MEMORIES
- Shooting the president / meeting Helena
- Reunions, again
- Reunions, again, not feat. Ada]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A much younger Leon, no more than twenty-one, steps into a dark, deserted gas station. He weaves around the shelves, fear written across his face, a hand already on the handle of his gun and the other hand holding up a flashlight. Something's not right, and he says as much out loud, eyeing the darkened interior, the bloodstains, the spilled merchandise across the floor. He stops when he sees a man sitting against the wall near the door, and kneels down, worry flashing over his face.]

You all right? [he asks while checking. It doesn't look good: there's a chunk that's been bitten out of the man's neck, and Leon wonders uneasily if there's a rabid animal roaming around the station. He can't think of anything else that might've been able to simply tear a chunk out of somebody like this.] Don't move, okay? I'll be back for you.

[He stands up, and the man wordlessly points to the back of the gas station. Leon lets out a breath, then walks further inside. The door behind him shuts, the lock clicking, and Leon frowns, knocks on the door.] Hey, what're you doing? [No answer. Already unsettled, Leon continues on, flashlight illuminating the door ahead, and when he pushes it open, his flashlight illuminates a struggle between two men: a police officer and someone snarling, biting, clawing at him.]

Officer, you need help? [Leon is already pulling his gun, stepping closer. He freezes in place when the officer turns and snaps back:] Stay back, sir, I got this!

[But he makes the mistake of holding one hand out to stop Leon, and that's all that the other man needs to tackle him and pin him down. Over Leon's horrified shouts (get off him!), the man bites into the officer's neck and tears a chunk of flesh free. Leon is frozen in place, eyes wide and terrified, as the man's head lifts to reveal dead eyes, pale skin, and blood smeared all over his mouth. It's like the money shot in a zombie movie, except this isn't a movie—this is real, the blood and the gore and the officer dying beneath the zombie. Leon points his gun, and snaps out:]

Freeze! I'll—I'll shoot!

[The zombie doesn't freeze, just lurches toward him. Leon's first shot lands center of mass, like he'd been trained to, but it doesn't even slow him down. The next shot is to the head, and the next and the next, before the zombie collapses, seemingly unmoving. Leon bolts for another door to yank it open, but the doorknob rattles in his hand. Locked. He quickly turns around.] Key, I need a key, it's gotta be around here somewhere. [Some searching yields the key, and Leon pockets it with a relieved sigh. Then he hears a telltale groan, and he turns around to see the zombie's beginning to rise back up.]

What the fuck? [Yeah, no, he's not dealing with this. He practically books it back toward the door, kicking some items over to slow the zombie's advance, and bursts back out into the grocery store, where more have appeared, having broken down a back door. Leon weaves around the shelves again with a panicked litany of curses under his breath, and his eyes briefly catch on the man from before, the one who'd had a chunk of his neck bitten out. His eyes are just as dead as the zombies'. That delay nearly costs Leon, because hands burst forth from behind the beer can display, and it's only how quick he is on his feet that saves him. He rushes up to the door, just in time for a a young woman to push the door open. She's alive, but the relief Leon feels at the sight of her is quickly quashed by the zombie coming up behind her.

He pulls his gun back up. The woman throws her hands up.] Don't shoot!

Get down! [She ducks, and Leon's gunshot kills the zombie behind her. He rushes to her side, but she's standing on her own, and he pulls the door behind them both.] You all right?

Yeah, think so. [She looks up at him, grins, relieved.] Thanks.

You can thank me later. When we're safe. [And they're not safe yet, so the two of them duck and weave around the mob of zombies trying to catch them, just barely managing to make it to a police car conveniently located on the grounds. Leon takes the driver's seat, the woman the passenger seat, and the car practically tears out of the gas station, racing to Raccoon. Leon glances worriedly back at the station, then looks back at the road ahead.]

What the hell's going on? [The girl.]

I don't know. [Leon, honest.] Maybe they'll have some answers at the police station.

Wait, you're a cop?

Yeah. Leon Kennedy. And you are...?

Claire. Claire Redfield.

