"Help me, Leon!" Ashley's desperate howl bounced off the concrete walls.
"We must be getting close," Gwen muttered under her breath.
Leon crept down the hallway and around the corner with Gwen close behind. Ashley's voice crescendoed with every footstep they took. No adversaries were present and the corridor was rather quiet, which didn't bode well with the couple.
Eventually, the duo reached Ashley's cell but it was guarded by two brutes. With their hammers raised, they charged at the agents and swung recklessly. One cultist had forced Leon and Gwen to separate, which was a mistake on the agents' side. While one brute focused on the man, the other circled around the archivist as if he was a bird of prey staring at his next meal. She grabbed her handgun, but it was too late. The man dashed forward, tossing his hammer aside. "What the-?!" Gwen managed to gasp before she felt one of the man's arms wrap around her body and pin her arms at her side. The air was squeezed out of her lungs as he practically tackled her. She kicked her legs as the man carried her under his arm.
Without skipping a beat, the brute chuckles darkly before running through a door with Gwen in his clutches. Before the door could close, the woman shouted for help. "Leon!"
Hearing his name, the blonde tried to shoot the cult member in the back of the leg, but the door slammed shit before the bullet could hit its target. "Dammit!" Leon hissed as he shot the man he was facing in the face, resulting in his head to explode. A parasite emerged from the corpse's neck, but he swiftly disposed of it before chasing after the brute who snatched Gwen up and took off.
<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<
"Put me down, you bastard!" Gwen yelled at the top of her lungs as the cultist carried her to a lab. She tried to use her pistol on him, but with her arms pinned, she couldn't aim properly. "I am not going to let my blood be used again, you hear me?!"
Receiving no response, she screamed in frustration and struggled against the man's hold. When the ganado released her, he tossed her body into a glass tube large enough for a human. Before she could scurry away, the man slammed his fist against the control panel beside it. The glass door closed and the ganado chuckled before walking out of the lab.
Gwen slammed her hands against the glass, trying to break free. She still had her gun, but she wasn't sure if the glass was bullet-proof. If it is, she risks the bullet ricocheting off the glass and possibly injuring herself with her own firepower. She smashed her body against the glass, resulting in a shockwave of pain to surge through her arm. When she went to ram the glass a second time, all too familiar heavy breathing rang through her ears. It was muffled, but she knew it was a regenerator.
Placing her hands against the cool glass of the tube, Gwen glanced around the lab and spotted a creature that resembled a regenerator stalking towards. Unlike the previous regenerators, this one had spikes located across its body. Gulping fearfully, she watched helplessly as it dragged its body towards the tube she was trapped in. "Oh, God..."
The regenerator threw its body against the glass, desperately trying to reach the woman inside the container. Gwen presses her back against the glass behind her and flinched every time the creature used its body as a ram. "Y'know, I'm rather happy in this tube. It keeps all the monsters out."
Something stuck to the monster's body caught the woman's eye and she saw it was another keycard. "We might need that..."
Suddenly, the door to the lab opened and Leon stepped into the room. Hope gleamed in Gwen's eyes as she saw her boyfriend was safe and on his way to break her out of this glass prison. Unfortunately, it hadn't only been Gwen who spotted the blonde.
The regenerator heard the door and made its way over the Leon. The man briskly pulled out his rifle and used it to dispose of the Las Plagas inside the regenerator's body. Before its body exploded, the spikes lodged into its flesh shot out.
Due to how close the creature was to the tube, the spikes pierced through the glass and stopped only an inch from Gwen's body. She inhaled sharply, frightened at how close she was to being impaled.
Once the regenerator was killed, Leon darted over to the tube Gwen was trapped in and used the stock of the rifle to smash the glass. It took a few strong hits until the glass started to crack, creating webs across the clear surface. As the glass rained down, the archivist covered her face to keep the shards from entering her eyes.
Gwen stepped out of the tube and felt her tense muscles relax. Another sigh of relief fell from her lips as she grabbed the keycard that was once lodged into the regenerator's body. She held it close to her chest, smiling when she turned to face Leon. "Thanks for the save... again... Let me save your ass once in a while."
