Leon and Jasper arrived back at the garbage room gate, pulled the lever, and awaited for the door to open. "Come on," The cop grumbled impatiently before he ducked down under the moving gate, Jasper followed behind him shortly.
"Where could she be?" Jasper muttered, entering the foul smelling room.
"Ada! Ada, where are you?!" Leon shouted.
"Over here!" Ada called back.
They spotted a few drops of blood and rushed towards the voice, finding Ada lying on the floor. "Ada... we were getting worried for a sec..."
"Ada, your leg!" Jasper gasped, eyeing on the sharp object embedded into her thigh.
"I can't get it out," Ada admitted, poorly concealing the pain dripping from her voice.
Leon was reluctant about removing the shard from Ada's leg, fearing she would bleed out. "I don't know if I should, uh..."
"Just do it. I can't walk like this," Ada hissed and looked away from the blonde.
"OK... It's gonna hurt," Leon said, before reaching down to grab the shard, and hastily pulled it out of her skin. Ada groaned and Leon threw the shard to the side. "Hold on... Jasper, you still have some supplies left?"
"Yeah, here," Jasper nodded and handed the gauze and the bottle of alcohol to Leon. He watched as the cop puts a dab of alcohol on the pad before he went to press it against her leg.
Ada reached out, "I can do it myself."
"Just... relax, OK?" Leon reassured her as he pressed the bandage against Ada's injured leg.
Jasper blinked at the bitter feeling that sunk into his stomach before looking away from the scene, knowing that it'll upset him even more. He knew he was jealous. Jealous that Leon was so close to Ada.
But Leon's just helping her, like he helped him with his shoulder, so what's there to be jealous of? It's not like Ada has any feelings for Leon or anything, right?
"So... what do we do now?" He heard Leon ask the woman as he wrapped the gauze around the bandage.
"Get yourselves out of here. While you still can," Ada looked into Leon's eyes, worried for the two companions.
"We're not just going to leave you. Not like this," Leon said, taken back by her words.
If those words didn't feel like he was twisting the knife deeper into Jasper's chest, he didn't know what did.
Ada shook her head and sighed. "You don't understand. The situation's worse than I thought."
"You're not getting rid of us that easy... "You protected us. Now it's our turn," Leon declared, the two looking into each other's eyes. The close contact made Jasper want to punch a wall right now, but instead, his hand curled into a fist and he clenched it tightly.
Ada looked down bashfully then turned back up. "Didn't realize we were keeping score..."
Leon reached out his hand, Ada grabbed it before he pulled her up to her feet. "Grab my shoulder," he offered, but Ada reeled back.
"Don't push it, rookie," Ada denied.
Jasper secretly rolled his eyes at the blonde's attempt to help the woman. He felt like he was third-wheeling a pair of good friends hanging out. Or a date.
"OK... Just tryna help," Leon shrugged with a boyish grin. He watched as Ada limped past the blonde, treading through the garbage. "Watch your step."
Jasper shook the thoughts out of his head. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. He knew Leon for so long that he just couldn't imagine seeing him with someone else other than him. These feelings have grown for years and it's only growing stronger at this point.
"You guys want to help? We have to get to the NEST," Ada relented.
"NEST?"
"Umbrella's lab. Right beneath us," Ada clarified, motioning towards the floor. "Annette let it slip. That's where the virus samples are. You guys up for this?"
"Think I can fit it in my schedules," Leon smirked slightly before turning to Jasper. "Jasper?"
The detective looked up quickly, feeling their eyes on him. "Yeah, sure," he nodded quickly, forcing a smile.
Ada smiled. "Come on, we got work to do."
"Yes, ma'am," Leon replied before following shortly behind her.
Jasper's smile fell as the cop and the agent walked forward before he followed as they began to walk away from the waste disposal.
"The cable car'll take us down to NEST," Ada explained as she showed them a black wristband with a green chip. "This wristband's our ticket to ride."
"Nice. Where'd you get that?" Leon asked.
"Borrowed it," Ada smirked. "Anyway, we're almost there."
"Ugh..." Outside the monitor room, Ada stumbled with a grunt and paused to take a breath. "This damn leg..."
Leon quickly offered. "Let me carry you—"
"No," Ada quickly declined, being the stubborn woman she was. "That'd only make me feel worse."
If looks could kill, then Leon would already be dead by Jasper's deadly glare burning in the back of his skull. "How's the shoulder?" He asked the cop in attempt to calm himself down.
"Worse than it looks," Leon answered honestly.
"What a pair," Ada piped as they finished crossing the bridge. "Both got one foot in the grave."