[This younger Leon has his uniform on now, body armor keeping the bites from breaking his skin, and is trying to wake an older, dark-skinned man on a bench. The man's clutching at his side in his sleep, and it doesn't look good. It looks like he's lost quite a lot of blood despite his and Leon's best efforts, in fact. Beyond them is a statue of a woman holding scales aloft, and below her is what looks like a freshly opened passageway.]

It's time to go, [says Leon, all hope and optimism. He reaches a tentative hand out, says,] Hey, Marvin...

[The man, Marvin Branagh, sits up with a familiar snarl. But then he shakes his head, and his eyes clear. He breathes hard, looking away from Leon as Leon kneels down.]

Look, we need to get you to a hospital right now.

[Marvin shakes his head again, his breathing coming fast. He's sweating, sick and dying, and he knows it. Leon does, too, but his eyes are still bright, the way those who know Leon in Trench have never seen out of him before. He wants to save this man. He thinks he still can. He's young and he's hopeful, and he has all the reckless optimism of youth, still. Marvin...well, Marvin looks like a man who's going to die and has accepted it, but he is not going to take this rookie down with him.]

No, no, I...Save yourself.

[Leon reaches for him, as if to pull him to his feet.] Come on, Lieutenant, I've got you—

No! [Marvin shakes him off, turned away from him.]

Look, [says Leon,] we can still make it out of here together, if you just gimme—

[And he steps back, as Marvin pulls his gun on him.]

Sir...?

It's too late. [Every word the Lieutenant says sounds like it's taking a great deal of effort to say. His eyes are still clear, but the virus is working on him now, and he's got maybe an hour left before he turns. The wound is still bleeding, sluggishly.] I tried, Leon, but I couldn't stop it. We can't let this thing spread. It's on you now. Just go.

[Leon swallows, his hand twitching as though he wants to do it anyway, then nods and steps away.] I understand. [He walks away, and doesn't look back until he's in the passageway, watching Marvin as the door closes. He lets out a breath.] I won't let you down, Marvin.

[The memory skips ahead, then, like a VHS tape. Leon's back in the precinct, looking for something, and when he steps back out into the hall with the statue, he catches sight of the lieutenant, walking around. Or shambling around, moaning like all the rest. Leon's breath catches in his throat, and he croaks out a word:] No...

[Marvin's shambling corpse turns towards him, and lurches toward him. Leon backs away quickly, eyes hardening, and unlike the first time, this time his shots land true, dropping the zombie that used to be Lt. Branagh to the floor. Leon drops his gun arm afterward, stares down at the corpse, and breathes out slowly. His fingers twitch again.] I'll make this right, Lieutenant. [And he walks on, stepping over the corpse.]

[A woman dressed in red sits on a bench, a bandage wrapped around her leg. She looks at Leon with an unreadable expression, but because this is Leon's memory, there's some tenderness there that disappears the second Leon looks at her, replaced with calm professionalism. Leon's still dressed in his uniform, but now there are bandages wrapped around his shoulder, and it's obvious the thing's been through some hell now. It's grimy and bloody in a way it wasn't before in the precinct, and Leon's eyes aren't quite as bright as they used to be as he turns to her.]

You know what I was thinking? I can't wait for the FBI to raid Umbrella headquarters and bring those bastards to justice. [He means it. There's a fire there that's long smothered by the time of Trench.]

I agree. But to be clear? You're not working in official capacity. This is a federal case. [She sighs.] Once we get the G-Virus, I'm back on my own.

[Leon turns away then, hands resting on the console.]

Hey, Leon?

[He turns back to her, steps closer. His fingers twitch, longing to reach for her.]

You trust me?

[Leon—hesitates. In the dim light, it's hard to really make out his expression, but then he gets back on her level, his footsteps loud against the metal.] You trust me? [He hasn't answered the question, and the woman seems to register that.]

Honestly, if I didn't, you'd probably be dead.

Right. [It's not quite the answer Leon was hoping for, his shoulders slumping. But he turns back to her when she speaks up again:] Look, I thought I might need your help, and I was right. If we can secure the G-Virus, I can make sure what happened in Raccoon City never happens again.

