The hanging compartments were filled with shipping containers. Leon and Gwen ran circles around them as they tried to figure a way out of the compartment and away from the monster. The midnight-haired woman pulled out her handgun when a green button caught her eye. She shot it and granted them access to an emergency switch. When Gwen presses it and nothing happened, she panicked. "What do we do now?"
"There must be another switch." Leon turned and stopped when he couldn't spot the monster. Then, he grabbed ahold of Gwen and crouched down as a piece of the ceiling broke accompanied by the monster's tentacle-like appendage. The metal grating crashed beside them as the monster growled in frustration.
Leon held Gwen's hand as they searched for the other emergency switch. They dodged the half-reptilian/half-human monster as it rejoined them inside the compartment. The blonde located the second switch and activated it. Red lights triggered, signaling the couple and the monster.
"Run!" Leon, once again, grabbing the archivist's hand and dragged her to the door leading to the middle compartment.
The moment they stepped through the door, the first compartment was released from its chains, plummeting into the dark abyss below. They thought the U-3 had fallen along with the metal container, but it only jumped onto the middle compartment and bursted through the ceiling. It blocked the agents' path, forcing them to back away.
"This thing sure is persistent," Gwen groaned as they disabled a blockade.
"Yeah, but so are we," Leon said as he shot a few bullets at the creature before taking off in search of the emergency switches. "We'll split up and each look for a switch."
Gwen nodded, gripping her pistol with both hands. "Understood."
The two separated, confusing the U-3 in the process. It wasn't sure which agent to pursue, but it decided to set its sight on Leon. The monster vaulted back onto the top of the compartment, stalking the blonde from above as he searched for the switch.
On the other side of the metal compartment, Gwen slammed her fist against the red button. When nothing happened, she knew Leon hadn't found the other switch. Wondering what the issue was, she ran in the direction he vanished. Locating him, she saw the bio-weapon hoisting the man's body upwards with its tentacle-like appendage. She spotted Leon's gun on the ground and knew exactly why he couldn't escape from its slimy grasp.
Gwen fired a single bullet into the appendage wrapped around Leon's body. The lone bullet was enough to cause the U-3 to shriek and drop the man's body. "Are you alright, Leon?" Gwen's concerned gaze bore into him as he recovered his firearm.
"Fine thanks to you." Leon glanced towards the woman with a questioning gaze. "Can you keep the damn thing occupied while I activate the second switch?"
"I've got your back." Gwen aimed her handgun and pulled the trigger, successfully grabbing the atrocity's attention. "Just make it quick!"
Leon stormed off as the U-3 jumped down from its perch and swung its claws at Gwen. She dodged but due to the substance from the dart still present in her body, her reaction was slightly delayed. The claws missed her face by an inch but severed a few strands of hair. She gasped in shock from her delayed reflexes. "Damn. This isn't good..."
Before the monster could deliver another blow, Gwen swung her leg and kicked the creature directly in the jaw when it lowered its head to try and wrap its grotesque tongue around her neck. She lost her balance after the kick and stumbled back. Luckily, she was able to catch herself before she fell. Her eyes fell upon the U-3 after her recovery and saw something in its back moving. Then, an insect-like appendage bursted from its back. It hissed as Gwen saw the mouth and eyes on the new addition along with the shape mandibles.
"This is definitely no Frankenstein's monster," she muttered, shooting the insect sprouting from its back. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Leon rounding the corner.
"C'mon!" The blonde shouted towards Gwen as he ducked under the monster's appendages to reach her.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" She yelled back as they both scurried to reach the third compartment of the metal rig.
The agents just barely made it before the second rig fell. Morosely, the U-3 was quick to react and followed them to the final container. As they activated the first switch, it jumped down from the ceiling and blocked their way. The creature lunges forward, swiping its sharp mandibles at the agents. They sidestep the appendages and promptly run through one of the many metal storage containers located inside the suspended rig.