Leon grinned as he wiped his thumb across her cheek, removing the smear of blood that was too red to be her own. "Last time I checked, I'm not the one Saddler wants. You might be waiting for a while to pay me back."
Gwen stared down at the keycard in her hands. "Yeah, well... well..."
The blonde raised a brow. "Well what?"
"Gah! I don't have a smartass comeback!"
"Haven't you been firing off smartass comments since we got here?" Leon puzzled, his smirk growing wider. Her brows furrowed slightly, but there was no real reaction from the question. Baffled, the man bent down slightly to get a little closer to her face. "Gwen?"
"Have I really been a smartass the entire time we've been here?" The rapid-fire question caught Leon off guard, but he already knew the answer.
"Pretty much, but I've enjoyed every second of it. You make this mission more enjoyable." He placed a hand on top of her head and ruffled her midnight locks.
Gwen wasn't bothered by him messing up her hair since they're both a wreck from their long, treacherous journey to secure one girl. Messy hair, a hint of body odor, and small injuries here and there. "Glad I could make this life threatening journey a comedy. It's probably the only thing I'm good for."
With the smirk still present on his face, Leon snaked an arm around Gwen's waist and hauled her body closer to his. Her five-one and dainty stature compared to his five-ten and bulky build truly depicted who was truly more trained to handle this mission. But with Gwen, he wouldn't have made it this far. "Don't sell yourself short." He leant down a pressed a kiss against her forehead. "God only knows where I'd be right now if you weren't here, shortcake."
"Oh, I'm sure you'd be fine on your own, beefcake." Gwen patted her hand against his muscular chest before shimmying out of his hold. "And right now, a certain someone isn't fine on their own."
Leon sighed in disappointment. He wanted Gwen to see she was just more than comedy relief in a horror scenario, but it seems his kind and gentle words wouldn't be enough. "You'll see soon enough," he whispered to himself.
Gwen heard him mumbling, but she wasn't able to make out what he said. "What'd you say?"
"Nothing. Let's get Ashley and find a way off this shitty island."
<------------<<<<<<
"Ashley?" Gwen called out in reservation, fearing she would accidentally alert any enemies prowling the complex. She stepped into the room after using the keycard to unlock the door, eyes bouncing off the numerous of storage containers. "Where are you?"
The sable-haired woman walked around the blockade of items and found Ashley hugging her knees while sitting in a corner. The amber-eyed girl glanced up when she heard approaching footsteps. Her eyes glistened in pure jubilation at the sight of Gwen. "Oh, my God. Gwen!" She flew to her feet and hugged the woman. "I saw what happened to you. It was horrible!"
"Let's just say I don't really remember what happened while I was being controlled," Gwen exclaimed as the two girls pulled away from each other.
Leon sidled up next to his girlfriend and Ashley's smile widened when she saw him. "Leon!"
"You okay?" The agent inquired. Ashley nods, her smile acting as reassurance. Leon was pleased to know she wasn't injured and was even more ecstatic now he had both girls back safe and sound. "Come on, let's get out of here."
Gwen turned and went to leave, but she stopped when she felt something hit her lightly in the back. Spinning around, she glanced down at the ground and found a paper airplane with red lipstick on one of its wings. Before she read the contents of the note, she already knew who it was from after seeing the kiss mark. "What do you have to say now, Ada?"
*****
Perhaps you have it figured out already, but you might be able to get out of here by using the waste disposal vent.
*****
"That... is actually very helpful," Gwen mumbled after reading the brief note.
"What is it?" Ashley asked.
"A note from a questionable source," Gwen stated.
Leon knew exactly who the woman was referring to. "Ada... So, does she actually have something to say this time?"
Gwen nodded, folding the piece of paper and placing it in her pocket. "The waste disposal vent is where we need to go. Guess we're gonna backtrack a little ways."
"Then let's get moving, ladies."
The companions exit the room and run all the way back to the waste disposal room. Inside the monitor room, the trio was trapped inside with several ganados surrounding them. Gwen patted her body, checking for any explosives. She clicked her tongue in disbelief when she didn't find any. "Great..." Then, she scavenged her pockets for her blood vials but then remembers they were lost alongside her clothes and injection gun. "What a shitty day..."