Ada... [Leon sits down next to her, concerned.] You said it yourself, it's a federal case. I don't have the authority to—

Leon, look at me. [She gestures to the bandage around her leg, stained with her blood. It's too small to be a zombie bite, thankfully, or else they would be having a very different conversation.] I'm a liability now. If I'm gonna finish this case, you're the last hope I've got. [Memory plays tricks on everyone. Maybe she didn't look away from him in real life as she spoke, maybe she didn't hesitate to lie to him. But Ada looks away here, her words pausing for just the briefest moment before she continues on. Leon looks at her with a soft, sad look in his eye, then says:]

I'm not just gonna leave you here. What if you're attacked, what if you need help—

[She leans forward and shuts him up with a kiss. Leon's eyes flutter closed, and his hand comes up to rest on her cheek, and for a moment all that matters is this: her lips on his, her skin warm against his palm, his heartbeat racing. He kisses her back, and when she pulls away her hand briefly drifts down to touch his chest. She smiles, soft and sad.] I'll be fine.

[The tape skips. Suddenly they're not on a cable car anymore, but on a bridge, in an underground lab that's collapsing all around them, in front of an elevator shaft. She's made it out of the car, limping as she walks, and he's coming out of one wing, holding on to something. He stops when he sees her, and his fingers twitch toward her again. But he sucks in a breath, and his eyes harden, darken. He walks closer and calls:] I was just thinking about you.

That makes two of us! I was getting worried. [She limps towards him, obviously relieved, but looks up as something explodes above them. Leon doesn't.]

Y'know, we make a good team, but I gotta ask you something.

[Ada limps down the stairs, looks at him, really looks at him.] The way's clear. Please, tell me you got it.

Oh, I got it. [His voice is low.]

Let me verify the G sample and we'll get the hell out of here.

[Leon pulls his hand, the one holding the G-sample, away from her. His expression is stormy.] Before we do that, I ran into Annette. [A glance back at the lab he came out of.] She claims you're not FBI. [Ada's expression changes, from someone upholding a con to someone who knows the jig is up. She sighs, her head turning away from him.]

Oh, Leon. [She pulls a gun, then, her eyes hard and steely.] Why couldn't you just hand over the sample?

Because I realized, as much as I wanted to trust you, [and he pulls his own gun now on her,] I didn't.

I really hoped it wouldn't end up like this. [It's been so long that Leon's memory could well be exaggerating the sincerity in her voice. But he's the only one who knows her well enough to tell when she's being sincere, and her hand seems to shake, just a little. Or maybe that's just the ground shaking around them.]

So that's all this was? I was just some pawn to you?

Look, I'm just doing my job.

And I'm doing mine, so drop that damn gun! [An explosion sounds in the distance, much closer now than before. Chunks of the ceiling are falling all around them, and some hit the bridge they're on, right behind Leon. He doesn't even flinch.] I'm taking you in.

Hand over the sample, Leon. I don't want to hurt you.

[Leon stares at her, catches the sincerity in her voice, the way her hands shake. His eyes meet hers, and he pulls his gun away from her, lets her have a clear shot at him. If she shot him now, she'd have an easy time getting the sample from the hand that's clutching it tightly, but he's watching her like he knows.] Then you shoot me, but I don't think you can.

[Her hand shakes. For a moment, all that matters is this: her eyes on his, the cold glass of the sample against his fingers, his heartbeat racing, still. Because it's her. Even now, even here, he knows: he could never hurt her, either. Then she pulls the gun away from him, dropping it to her side, and lets out a breath. He smiles, just the tiniest smile—

—And then a shot rings out, and slams right into her shoulder. Leon turns to look at where it came from, but whoever did it is gone from view, chunks of ceiling blocking them from Leon's sight. He rushes to her, trying to catch her, but she goes over the edge and Leon barely, just barely manages to catch her hand, the sample tumbling out of his grasp. She dangles over a long drop as the sample falls, and looks down. Was she really so fearful, then? He doesn't know. It's been a long, long time, and Leon's memory plays tricks on him, sometimes.]

Hold on! I think I can—

[The bridge underneath them begins to give way, and Leon just barely manages to hang on.] Shit!

Forget it.

Shut up, I've got you. [His shoulder is burning, but he's hanging on to her anyway. He won't let go. He can't.

His grip slips.]

It's not worth it.

Don't do this. Please, just let me—

[She looks down, then back up at him, as his grip is slipping, despite his best efforts. Was she crying then? Is this a trick of his memory?] Take care of yourself, Leon.