"At least we have someone else to lean on if we have to," Leon joked, making Jasper chuckle slightly.
"Yeah, but don't expect me to actually carry both of you at the same time," Jasper replied with a smile, forgetting the anger and jealousy he had earlier. After saying this, he noticed the group had reached the door to the cable car.
"That should take us where we need to go," Ada informed. She took the led and used the wristband to unlock the electronic lock. A beep sounded and the sign on the door turned green, then the door slid open.
"This may be a one-way ride. So be prepared," Ada warned the two as she entered and took a seat. Both males followed her in, Leon stepped behind while Jasper reached the controls. The detective pulled the lever to start the cable car, and suddenly the door was closing.
"This tram is bound for NEST. Do not exit until the final destination," an automated female voice spoke as they started to descend.
Jasper stared into the abyss of darkness. The lights in the tunnel were dim, creating little to no light. Remaining in the front, he folded his arms with his back turned to Leon and Ada.
"You know what I was thinking?" Leon spoke up after a moment of silence and turned to Ada. "I can't wait for the FBI to raid Umbrella headquarters and take those bastards to justice."
"I agree..." Ada started before adding, "but to be clear, you guys are not working in official capacity." Jasper listened to their conversation, deciding to keep his lips sealed. "This is a federal case. Once we get the G-Virus, I'm back on my own."
Leon turned to Jasper, looking the detective with a thoughtful expression. "Hey... Trust me?" Ada asked the cop.
Leon turned back to Ada and asked, "You trust us?"
"Honestly... If I didn't both of you would probably be dead," Ada admitted, making Leon and Jasper give each other a wary glance.
"Right..." Leon murmured.
"Look, I thought I might need your help... and I was right. If you guys can secure the G-Virus, I can make sure what happened in Raccoon City never happens again."
"Ada..." Leon exhaled and sat down next to Leon. "You said it yourself—This is a federal case."
"Leon, listen to me..." Ada started, glancing at her injured leg. "I'm a liability now. If I'm gonna finish this case, you are the last hope I've got."
It feels like Leon and Ada had completely forgot that Jasper was in the same room with them, not noticing the flames that practically fumed out of his head as he listened. He was so tempted to just take Leon away from her and claim him as his.
However, he refrained himself from doing so because: one, she is an FBI agent; two, he and Leon had spend a lot of time trying to save her; and three, he would go to jail for a long time. That's if they get out of this facility, that is.
Jasper peered over his shoulder to see Leon and Ada and payed close attention to their body language. "We're not just gonna leave you here," Leon said with disapproval. "What if you were attacked? What if you needed our help?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me," Ada reassures him as she placed his hand on the cop's knee, indirectly making the detective clench his jaw tightly. "I gotta see this through... I got plenty to live for. Trust me."
The detective saw Ada leaned forward and panic shot through him. He quickly looked through the window and saw that they were nearing their destination. He took this opportunity to interrupt the woman's actions before she could complete them.
"Hey!" Jasper called out, grabbing the blonde's attention. Ada turned to the detective quickly with a frown, annoyed that she had been interrupted no doubt. "We're here."
"Now arriving at NEST," the automated voice announced once more, as if it acknowledged the detective's move.
The cable car slowly came to a stop. "Go," Ada commanded. "Please. We don't have much time." She reached down to her wrist, unwrapped the wristband, and handed it to Leon. "You're gonna need this."
Leon nodded. "OK."
"Let's go," Jasper notified him and Leon followed him to the door.
"Hey..." Ada interjected before they exit. "I'm counting on you guys."
"We know," Leon responded before he walked forward to open the door. To the left, there were stairs that travelled down. "You ready for this night to be over?" He asked the detective.
"I've been ready since it started," Jasper scoffed, giving him a smirk.
The duo made it to a platform with a large metal door at the end. They moved to the door, and with Leon's wristband, they were able to gain access. It slowly raised as an automated voice spoke, "For your safety, stand clear until the doors are fully open."
The voice repeated the warning as the two doors opened, but the last door got stuck about three-quarters of the way up. Jasper and Leon glanced at each other and the detective shrugged, before they rushed under it, seeing as it had sparks flying off of it. Once they did, the same voice greeted, "Welcome to NEST. Enjoy your visit."
"OK... I wonder where the G-Virus is?" Leon prompted.
"I'll look around on this side, you go to that room and see if we can find anything that can lead us to the samples," Jasper instructed.
The two separated to investigate the main lobby. Jasper went behind the reception table and searched through the computers, but found nothing of use to them. He went inside the room to his right, with only a desk and a chair inside. He found a whiteboard and a note taped to it. He read it and found out that the wristbands has three levels of access: visitor, general staff, and senior staff.
