Chapter Text
Leon refused to die like this. This was bullshit. Getting dropped off to this godforsaken island with barely any supplies, getting injected with the Plagas or whatever Salazar had called it, seeing Ada-fucking-Wong alive and apparently very well with Wesker and Krauser both, getting blown up when the government decided to sterilize the place without confirmation and he and Ashley were actually dead like they probably assumed they were – it was all bullshit. And he lost his new jacket.
But here he was anyway, still kicking along with Ashley under a file of castle currently trying to crush his spine. He’d tried his best, really, to get them both out of the way when he saw the bombs begin their descent, but he hadn’t been fast enough to do much more than push her down and bracket himself on top of her to keep the worst of the rubble off. He was thanked with a now unconscious but alive ward, a full-body ache that no amount of massaging could possibly remove, and a flagpole through the hip pinning him to the ground.
At least it had missed his spine, if the fact that he could still feel his legs was anything to go off of, and there was light in their bubble which meant that there was an opening any they wouldn’t suffocate. Small blessings. He took a stilted breath to stabilize himself, trying not to aggravate his injuries more or disrupt the stability of the rock above them.
If Leon died like this, Chris would probably fly all the way out here himself just to revive him and kill him again himself for being an idiot.
There was a groan and the scraping of gravel as Ashley seemed to start to wake up, shifting in her limited space under him. She blinked up at him owlishly, not seeming to comprehend where they were or what had happened to land them there or who she was with, before the heel of her hand slammed into his chin in a way that definitely would have knocked him back if he were a civilian. Good to know those self defense lessons she toted on about earlier really were worth something to her, he thought.
“Ashley, stop!” he shouted, tipping his head forward so she couldn’t clock him again.
She didn’t, hyperventilating now as she shoved at his arms and tried to get her knees under him. He could hardly blame her – he would have freaked too if he’d woken up in the dark, unable to move, with a large man caging him under his body; but right now, he really needed her to calm down.
“Ashley, stop fighting, you’re safe!”
Again, she didn’t seem to hear him, struggling harder. She really was going to end up knocking him down with as exhausted as he already was if she didn’t stop.
“Fuck- look at me! Listen to my voice, it’s just m-”
He didn’t get a chance to finish his plea. Ashley managed to get her hands under his chest and brace herself and shove – hard – sending him back an inch up the pole and into the sharp rubble at his back.
He gagged at the sudden burst of pain. Thankfully for the girl beneath him nothing coming up other than spit and blood, but the lurch his body gave redoubled the agony and he collapsed back down onto his left forearm as spots danced in his vision. There was a low crackling sound as some of the pile above them gave out and resettled, effectively sealing them in full darkness.
Count their blessings as rescinded. Now they had a countdown. At least the pole had missed his spine.
At least Ashley was awake enough to remember their situation and no longer attempting to claw his eyes out.
Poor girl was lying stock still and rigid beneath him, hands now clutching the straps of his holster for dear life as she tried desperately to calm down.
Fuck it, he decided around Ashley’s whimpering; everything right now was already excruciating and he was fantasizing of the moment he could safely pass out, he may as well take advantage of it and secure them both better. “Ashley,” he ground out between clenched teeth. Her sudden silence hopefully meant she was listening. “I need a favor. On count of three, shift your legs as far as you can to the left, okay? Try not to move anything else.”
There was a stiff nod against his arm, and he smiled. Atta girl.
“You ready?”
Another nod, and a shaky exhale and she prepared herself.
Thank god she had gotten so good at following his instructions, because as soon as he made count he couldn’t have been able to make sure she complied if he wanted to. He jerked his right leg up from where it had been covering hers, hearing the rubble shift slightly to fill in the new vacancy as he shoved that leg forward so his knee was lodged under his shoulder.
Leon sucked in a breath sharper than was comfortable. The tearing sensation he felt in his abdomen and the rush of copper in his mouth that he turned to spit against the wall made him want to scream, but at least with his foot planted steady below his upright arm he could stave off collapse a little longer.
Huh – suck it, Chris, hyperflexible hips were now good for two things outside of the bedroom.
“Leon?”
His attention snapped quickly to her when she spoke, and he wished there was at least a little light his eyes could adjust to so he could make sure she wasn’t hurt.