[Her hand slips out of his, and she falls from the bridge.]

No, no, no, Ada! [Her name slips out of his mouth in a grief-stricken scream, and his hand still reaches for her even though it's too late, and she's gone. His breath catches in his throat, and his eyes water, and he stays there for a second, two, three—it's only the sound of something slamming into what's left of the bridge that breaks him out of his thoughts, and even then he glances downward. He lets out a breath, then rushes into the elevator, the doors sliding shut. There, as it descends, Leon slumps against the wall, too exhausted to weep.]

[A young girl clings tightly to Leon and Claire, wearing Claire's jacket, as the three of them walk out into the sunlight together, finally out of Raccoon. She points down the road, says:] Look! There's someone coming!

[Claire doesn't let her guard down as the truck comes down the road, but looks at Leon. She's grimy now, as exhausted and dirty as he is, but she looks less injured.] What if it's not just the city?

[Leon nods.] Get Sherry out of here. [As Claire pulls Sherry away, Leon stays to the side of the road, sticking a thumb up in the universal hitchhiker's sign, one hand on his gun. The truck blows past him in response, the driver sparing just enough time to flip him off. Despite himself, Leon laughs.] Well. He was friendly.

[Claire and Sherry rush out of cover. Claire says,] So. Is it over?

I don't know. But if it's not, we'll stop it. Whatever it takes.

[The three of them walk away, Sherry hanging on to them once more, talking about puppies, parrots, a pet.]

[It's a cold night in Spain, and Leon is older now and kind of missing his jacket. At least it was warm and had a granola bar in the pocket. He hopes whoever took it enjoys it. Right now, he's in what looks rather like a church, but it's not like any kind of church most people might expect from a 21st-century Earth: the symbology is significantly different, and it's forebodingly empty. There's not even a janitor around doing the cleaning, or a priest checking that all's clear for Mass. Instead, there's just Leon, messing with a light show, and stepping back to watch the colors combine into a strange symbol.

Something opens off to the side, where a young girl is weeping softly. Leon walks up, gun held at the ready, then stops briefly at the door.

He sets his gun back into its holster, then turns the knob and pushes the door slowly open. Then he ducks a piece of wood thrown at his face, as a young girl tries to cower away from him.]

Don't come any closer!

Ashley! [He sounds relieved to see her, holding his hands up to show her he means no harm.] Hey, take it easy.

Get away!

[He sighs, then kneels down to meet her eyes. She's young, he can see that, just past twenty. Jesus. And the cult kidnapped her? For what? She's the president's daughter, Kennedy, why wouldn't they?]

Calm down. Everything's gonna be just fine. [He gives her a reassuring smile, and she blinks at him, frowning.] My name's Leon. I'm under the president's order to rescue you. [Well, really he was supposed to be more of a recon unit, but things kinda escalated more than he thought they would. Her father's title is enough, however, for Ashley to fully relax, leaning forward with wide eyes.]

My father sent you?

That's right, and now I have to get you out of here. [He offers her a hand up, and she grabs hold of it, lets him pull her to her feet. She doesn't look like much, doesn't seem like she can do much in the way of combat. He'll have to keep her safe, hide her from her kidnappers somehow. And he's got to contact Hunnigan, let her know to send someone to extract them as soon as possible.] Now come with me.

[Maul watches the memory with quiet pensiveness, most of his interest lying under the surface right now. He's been a bit more subdued since his own memories were broadcast on the network.]

Did you end up being successful in rescuing her?

[Ashley's nowhere to be found, in this memory, but Leon doesn't look too broken up about it. Determined to find her, sure, but he's not close to falling apart the way he was with Ada, years ago. He's moving through a castle straight out of a gothic horror novel, gun held at the ready, and walks into an ostentatiously-decorated bedroom. He's looking around first to see if there's anything out of the ordinary, something like a secret passageway, before he feels cold metal press against the small of his back.

A familiar voice says:] Put your hands where I can see them.

Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style. [Even saying it out loud he winces a little. This is what he gets for trying to sound cool and collected in front of who he's pretty sure this is. The gun presses against the back of his head.]

Put them up now.