Dodging and weaving the monster's attacks, the couple located the last emergency switch. The sound of the door unlocking in the back caught their attention, distracting them from the creature currently stalking them. Without a word, Leon and Gwen rush to the door and open it. A crane hook dangled above the chasm. It was the only chance they had to escape before the rig would detach and fall.
Leon was the first to jump from the rig and grab the hook. It swung back and forth from the impact. He held out his hand for Gwen to grab and yelled at her. "Jump!"
Gwen trusted Leon with her life and knew he would catch her. As she was about to make the leap, the U-3 appeared behind her and lunged to grab her. It messed up her footing and caused her to fall. She cried out in pain from the harsh fall but quickly recovered. The moment she went to jump, the rig detached and fell into the abyss below.
Leon watched in pure horror as Gwen fell with eyes full of fear and shock. She couldn't even scream due to how petrified she became as she felt her body plummet into the dark abyss.
Leon stared into the darkness, unable to comprehend what he just witnessed. He couldn't form a coherent thought as his wide, azure eyes bore a hole into the tenebrosity. He hadn't realized how long he had been staring until he felt his grip was loosening. He swung to safety, but he immediately fell to his knees as he peered over the edge. He gritted his teeth in anger and slammed a fist against the hard ground.
Staring down into the chasm below, Leon caught sight of something crawling up the wall. Seeing the U-3 survived the fall, he hightailed it. The monster pulled its body over the edge and stormed after the blonde. The tremors created by its large body resulted in a rusted gate to unlatch and seal behind the creature, trapping Leon with no way to escape.
Leon whipped out his shotgun, aiming it and firing round after round into the monster's face. "C'mon, you bastard. You're gonna pay for what you've done," he snarled.
An all out battle began.
Leon switched from weapon to weapon as he discharged bullet after bullet into the creature's body. It lashed out, reaching to grab ahold of the agent. The blonde rolled out of the way and circled around the monster by using a tunnel nearby. He managed to trap it in the tunnel, but it proved to be futile as it broke through the bars with a growl.
"So much for that plan," Leon groaned as he backed away from the approaching monster. He held his handgun tightly as he veered to the left to avoid another attack. When the agent ran out of handgun ammo, he switched back to his shotgun.
As he was reloading, the U-3 closed in. Leon was prepared to feel an explosion of pain, but he only heard the sound of gunfire. The creature shrieked in pain before its body collapsed and vanished into thin air. The blonde turned around and saw the person who killed the monster. His jaw fell open in shock. "Gwen."
The archivist heaved a sigh as the gate was raised and she lowered her firearm. "I did not sign up for a job involving a human, insect, and reptile hybrid. That thing came straight out of the pits of Hell." Leon didn't say a word as he made his way over to the inky-haired woman. His silence baffled her. She lowered her head slightly as she raised a single brow. "Leon?"
When he reached her, he placed his hands on her cheeks and pulled her closer. He sealed her lips with an intense kiss. Gwen was caught off guard, her eyes widening in bewilderment. The sudden kiss may have been unsuspecting, but she gladly reciprocated. She nearly dropped her gun when Leon deepened the kiss.
They pulled away from each other, Gwen's eyes glistening. "That was an unexpected yet welcomed surprise."
"How'd you survive the fall?" Leon questioned. His hands gravitated towards her shoulder, squeezing them gently.
"With this." Gwen detached a small device from her belt. "A grappling hook. I forgot I had one until I was falling. I'll need to thank Ada once we see her again. After all, I'd be dead without it."
Leon wiped some dirt off her cheek. He saw how dirty her clothes were from the climb. "How're you feeling?" He knew the substance Saddler injected into her body wasn't completely eradicated and knew the climb couldn't have been easy.
"Exhausted," Gwen exhaled. "But I know we can't afford to rest. Ashley needs us."
"As long as you're okay, that's all that I care about."
<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<<
Once back outside, the couple was standing on a plateau overlooking a small camp. A group of soldier ganados were gathered around a bonfire. The sea breeze whipped through the agents' locks as they peered down at the chatting cultists.