“I don’t want to die.” Her voice came as a sob that broke his heart. “I wanna go home, I wanna see my family again, I wanna hang out with my friends again. I want to be normal.”
He mustered up what he hoped was a reassuring tone. “And you will, Ashley. You’ve done a great job so far, you’re almost there.” He huffed to get the settling dust away from their faces. “You’re so strong, Ash, just hang on, I’m going to get you home safe. Can you trust me a little longer?”
He felt her nod after a moment, and he smiled briefly even though she wouldn’t be able to see it.
“Think you can do one more favor for me?”
That sure got her interest.
“What is it?”
“I need you to,” he huffed again. “I need you to get my radio out of my belt. On the back. My handler can send someone for us if we reach her.”
To Ashley’s credit, she didn’t squeal as loud as she probably wanted to at the prospect of more help coming. She did, on the other hand, punch Leon quite hard in the groin and then grabbed his ass in her over-eagerness to retrieve the comm from its location. He had to force himself not to laugh at her stream of apologies when she realized, instead reassuring her that it was fine and just to focus on her objective.
The dim green light of the screen powering on a minute later after some readjustments and button mashing didn’t help visibility in their air pocket in the slightest, but it was a rush to see the thing still worked after all this. Shout-out to the DSO’s obsession with saving money on pretty new gadgets by sticking to old tech wrapped in centimeters-thick plastic and powered by what would pass as a car battery. And to Nokia, for keeping that shit in stock just for them ten years after commercial production stopped.
“It… says the line is busy. Is there another one?”
Ah shit.
“Nope, this only goes to her. Keep trying to call, it’ll tell her they’re from me.”
It was kind of peaceful, in a way. Things were holding steady, Ashley was calm and distracted, Leon didn’t think he was actively bleeding for the time being – just the rhythmic click of the reconnection butting being depressed every minute or so.
It felt like ages had passed before a beep indicated that the connection went though, and Ingrid’s voice and picture spilled over the line through the static.
“Leon, please tell me I’m awake at this hour to by some miracle talk to you and not the sorry bird eating your corpse.” It was weird to hear her drop the strict professionalism she usually had when they talked.
“It’s really me, Hunnigan, don’t worry.”
There was a crash on her end, and for a brief moment he thought he’d actually given her a heart attack.
“Shit, it really is you, I knew you’d make it,” she muttered, probably not intending them to hear. It made Leon smile. “How did you make it out of the blast zone? Are there other infected and cult members who survived in the area?
“Listen, I’d love to catch up but I’m in a bit of a…tight spot, here, Graham too. Am I actually KIA as of now or do you still have clearance to call in backup for me?”
There was a moment of quiet before she replied.
“You and Miss Graham are officially dead in the eyes of the DSO as of the sterilization a few hours ago,” she sighed. Ashley tensed at the words, but Hunnigan kept talking before he could say anything. “But, as of the sterilization and assumed death of our top agent, we’ve requested assistance from the BSAA in sweeping the area for future rehabilitation. You didn’t hear this from me, but they’re scheduled to land in the same zone we deployed you pretty soon.”
God he loved this woman so much. He had no idea what he did to deserve her at his back.
“I think we can hold out the clock for them if you can point them to our signal. Can you let them know to prepare for potential medical and hazard evac?”
“I’ll drop them a good hint or two along the way.” He could hear the wink lilting her voice. “One more thing: are you there Miss Graham?”
“Uh, yeah, I’m here.” Leon got the inkling that she was being unnecessarily timid about speaking to her considering how she’d been talking to him ever since he retrieved her.
“We haven’t notified your father or released a statement to anyone else about your present situation, okay? When you arrive back here, everything will be exactly as you left it with the addition any care you require following this incident.” Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. “I only ask that you please trust Agent Kennedy and the others who arrive to do what’s best. They and I will work to get you home safely at all costs.”
Damn, she was good.
“Thank you Missus – I mean – Agent Hunnigan…”
“I’ll see you both back stateside shortly, and you better stay safe until then. Hunnigan out.” The screen went dark again, only the stubby little red led at the top indicating it was still on and operational.