[He answers by moving to disarm her, and the flash of red confirms who this is for him, fast. He pulls the gun from her hand and she kicks it up into the air, cartwheeling back as he yanks his knife from the sheath on his shoulder and reverses his grip on it. She moves to catch the gun out of the air and point it at him, but too late, he's put the edge of the knife up to her neck. For a moment, all that matters is this: her heartbeat against his, the scent of her perfume, the inches between them. Oh, and the gun he's taking from her.]

Bit of advice, try using knives next time. [He pulls the knife away from her throat. It never even touched her skin.] Works better for close encounters. [He's casual as he says it, but he's turned away from her, because he doesn't want her to see, doesn't want her to know what she still does to him. He's missed her. He loved her. He still does. It's a mess all around. He takes the clip out of her gun, throws that and the gun to the side.]

Leon. [He turns toward her, and she takes her sunglasses off, gives him just the tiniest smile. His heartbeat races.] Long time no see.

Ada. [He's relieved to see her, he really is. His fingers twitch with how much he's missed her, but he looks away then, reminds himself the sides they're on, what else he's dug up thanks to the access his job's granted him.] So it is true.

True? About what?

You, working with Wesker. [He lets out a breath, glaring at her, knife still held ready. He knows what she'll prioritize, here and now—her job over Ashley, her work over Leon. He's wary in a way that he wasn't before, time and repeated outbreaks having done a number on his willingness to trust someone else, especially someone like Ada. But he still wants to, god help him.]

I see you've been doing your homework. [She drops the sunglasses to the floor.]

Yeah, well. I learn fast. [Raccoon did a number on him.] Why, Ada?

What's it to you? [She crosses her arms, and now her smile is more enigmatic and cryptic.]

Why are you here? Why'd you show up like this? [A sudden thought: what if she has something to do with Ashley's abduction? He's about to say it out loud when the sunglasses flash, and too late, Leon realizes: they're a flashbang, and he swears as they go off, leaving purple holes in his eyesight for a moment as he tries to shake off the disorientation. He swears he can see Ada grabbing her gun and the clip, but she's already halfway out the window when she turns back to him.]

See you around. [And she falls out the window.]

Ada! [He looks out the window, trying to catch a flash of red. Nothing.] Damn it. [Women.]

[This cult has a lot of members. Leon wonders just how many of them there even are, because surely Saddler's not that charismatic, right? Salazar certainly isn't.

Except here's one now trying to cleave his head in two, and Leon jams the shotgun in the guy's face and blows it off, then takes out the parasite that emerges from its host's now headless body. There's a lot of bodies scattered around this castle room now, many on the ground taken out with a bullet from a sniper rifle. There's a few on the level Leon's on, dead via grenades or handgun or shotgun, and thankfully no Ashley. She's seen him doing this already, but—she's just a kid, she doesn't really deserve to see so many dead bodies all at once. She deserves to be in college making her head spin over shit like chemistry or Jane Austen or if she should attend a party next week or not.

Leon will get her back to that life. He promised he would. Everything else is immaterial.

But Jesus Christ, that's a lot of people for one measly little cult in the middle of fuckballs nowhere, Spain.

Then a door opens, and Leon turns, racking his shotgun with a tired sigh.]

Leon! [It's Ashley. She smiles wide when she sees him, this young girl who makes him think, all of a sudden, of Sherry. His heart hurts at the thought of her—god, he hopes she's doing okay. Ashley races towards him, flinging her arms open wide, and Leon catches her and holds her tight, and for the first time in a long time...he relaxes.]

You did good. [He pats her on the head, looks her over when he pulls away. She looks like she's seen some shit, but she's unharmed.]

I'm sorry, if I was—

Hey, don't worry about it. [He claps her on the shoulder, squeezes gently. There really isn't anything for her to worry about from him, there's already enough to deal with. Besides, he gets it. A hellhole like this...he wouldn't wish going through it on anyone, especially some kid like Ashley.] Let's move on.

[The end of Tall Oaks (not that long ago) doesn't start with a bang, not in Leon's memory.

Instead, it starts with a zombie that used to be his friend, lurching towards a dark-haired woman. Just as the corpse is about to bite, Leon screams,] Adam! [The gunshot rings out, loud in the small room they're trapped in, but it hits its target. Of course it would. Leon's no longer that rookie trained to hit center of mass, and it's not the first time he's shot the shambling corpse of someone he'd grown to care about. The zombie collapses, and the woman, breathing hard, drops her gun and begins to cry.]