Jasper exit the room and regrouped with Leon. "Did you find anything?" The cop asked.
"I found out that the wristband has three levels of access," Jasper informed and glanced at the door to his right with a two on the sign. "We're only at level one, so we can't go through that door yet."
"OK," Leon nodded as he thought aloud, "Guess we have to upgrade it."
"Maybe we can find one through there?" Jasper suggests, peering at the door they skipped when they entered.
"Yeah, let's try that."
They entered the door and found an eerie fog covering the end of the hallway, sending chills to Jasper spine. But still, he advised to Leon, "Stay close."
The fog was really thick that they can barely what was in front of them. Luckily, their flashlights helped clear the air a little. They saw an orange sign above pointing in both directions; a cafeteria on the left and a bathroom on the right. The door to the right was blocked with a stack of boxes being titled to the side, so they were forced to go left.
Jasper and Leon saw blood splattered on a wall as they flashed their lights and turned a corner. Immediately, a growl was heard and Leon wasted no time laying two bullets into the zombie's head. There was one eating a corpse, but Jasper shot it while Leon took care of another one that was rising from the floor.
"Our menu is designed for your nutritional needs using our latest biological research. Please enjoy our tasty selection of healthy foods," the voice announced.
"I'll pass," Leon commented with a grimace look while looking over at Jasper, waiting for a response, but he kept his eyes forward. Confused, the blonde frowned as to why the raven-haired ignored him and his joke.
Jasper searched the area once he heard no growling. The tables and chairs were scattered all over the area along with blood splattered. Leon pointed out the kitchen that was visible from the cafeteria. "There's an open vent in there. Maybe we can find a way in or something."
Jasper spotted a ladder on the far side corner. "This might lead us there, you stay," he offered, already walking to stand in front of it.
Leon was reluctant on the detective's offer. "You sure? I can—"
"It's just a vent, Leon," Jasper argued. "And I can take care of myself."
"Are you OK?" Leon questioned, his voice genuinely curious.
"Yeah. Yeah, why?" Jasper responded, somewhat too quickly.
"I've noticed that you were quiet upset back at the garbage room, and now you're still acting weird," Leon recalled his observations. "I just wanted to know why."
Jasper raised his eyebrows, shocked that he noticed. "That's... It's nothing," he answered reluctantly. "It's not that important."
Leon raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not convinced by his reasoning. "Well, it sounds important to me."
"It's not, really," Jasper argued. "I just... wanna get out of here as fast as possible."
Leon still wasn't convinced, but he brushed it off anyway. He reached down to take off the wristband and grabbed Jasper's hand, attaching the plastic band around his wrist. "It's best if you hold on to it."
"You sure?" Jasper inquired doubtfully.
"Of course. I trust you," Leon replied.
Jasper looked at him with a thoughtful expression and smiled softly. He turned around before climbing up the ladder to the vent. He made it into the vent smoothly and stepped lightly through it. It was a large vent that he was able to stand fully. He used his flashlight to observe the path in front of him. Jasper turned a few times before coming to a area where the vent was propped up in the kitchen.
Jasper jumped down with ease. Now, he was on the opposite side of the cafeteria, the kitchen. He found a door and walked through it, only to be surprised by a zombie that attacked out of nowhere. Jasper whipped his knife out and stabbed through the monster's skull, making it crumple to the floor as he took his blade back.
"Jasper?! Are you OK?!" Leon shouted worriedly from the other side.
"I'm fine!" Jasper shouted back. "Just a quick scare."
To the left, there was a level two clearance door, but to the right, there was one that didn't require such. He entered it and found a blinking blue light illuminating the dark room he was in.
He walked over and observed it the light, which came from the wrist on a bloody arm that was reaching out. He found out that he found a level two chip for the wristband and cheered silently. He glanced at the arm before muttering. "Sorry..."
Jasper carefully removed the chip from the wristband and inserted into his. He looked around the room more and found a radio box. He walked over and observed it. It said MUF on it, he was missing a box that was supposed to go into the middle of the machine.
Jasper turned around and walked out of the door, then past the second door. "Hey. Looks like I've upgraded it," he told Leon as soon as he exits the cafeteria.
"Nice work," Leon approved.
Jasper and Leon returned to the reception room and a voice spoke, "Dr. Li, your presence is urgently requested by Chief Cartwright in the East area."
Jasper looked down at the wristband and speculated, "I think the chip I grabbed earlier was from Dr. Li."
"Should we go find this Chief Cartwright?" Leon questioned.
"We might as well. But still, we have to find that G-Virus," Jasper notified and Leon nodded.
