Chapter Text
There’s another storm brewing, somewhere off in the distance. It’s smaller and quieter than the rest, but no less harmful.
With Umbrella Corp finally under the rubble, at least the most threatening of dark clouds over everyone’s heads has disappeared. It’s only a temporary respite though considering there’s the aftermath of it all to deal with; the paperwork to hell and back, the people to shut up and the most important of all — tying up all of the ‘loose ends’.
The US Government recognizes this importance and has many assets ready to brave these other storms for the good of humanity. Oh and I am obligated as the author to clarify that the ‘good of humanity’ in the previous sentence can be read as ‘to stay on top of the global food chain’. This very honourable reasoning is exactly why they welcome the newly formed Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance with open arms, investing in the organization to form a strong bond early on if only so they’d be kind enough to remember the hand that fed them when they had barely anything. It’s a strategy that the US has proudly utilised over decades with many a ‘friend’ in the past as well, and what d’ya know, it’s worked like a charm in their favour every time! A few cases of cash here and a sprinkle of good-willed words there and voilà, even the most stubborn of hounds learn to love their collars in the face of a heartfelt display.
This one little puppy, however, is proving to be quite stubborn indeed.
It isn’t that the BSAA haven’t been behaving well, rather it’s that they’re behaving too well. Money and a single building to dedicate as their base of operation were all they asked for, which the government was going to award them regardless. From a profitable point of view, this was quite the win indeed. Such an occurrence wasn’t uncommon — be it because of fear of asking for too much or no knowledge of just how much the US could provide — the initial suspicion of the request was swept under the rug. Contracts and deals made, the organization went on to do its job, all while obediently sending them all of their mission reports, analysis on the viruses they had done or newly discovered, as well as intel on any suspicious parties to be wary of dabbling in the bioterrorism sector. In fact, the US didn’t even have to pressure them into giving them information on their private dealings like their independent money making endeavours. In a very normal monthly scheduled meeting, a government advisor had casually remarked how it would be ‘nice’ to have access to private information on their personal pursuits of cash. Not even a few days later did a rookie employee of theirs deliver a folder of considerable size, on what looked to be all, of their persons of interest.
Surely, the team of maybe twenty to twenty-five people, majorly built up of experienced veterans who had no doubt seen at least a sliver of the corruption people in power tended to cause, be so amiable. Granted, if there was any attempt made by anyone from the organization to try and pry into the USA’s past, they would be lucky to get through the first firewall unnoticed. In any case, the US government hadn’t schemed, planned and waged wars to only be bested by a few traumatic survivors to a tragedy they allegedly may have had a hand in. They certainly didn’t get this far being so careless as to dismiss even the smallest of oddities, not without a proper thorough inspection. No matter how stubborn, they’d discover the intentions of this pup — and root out any of the unfavorable kind — soon enough.
The abridged and less nefarious version of the aforementioned is relayed to the whole of USSTRATCOM. The good ol’ US of A would never do something so heinous as use dog analogies for fellow americans and human beings!
As far as one Leon S. Kennedy is concerned, which is barely at all when it comes to any political jargon, it’s the run-of-the-mill governmental thing that the government does every now and then.
Ehhhh. Sort of.
See. The thing is, when you’ve lived a life surrounded by people who do bad things, wherein you yourself are trying to prevent said bad things happening, you pick up a few skills. Observing, compartmentalizing, connecting the dots; you think. So, although he’s convinced himself time and time again that “the government wouldn’t do that!” Well... Words are one thing but actions end up telling some way or the other. And the puzzle pieces Leon would normally associate with money-hungry, egotistical, god complex freak scientists, fit a bit too nicely into the mold that is the backbone of the nation he serves.
Thus, he’s been thinking. And it’s dangerous for a weapon to think.
Oh, save your tears and cries of pity for someone who cares, Kennedy isn’t stupid. He’s well aware of his worth and purpose within this country. He’s known, though not as comprehensively, since the day he was ‘recruited’.
The day he made the decision not to lose Sherry, yet lose her all the same anyway.
The point of the matter is, Leon’s been thinking and it’s becoming a problem. A problem, not because he’s wrong but because he’s right. He’s tried to remain in that sweet drifting bliss that is ignorance; he tried again, and again, and again. From recruitment day, from operation Javier, from Spain and from when he’d kept that goddamn flash drive from Claire ruining one, if not the only, good thing he had then.
He’s tried.
It’s thus been, so to say, so very fucked from the very beginning that he may as well fuck around and find out. If just for funsies, of course. Totally not because of the agonizingly painful guilt that threatens to fill up his lungs to the brim, choking him from the inside out.
Or, because he’s selfish and wants to try and save what’s truly worth saving than some top 2 or 3% folks of the world who see everything as items only worthy of trade. Or even because he’s tired of pretending that there’s nothing he can do. The most exceptional top agent of USSTRATCOM, elite among the elite, acting like he can’t think for himself? Bullshit. Leon isn’t sure how, where or even what all of this thinking will end up getting him. Even so, if Leon isn’t a ridiculously lucky man especially in the most precarious of situations, then he isn’t anything at all. Well, technically he;d be a dashing piece of eye candy still, but nothing more.
Zilch.