It's...It's all my fault.

[Leon stares down at the corpse, then looks up at her, eyes steely.]

I—I did this.

What are you talking about? [says Leon, the man who actually shot his friend. He's...dealing with that by not dealing with it, right now, but instead wondering: what the hell? Where was his security? President of the United States, and there's next to no goddamn security except for one agent?

The woman sniffles, wipes a tear away from her eye, then looks up at Leon.] Tall Oaks Cathedral. I'll explain everything there, Agent Kennedy.

How do you know my name?

[She opens her mouth as if to answer, but his phone rings, and he decides to table that for later to answer this call. But the woman beats him to it, pulling her phone from her pocket to answer—oh, thank god, it's Hunnigan checking in on them. Oh, shit, it's Hunnigan checking in on them. Things must be worse than Leon thought.]

Helena! Leon! Thank god you're both all right? [Hunnigan, relieved.]

How do you two know each other?

That's Helena Harper, [Hunnigan explains,] she's been with the Secret Service since last year. I can't tell you how good it is to see you two all right. Look, I hate to rush introductions but I need a report on your situation.

[Helena glances toward the body, about to say something, when Leon beats her to it:] I—I just shot the president. [...fuck.]

He'd already been infected by the time we found him, [Helena cuts in, before Hunnigan can ask Leon what the fuck was he thinking.] Leon did what he had to. He saved my life.

God help us, [Hunnigan whispers, before she sucks in a breath and is back to business: they need to get out of there, because the infection's spreading fast, three miles now past the campus perimeter and not slowing down. A leaden weight sinks into the pit of Leon's stomach, and for a heartbeat, he's the rookie again, that twenty-one-year-old kid who hadn't been prepared to walk straight into hell itself. But he swallows the lump in his throat, because he has to figure out what the hell's going on here, how did this happen, why.

Helena says,] We have to check out Tall Oaks Cathedral first. Agent Kennedy's got a lead that could tell us who's responsible for this.

[Leon looks up at her, narrowing his eyes, but goes along with it. Looks like she's got the lead here, but his gut churns uneasily. She's hiding something, he knows it, and it's been a long time since he was as trusting as he was back in Raccoon. He lies to Hunnigan, then when the phone call ends, looks at Helena.]

I got a lead?

You will if you come with me. [She leads him toward the doorway, but he stops at the doorframe, watches her back for a moment.] Leon?

Just...give me a second. [He steps back to kneel down at Adam's side, lets out a breath. This is a biohazard, he can't do what he wants to do and close the man's eyes. He thinks of Marvin from so long ago, the corpse cold on the floor, blood seeping into the tiles.] Adam, I'm sorry. [The man had been his friend. And he has precious few of those. Can't keep killing them all, or what would happen to his social life. (Distantly, he knows that joke wouldn't really help. So he keeps it quiet, for now.)

He stands now, looks at Helena, who's standing in the doorframe.] So what's so special about this cathedral of yours? You got some sins to confess? [There's a bite to his voice now.]

It's hard to explain. If I don't tell you at the cathedral, you may not believe me.

[She walks out the door, and he follows after her. Stops at the doorframe, again, and smacks the side of his fist against it. It feels good, to let that out, just a little, and she turns to see him there, staring at her with cold eyes.]

You're going to tell me everything when we're at the cathedral. Deal?

[Helena nods.] ...deal.

[They're underground. Again. It's sort of a shock more of Leon's memories don't take place underground, with just how often he finds himself there, but this underground cavern is weirdly expansive. Helena's carrying an unconscious woman in a nightgown, and judging from the resemblance, they're sisters. He wonders if this is the lead Helena was talking about, if all this was to come rescue her sister. If so, she could've told him, he would've gone along happily. He's never been able to turn down someone in need.