Gwen squatted near the ledge, spotting a few oil drums scattered around the area. She whipped out her handgun and shot only one barrel, resulting in a chain reaction of explosions. The fire consumed all the enemies, clearing the camp out in one fell swoop. She smirked as she placed her pistol back into its holster. "Only took one bullet. Now that's what I call quick and efficient."
"Too bad everything isn't that easy," Leon scoffed.
"Like you said earlier, nothing is ever easy for us."
Jumping down from their perch, they searched the tent, which had surprisingly survived the fiery explosion. A ladder descended underground, earning a groan from the archivist. "Sick and tired of going underground..."
"Suck it up, buttercup," the blonde retorts with a faint grin.
Gwen sent her boyfriend a weak glare. "I'm very tempted to push you down this hole for that cheeky comment."
"And risk me breaking something?" Leon raised a brow in question.
"You jumped from a second story window when we first got here! If you can survive that without shattering your ankles, you'll survive this."
"Damn," he guffawed. "You're cold."
"I'm simply stating facts," she calmly replies. "Now, Casanova, jump before I really do push you in."
Leon playfully bows politely. "As the lady commands." He jumped down the hole with Gwen following close behind.
The mineshaft was silent and showed no signs of ganados. The quiet and blood-free zone brought peaceful smiles to the couple's faces. In the distance, they saw the merchant waving in their direction. Gwen waved back with a nervous smile as they reached the mysterious man.
While Leon tuned up his weapons with help from the merchant, Gwen found a note and read it out loud to inform the blonde of what the piece of paper had written on it.
*****
Krauser's Note
It turns out that old man Saddler wasn't buying me from the start.
Even though I succeeded in kidnapping Ashley, I sort of sensed this when Saddler didn't completely let me in the loop.
Under the circumstances, I had no other alternative but to call for her assistance.
Perhaps she knew this was the way it was going to turn out all along...
My guess is that her ultimate goal might be different from Wesker's and mine. This is just the perfect opportunity to find out.
And after I get rid of Leon, the subject, and retrieve the sample, I'll put her in a bodybag along with Leon and send them both to Wesker.
*****
"Well," Gwen huffed while rolling her eyes. "By the sound of it, Krauser isn't Ada's biggest fan."
"The subject he's talking about must be you," Leon comments after finishing his dealings with the merchant. "Why the hell would Umbrella go through all this trouble to capture you? How'd they even know you would be here?"
"Two excellent questions. Krauser and Ada are the only ones who have the answers to them." Gwen crumbled up the piece of paper and tossed it over her shoulder. "I wouldn't be surprised if Umbrella had something to do with the president's decision to choose me to accompany you."
"Neither would I. If Umbrella wants you back, that means Griffyn's experiments weren't on the down-low. Even in death, the bastard still causes issues."
"Sometimes I wish you hadn't pulled me off his body so I could've stabbed him more," the inky-haired woman confesses shamefully. "Should've rammed the blade through his skull before I finished."
"That twisted piece of shit is burning in Hell," Leon said.
"Hell is still too good of a place for his psychotic ass," Gwen grumbled under her breath.
The couple ascended a ladder and walked down the path to a large pair of doors. Leon pushed them open and they stepped through, ruins of what seemed to be an old temple greeted them. From the cliff, Gwen could see the carvings on the collapsing walls and bit the top of her thumbnail. The history nerd deep inside her was itching to come out and discover the secrets these ruins withheld. She sucked in her bottom lip and chewed on it as she lowered her hand from her mouth to stop herself from chewing any further on her nail.
Leon's puzzled expression obscured her view when he leant down and blocked her view. He knocked his knuckles against the side of her head gently. "Anybody home?"
Gwen blinked a few times before returning back to reality. "What?"
"You spaced out and weren't responding when I called you." Leon eyed the ruins closely, spotting the cause of her inwardly departure. "Keep the nerd inside you from escaping. We've got to find Ashley as soon as possible."
The archivist inhaled deeply with a nod. "Yeah. I'll try to keep her in check, but I can't make any promises she won't pop out."
Leon smirked at her response. "Good enough."