Without a second thought, Gwen grabbed a computer monitor, the cords dangling in the air, from the table and used both arms to toss it as hard as she could at an incoming soldier. The pc slammed directly into the man's face, knocking him over and creating a domino effect. "Ha!" She laughed at seeing the men fall one by one.
Leon used his shotgun to kill the men while they were down before eyeing Gwen with a spark of amusement and fascination in his sapphire eyes. "Did you just take down an entire group of cultists with a computer?"
"Yes," Gwen grinned triumphantly. "Yes, I did. You better add that to the books 'cause I bet you'll never hear those words in a sentence ever again!"
"What words?" Ashley wondered.
""I took down a bunch of men by throwing a computer." Now that I say it out loud, it's kinda ridiculous. Then again, it's not my fault they were all standing so close to one another."
"I'll give you points for being resourceful," Leon said. "But you lose points because you destroyed a perfectly good computer in the process."
Gwen's eyes trailed across the floor until they landed on the broken computer. Glass from the screen, bits and pieces of hardware, and the plastic outer shell were scattered all across the floor. She shrugged her shoulders with a bored smile. "They can always buy a new one." She walked over to a control panel with myriads of dials and switches. Pressing the glowing button, it opened their exit but invited more ganados to join them. The men were armed with crossbows and flaming bolts.
"Leon!" Gwen shouted, pointing towards the table in the middle of the room. He knew what she was planning and grabbed Ashley's hand, tugging her along. The frightened girl grounded down, covering her head as Gwen and Leon flipped the table on its side. The agents kneeled beside Ashley and heard the bolts lodge into the tabletop.
Timing the arbalists firing rate and ammo capacity, Leon and Gwen waited for their opening to strike back. When it came, the cultists didn't stand a chance against the storm of bullets. Their cries of agony echoed throughout the small room as their bodies collapsed one by one. Fortunately for the agents, the parasites in the men's bodies were slaughtered from their shooting and couldn't take over their hosts' corpses.
A sigh escaped Gwen's lips as the room was cleared of enemies. "Now we can head to the waste disposal room."
The moment Leon got to his feet, a fit of violent coughs erupted from him. Hunched over, he placed his gloved hand over his mouth. Gwen was quick to react and rushed to his side. She placed her hand on his back, rubbing in between his shoulder blades. Ashley winced when she heard Leon's rough coughing, knowing exactly how much pain he was going through. "We still need to find a way to get these things out of us."
"We haven't found a solution yet," Gwen responded melancholically, placing her other hand on Leon's arm. "If I only had the injection gun back, I could help with the pain."
Unconsciously, her fingernails dug into the blonde's arm. She realized after a few seconds of what she was doing and went to pull away, but Leon placed his unbloodied hand against hers and curled his fingers around her palm to keep her from leaving his side. "I know what you're doing, Gwen."
Said woman's eyes widened slightly. "What do you-?"
Leon's grip on her hand tightened. "I know what's going on in that head of yours better than you do. Ten years later, you're still an open book to me."
"What're you saying, Leon?" The inky-haired woman's face scrunched up in confusion.
"You're blaming yourself like you always do. You did it in Raccoon City after you found out you could cure people before they turned. I love you too damn much to see you put every burden on your own shoulders, even ones that aren't your fault in the slightest."
Gwen's lips slowly turned up into a warm, gentle smile. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against their connected hands. Hearing those words caused her heart to flutter and the confession of his love made her want to cry tears of joy. "You're right. You know me better than anyone, even myself." A single tears cascaded down her cheek, but she wiped it away before Leon or Ashley could see it. "I know I shouldn't blame myself, but I still wish there was something I could do for both of you."
"You being here is plenty, Gwen," Ashley spoke up, revealing the genuine smile on her face.
Gwen huffed with laughter. "Why am I surrounded by people who are too sweet for their own good?"
"You just have that affect on others. You're the one who makes us sappy," Leon teases.
"You're still a hardass sometimes, Leon," the sapphire-eyed woman retorts with a chuckle. "Guess I don't have as much power over you as I thought."
Leon smirked as he straightened out his back. "You've no idea what you do to me."