The sister moans as they make it into the clearing. She practically falls off Helena's back, and it's only Helena's reaction speed that saves her from knocking her head on the ground.] Deborah! Just hold on, we're almost there. [There's no holding on, though, because Leon can hear her pained cries, see the way she's clutching at her skin, nails digging in. That kind of agonizing pain...there's no surviving that, not if they don't have something that can save her.] Just stay with me, all right? Please—

[Deborah responds with an inhuman screech, as she throws her head back, her body bursting into flames. Leon grabs Helena around the middle and pulls her back, even as she flails against him, screaming her sister's name. Deborah reaches out for her, but the virus takes her over and turns her from a young woman into a corpse in a membranous cocoon. Helena pushes out of Leon's grasp, crying,] No, no, this can't be happening, Deborah, please...

[Leon pulls his handgun from its holster, as the cocoon cracks open. Something's emerging from it, and Leon's been around the bend way too long now to believe this is going to end well. The thing struggles out of the cocoon bit by bit, hope flickering in Helena's eyes, then—

A crossbow bolt flies, and hits the thing that used to be Deborah Harper dead-center of the forehead. Deborah falls back onto the ground, and Helena shrieks in shock. Leon whips around, and sees...well. Red.]

Ada. [Ada smiles at him, and for a moment, all that matters is this: her smile, her eyes, the way she makes his heart race even now and worms her way under all his defenses. Goddammit. He thought he knew better. That tape of her in the lab, emerging from a cocoon just like that one—]

You look like you've seen a ghost. [Ada's voice is light, her smile enigmatic as always.

Helena puts her gun up, pointing at Ada. Leon looks between the two of them, then at Ada. All his instincts say to let it happen, because Ada could well be a BOW. But...if so, she could've just let that thing come out of its cocoon and slaughter them both. But she didn't. He looks at her, and he knows her well enough to be able to tell.

He puts his hand over Helena's gun, and pushes it gently down. Helena collapses to her knees.]

Ada, [he says,] what the hell is going on here?

[Ada sighs.] It's complicated.

[The ground above them shudders, and Leon grits his teeth. Raccoon all over again.]

But this isn't the time, [Ada notes,] or the place. [Her eyes meet his, and...she trusts him, he can tell. He can trust her, just a little bit.]

[walking with two functioning legs, even with this sort of body, is new and embarrassingly so. nehan has gotten used to his terrible condition that sometimes he just shambles. limps. drags his left leg behind him before realizing oh right, i can use this dead limb now. and he supposes he should savor it for as long as... however long this transformation will stay, monstrous as it is.

of course, looking at the network isn't going to give him some exercise, but he cant help but stop and stare at this deluge of images on it-- someone is in trouble of some sort, and a quick glance at the username tells him that it's someone he knows.

right now he's cursing his recent change in blood type, because he could have tried to do something about this as a paleblood, not as a coldblood.]

Leon. [nehan's voice may be just a bit deeper than when they last met. part of the transformation that he's hiding behind the lack of video.

he's not sure if leon can hear him, or what the exact mechanics are with these memories, especially this one, because it seems to him that leon is deep, deep into them. recent, from the looks of the man. all he can do is raise his voice a little more.]

Leon. If you can hear me, you should respond in some way. Is this memory holding you hostage?

[It takes Leon...a much longer time than he should, really, to answer. When he does, he just sounds tired.]

I can hear you. Hi, Nehan. [A sigh.] Only as far as I'm playing a few of them over again. There's...There's a few people I haven't seen in too long.

[nehan hmms in thought, a soft, deep mumble. he's rather sure that leon didn't mean to broadcast all of that onto the network, but still...]

Unfortunately, your reminiscing wasn't private. ... I have to ask, did they bleed out into Trench, or are they still just in your memories?

Edited 2022-05-29 09:47 (UTC)

[ Gaia isn't one to butt into the misfortunes of people having their memories put on displayed for the whole network to see. Much. But that was quite a lot of Leon exposition. ]

Does this happen in your world a lot or do you go looking for these things as part of your job?

[Deadpan:] Bit of both. Going after them is my job, but they tend to happen...god, way too often. Have since Raccoon.

[Gaia sums it up eloquently.] Ugh.

I don't know what you mean by... oh wait, Racoon. Racoon City! That was a sign in the first memory right? Anyway is your whole world like that? Full of those things you call zombies and man-made monsters?

[She sounds sympathetic.]

[Well, they're not underground anymore!