They moved to the level two door. This time, the door opened and Jasper's jaw dropped as he took in the new area. "Holy shit..."
The room was massive. There were three platforms splitting away from the outer walls, with a large glass tube in the middle and a catwalk connecting to their platform. Below them was just an abyss of darkness. Large black print labeled East and East were on either side of the laboratorium. Below them was an abyss of darkness. Jasper mentally noted for himself and Leon to stay away from the railing.
There was a body of a dead soldier laying against the platform they were on. Leon observed the body, making sure that the body stayed dead before he picked up what was in his hand. A recording. Leon listened to the audio while Jasper was granted access to press the button on a machine, extending a bridge for them to cross over. He noticed that Leon had finished listening and asked, "What was it?"
Leon summarized, "It was a recording of a team infiltrating the lab. I learned that the G-Virus is in the West area."
"Well, we better get going. God only knows who or what else could be down here with us," Jasper said.
Jasper and Leon walked across the metal bridge and made it to the central platform where the glass tube was. Jasper glanced at the small control panel beside the tube, which turned out to be an elevator. They couldn't access the machine as it required a level four clearance, so they moved around it.
Around the tall column, there were some steps with two machines on two sides. Jasper walked up the steps and went straight for the small control panel on the left, but he wasn't able to gain access as it required a level three clearance. "Shit."
"Looks like we'll have to go to the East side first," Leon said as he glanced at the East area. Jasper pressed the button on the other control panel, connecting a bridge to the East area. The duo walked across the bridge and the door hissed open as they approached.
Inside was a small angled hallway, two chairs and a coffee table were pushed against a door and a potted plant was knocked over. There was an aluminum pipe hanging from the ceiling, releasing some kind of gas from the pipe. He noticed that there were a lot of moths flying around the area too.
They decided to move on and enter the door at the end of the hall, leading them towards the lobby with a waiting room on the right. "So where do you think this chief is?" Jasper asked the cop.
Leon pondered about the question while passing another metal door, only to gasp at what was in front of him. Concerned for the blonde, Jasper followed him inside and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the sight of him. "Oh my god..."
Leon and Jasper were greeted with a green jungle behind the thick glass panel, completed with vines, trees, and a corpse pressed against the glass by a giant plant. Jasper moved forward to approach the man, his face barely visible through the visor of his yellow hazmat suit.
"Jesus... What happened here?" Leon whispered.
"It seems like one of their experiments has gone wrong," Jasper assumed and shook his head. He observed the corpse and noticed a blinking purple light in his hand. "This must be the level three clearance chip."
Leon looked at where Jasper was pointing and saw the chip. "Well, I'll be damned."
Jasper searched through the lab and found a door in the corner. The door slides open with a small hiss, fog seeps out as he opened it.
"You're going in there?" Leon inquired.
"Well, we don't have any other options, so... yeah," Jasper answered.
Leon nodded. "OK. I'll be right behind you."
The duo entered the room and was greeted with vines coating the ceilings and crawling up on the walls. The heat fully engulfed Jasper as they ventured further, the humidity and the moisture around them made him feel sticky.
Jasper spotted a body hanging from the ceiling. Thick throned vines stretch across its body like veins. It doesn't even look human—not anymore. He ducked underneath the corpse and Leon followed.
The two of them froze when they hear a low clicking noise from a few feet away. They were quick to raise their pistols, aiming at the fog. A creature stumbles out of the darkness, screeching while Leon fires a few shots into its body.
The duo kept their guns trained at the body the second it collapsed to the ground. Leon approached the body before nodding to Jasper. They walked past the body, entering yet another room.
The room they were in appears to be another observation room area in between the glass. The blue screens on the wall full of various diagrams and blue prints illuminated the room. Computers and a few chairs sat beside it, decorated with numerous papers scattered around the desks.
A machine stood beside the desk with a small LED light and a button in the middle. Leon pushed it down, causing an automated voice to boom in the quiet room. "Dispensing solution now," the voice said. Jasper stepped back from the window just as the liquid began raining down on the jungle in front of them.
The machine clicks as a small vial is pushed out. Leon hesitated for a second before picking it up and studied the object. The orangey copper liquid inside moves fluidly as it turns in his hand. Not knowing what it does, he puts the vial in his pocket for now.
"Hey, check this out," Leon turned to Jasper pointing at the blue screen. It was a map of the lab. They were in the greenhouse control room. Beside them was a drug testing lab. "Here," Jasper pointed at the drug testing lab. "They must have made something here to kill the plant in case things got out of hand."
"So... we're gonna have to go through there?" Leon inferred, peering at the garden through the glass panel.