The silent minutes after the transmission ended was almost deafening, and he could feel Ashley deflate.
“Tell me- tell me about what you’re gonna do. When you get out of here, that is,” he asked suddenly.
She was a smart girl. She’d know the question was just a diversion and that it was probably better to their air supply if she didn’t talk, but he needed a way to keep her calm and not focused on their predicament. She seemed to latch on to it anyway, quietly launching into a tale about… a puppy, or something. No – a kitten, the dogs here were terrifying enough to turn anyone off them – and a café. She liked tea lattes.
He tried to listen, he really did, but he could feel himself slipping. He forced himself to stay conscious and to keep himself steady, despite how bone-deep exhausted he was. A few times, he was distantly aware of the chime exchanged messages and Hunnigan’s tinny voice conversing with Ashley’s softer one.
He wondered what would leave a bigger stain: the undoubtedly large pool of his blood seeping into his companion’s sweater, or himself if he were to actually just die on top of her.
Both things could be more or less fixed with a big enough sum of money, he supposed.
He lost time for a little while.
…
Leon came back to himself with Ashley's hand patting his cheek incessantly, and he startled when he thought back to what he last remembered happening. It was a damn lucky thing he hadn’t tipped while he was off being a space cadet, or he really would have failed.
There was the unmistakable thud of fully human footsteps somewhere nearby, and smiled to himself, realizing why Ashley tried to wake him just then. For once, the BSAA’s shitty stealth training was the opposite of an issue. Ashley heard it too, is her suddenly perking up was any indication. “Y’hear that, Sherry?” he slurred. She froze against him, but didn’t mention the slip-up. “ ‘t sounds like we’ve got company. Think y’got it in ya t’get their attention?”
Apparently, she sure did, as her frantic screaming of “help” and “over here” exploded in his ear. He couldn’t help smiling again – ever the little spitfire she was. She’d be just fine, even after all this. It was barely a minute more before the sound of rubble being picked apart and thrown aside began, along with trickles of dust that itched against their skin.
Leon noticed the load on top of him getting lighter by the shake in his arms increasing, no longer pinned firm by the weight. The beam of light and rush of fresh but – again, dusty – ocean air blindsided the both of them as soon as a gap was opened in front of their heads. Shit, how long had they been under there? The bombs dropped when the moon was still up, and now it looked bright enough to be midday.
And they Sherry was gone, dragged out from underneath him and away from the collapse zone by two pairs of hands that wrapped around her biceps. Panic momentarily clogged his throat, memories resurfacing of the Tyrant’s hands lunging for his clothing as he ran past and Birkin’s mutated ones clawing their way around the NEST pit and on the train, but it subsided when faces popped into the exit gap.
Chris and Jill were here, and he could make out Carlos’s voice in the background. He watched their faces go from pleased that the girl was okay, to elated that Leon was alive too, to confused and anxious when they reached in and he didn’t take their hands, to downright scared when they looked in and saw the metal skewering him between a rock and a hard place. Literally.
He couldn’t offer much more than a thin smile in greeting before they both disappeared again, Jill’s light steps retreating back toward where Sherry and Carlos had gone as Chris presumably took up excavating him again.
Familiar arms wrapped around his outstretched leg and under his chest to stabilize him as soon as there was a free area around him. He relaxed into the hold when Jill trotted back over, a battery powered circular saw in hand.
“Are you sure that’s safe? What if it-” Chris’s tentative voice came from somewhere above him, more distant than he would have liked.
“It’s the only choice we have, Redfield, unless you want to leave him. We’re not bringing a ten-foot pole into the chopper with us.” Jill was harsh as ever, but there was a tremor that gave away her concern.
The arms around him tightened a fraction. Vaguely, he heard Sherry start to ask louder about what they were doing to him, about if he was going to be okay, with panic in her voice.
“Anything we do right now is going to be bad, but this is the best chance he’s got.” Ah, there we go. Jill always was good at placating her partner.
Right – out in the open, she could see everything wrong with him now, and how they were going to get him out of this. He closed his eyes. He’d put the poor girl through enough, he felt bad making her watch him almost die – again.
“… Please try to make it quick.”
Reality ended for Leon as soon as the saw blade met its target.