They are on the ground right in front of a burning fucking airplane in China because Leon's life is a series of escalations. His fingers itch for his flask, but he needs to be sober right now, because Helena's depending on him and Hunnigan won't be happy and also, you can't shoot straight when you're drunk. But he longs for a shot of whiskey burning his throat. Doesn't, because this isn't the time or the place. He sighs, and is just about to ask Helena if she's all right when—]

Leon?

[He knows that voice. He turns around, and smiles exhaustedly, just a little bit, when he sees Sherry come out from behind a crate, with some strapping young man in tow. She's older now, god—it's such a shock to him, seeing it, the same way it'll probably always be a shock to Claire. She's not twelve anymore, he knows that, but...at the same time he can't help but see the kid he and Claire rescued back in Raccoon.]

Sherry? What are you doing here?

I'm on protective detail. [She waves a hand to the guy, and Leon nods a little in understanding. Okay. Must be something real special about him if she's protecting him.]

Yeah...I heard you became an agent.

Why are you here? [God. Sherry, an agent. Still hard to wrap his head around the concept.]

I'm tracking the man behind all this: Chief Security Advisor Simmons.

What? There must be some mistake, I report to Simmons.

[Oh fuck.]

We're on our way to meet with him right now.

Where is he?

[Sherry hesitates, clearly torn on whether to tell him where her boss is. Leon sighs, then steps forward, saying,] I need to know—

[He doesn't get far before the guy shoves him back, stepping in front of Sherry protectively. Leon blinks at him in surprise, then looks to Sherry, who's pulling him away. Jake, she'd called him. Damn strong kid. Leon can take a hit and he felt that. He looks over at Helena, who's slowly taking the safety off her handgun, but then Sherry says,] Let me handle this.

[Leon nods, still bristling when Jake pulls Sherry aside for a private conversation. He hears something about orders, then something about Raccoon, and isn't that just the cherry on top of the shit sundae so far—how much all of this just feels so much like Raccoon all over again. But...he smiles a little, seeing Sherry again. It's good that she's all right, and doing some good in this world. Claire'd be happy to hear it.]

[The voice that speaks sounds a shade breathier than usual, but the air of intelligence, and genteel condescension are unmistakable.]

There's a lot of this going around lately, isn't there, these inconveniently timed trips down memory lane?

I always suspected there was something hidden in Tall Oaks, though I was never able to get to the bottom of it. [Was that one of his painfully obvious and ill-timed puns?? Does he care? It likely sounded better in his head.]

...And it barely surprises me that Simmons became a hazard and liability. Please tell me you managed to dispatch him?

Edited 2022-05-28 00:57 (UTC)

[A groan.]

Is this common?

[Because this is just the worst.]

Haha, very funny. [Leon does not sound very amused by it. Thank god, he supposes, that whatever this was didn't spill what happened right before Leon came to Trench.] There's nothing hidden in Tall Oaks anymore. There's nothing left of the place.

[A sigh.] Yeah, Simmons is dead. Has been for a year. He left a huge mess we have to clean up, but he's dead. Helena and I killed him, god, four times until it stuck.

It's not unknown, but this run seems... out of the ordinary. I'm quarantined on a burner Omni, one might call it, for the time being, to see if it can avoid whatever's transmitting this phenomenon. I'd suggest doing the same for the time being.

...Yet another Raccoon City. Our world of origin is going to end up as cratered as the moon at this rate. It could be worse. I've seen iterations of our world of origin that were far worse.

I suppose I should thank you for that - four times over. [There's a hint of 'I'm not going to ask.'] He won't be missed, including by me. He interfered with something highly important to me

Edited 2022-07-07 05:18 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

accidental video; un: LSKennedy

RACCOON CITY RERUN

MEMORY ONE

MEMORY TWO

MEMORY THREE

MEMORY FOUR

NOBODY EXPECTS A SPANISH CULT

MEMORY ONE

Video; un: darkness

MEMORY TWO

MEMORY THREE

HONEY, I JUST SHOT THE PRESIDENT

MEMORY ONE

MEMORY TWO

un: karma (voice)

voice

no subject

video | un: gaia

video

no subject

MEMORY THREE

[Audio][UN: NOT DEFINED]

audio, un: LSKennedy

[CW: Quarantine as metaphor]