"Unfortunately, yes," Jasper answered.
Leon sighed. "Alright, let's make this quick."
They crossed the room and Jasper swings the door open. The heat in the room was nothing compared to the vine-coated hallway as they walked into the greenhouse. The area was filled with thorns and overgrown plants. The LED lights didn't help how humid it was.
Leon also felt uncomfortable with the hot air and spoke, "Geez, who would've thought that greenhouses would actually be this humid?"
"Every greenhouse traps sunlight to keep the plants warm, Leon," Jasper told him, observing the greenery around them.
Leon narrowed his eyes in confusion. "But we're underground. How can the plants stay warm when there's no sunlight?"
"They use these LED lights as a substitute," Jasper simply answered, pointing at the lights above them.
Leon paused, eyeing on his partner curiously. "And how do you know that?"
"It's like I said, I learned a few things back in biology," Jasper shrugged.
Leon rolled his eyes. "Smartass."
Jasper lets out a chuckle at the cop's response. "You always learn something new every day," he responded with a playful grin before continuing his search.
Entering the drug testing lab, they saw a bunch of test tubes lining the lab benches against the far wall. A sent of benches were in the center, with more tools and small machines taking up a large portion of the work space.
"How the hell are we gonna find anything in here?" Jasper asked.
"Start looking around. There has to be something," Leon instructed before they split up to search the lab.
Jasper cleared the island of benches in the center. A corpse in a yellow hazmat suit sprawled on the floor. He paused, slowly taking his knife out as he waits for any type of movement, but the body stayed frozen.
"I think I found something," Jasper heard Leon spoke before approaching him.
"What did you find?" He asked the cop. Leon handed him a piece of paper and he began to read it.
Plant 43 Herbicide Synthesis
1. Place an empty cartridge into the solution dispenser.
2. Add the required amount of UMB No. 21 (P-ε)
3. Cool immediately.
Plant 43 exhibits astounding growth. If something unfortunate were to occur, it may be hard to control. In the event of an unforeseen incident, manufacture the herbicide using the instructions above in order to minimize damage.
"That vial I found—I think it goes in here," Leon added and a machine in the corner caught Jasper's attention.
It had three small tubes connected to a larger machine, caged behind a set of bars. Three buttons are at the bottom—green, red, and blue. Right next to the machine is a small opening where Jasper could insert the vial.
"It's locked," Jasper observed.
"Then I guess we'll have to do more searching around the lab, huh?"
"Yeah."
Leon and Jasper explored the greenhouse more and found a hatch, which had a code on it. The detective made it back to the control room and entered the corresponding code, granting access to the hatch.
Leon waits for Jasper to return until they heard a low clicking noise. They were quick to draw their weapons. Another clicking noise sounded from behind Leon, making him turn around quickly. Now they were back to back, aiming at the sources of the noise.
Something snapped and a body fell onto the floor in front of Jasper. The body raised itself from the floor, allowing Jasper to take a good look.
Its body was like it was infested with a mutative vegetation. The dark green vines wove around the host. Pockets of orange bulbs were scattered along the tangle of vines. There were no human eyes, just hollowed sockets of the skull underneath. Its mouth tore upwards, hanging idly open like a Venus flytrap.
Two more slowly approached to Leon's direction. The duo pressed their backs together as the mutated hosts approach let out a gurgling click from their throats. Jasper quickly glanced around and spotted the hatch.
"OK, we're gonna make a run to that hatch," Jasper whispered to Leon. "You ready?"
"Ready," Leon nodded.
"OK..." Jasper paused for a moment, still fixating his weapon at the creature as he waited for the right time to make a dash for it. "Now!"
They immediately rushed towards the hatch at the other end of the catwalk. The creatures screeched at them as their feet scattered against the metal grating at their feet. Jasper threw the hatch open, revealing a dark room beneath.
"Go," Jasper said as he held the trapdoor. Leon listened and climbed down the ladder. One of the creatures made its approach and Jasper fired a few rounds, making collapse to the floor. He climbed down, snapped the hatch, and throwing them into pitch black darkness.
Jasper somehow bumped into Leon as he jumped down a few feet from the ground. "You OK?" The cop's voice sounded from the darkness.
"Yeah," Jasper just nodded, trying to navigate the area through the pitch-black darkness.
"Hold on, let me just..."
Leon turned on his flashlight and noticed how close his face was. Despite the closeness, neither of them pulled away and kept staring at each other. Leon's eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips and he gulped. Jasper subconsciously leaned in and Leon mimicked his actions. Their lips nearly touch and...
The sound of metal banging from above interrupted them and made them break away. They escaped the dark room through the door at the end of the hall.