Description: Leon's ventures on, making his way to ARK to finally get some answers and save Grace, unaware of his ghostly entourage as he pushes forwards, all the while his body quickly gives out on him. (Both RE9 endings included)
A/N: Holy shit, I did not expect to make a second part to this story, but within 24 hours I got so many lovely comments on ao3 that I just felt inspired to write more! I am so thankful for all of the love given to my work <3 This includes both endings, and it fairly long so have fun reading!
Just wanted to also thank ThatOneGuy2789 on AO3 for the idea about some of the others having ghosts, such as Hunk, as their idea helped me continue writing this story and actually pushed me to finish this a lot quicker than I expected (and made it a lot longer lol).
NO AI USED - DO NOT USE AI ON MY WORK
Word count: 13998
TW: death, violence, violence mentioned against child, death of child, angst, vomited of blood
The thick, overlapping vines of whatever mutated from Umbrella's experiments surrounded them as they quietly watched Leon climb off the rope he used to rappel down to the floor.
"I still find it so baffling how there is so much devastation from Umbrella's own self-destruction code and the bomb," David starts," but at the same time it is also a lot less than I imagined. It is as though Umbrella somehow managed to completely seal various parts to contain the damage, while making it severe enough for the public and government to not question it."
Rita nods in agreement, "if they had more than one lab under the city, it is no surprise if they did manage it. I mean, they would have gotten away with testing it - hell, half of the road was completely gone before the outbreak due to whatever the hell they were up to."
"I don't think it was as effective as they think though." Elliot states, glancing around warily at the vines, noticing how they move and wrap themselves around the cavern. "Look at it this way, if this is the way into their main laboratory - why would they leave whatever mutated mess this is down here? It is a plant, so it is not like they can control it themselves. Not only that, but they lost so many locations that they once held of high importance - such as the orphanage. If Victor Gideon has been working for Umbrella all these years, I find it more likely that he keeps to himself a lot and uses places that are far away from this mess to continue his main research, with this being a safe place to keep the more dangerous or riskier projects."
Marvin nods in agreement, "the amount of research they lost back then would have had a huge impact on Umbrella, slowing down their return, or at least making them disorganised and no longer a united front. Wesker's look-alike, though, may have been one of those more familiar with the lab down here as his main base. If the wrong person saw him, he would be in too much danger - not just from Wesker's enemies, but also people like Umbrella."
"Finally reached the bottom." Leon interrupts, immediately drawing their attention. "This is one very deep hole."
Following quickly after him, the group traversed the dark cavern.
"It has been years, but I will never get used to the feeling of things going through me - water especially." Tony complains, trying to stick closest to the edges of the cavern.
Suddenly, one of the thick vines rips itself away from the wall - revealing a deformed flower-head, with sickly pale petals. Within an instant, Leon shoots the flower-head, not giving it a moment to attack him, causing a putrid-smelling, yellowish liquid to splatter onto the cavern walls and into the water below it. As the flower-head droops, silence fills the cavern once more - before Leon quickly reloads his guns and continues on.
"Did anyone else find that the petals looked a bit… too flesh-like?" Rita hesitantly points out.
"I did," Marvin confirms, glancing back at the curled-up flower-head. "I assume that is why it was able to survive down here with no sunlight."
"You think that they purposefully mutated it to have flesh?" Elliot asks, as they watch helplessly as Leon fights another two.
"Possibly, or when trying to conduct further experiments on the plant Leon and Claire found back then, something went wrong. It could have been infected with a type of the G-Virus, causing it to have a similar regeneration effect Birkins had."
"It seems to collect things like that one as well," David agrees. "It kept the scientist pinned to the glass back then, and this one, well just look at how it has wrapped various parts of the subway stations and roads down here. It has cars and even a school bus amongst its vines."
Coming towards the cave-entrance, they step out into a wider-cavern, only to be greeted by the sight of the main flower head.
"Holy shit," Tony murmurs, "its vines are as wide as our police vans."
"How long do you think it is?" Rita questions while they watch Leon shoot at the flower heads on the path, expertly dodging the new vines wrapping themselves along the path before dropping down.
They all stare in horror as the giant flower head moves, tracking Leon within an instant.
"How the fuck is it able to track where he is?" Elliot whimpers.
"It must be something to do with its flesh-like state. The rookie will be able to handle it though, he handled the tyrant easily earlier, and Umbrella guys must have some way through this thing to get to the entrance." Marvin reassures them, pushing down his own fear.
"Just so you know, I've killed every plant I've ever had." Leon commentates as he rolls out of the way of one of the vines slamming themselves down where he was just standing, causing his invisible audience to groan.
"Why is this the time he chooses to make Dad jokes?" David mutters, cursing Leon under his breath, his eyes still lighting up in amusement despite his complaints.
Suddenly the plant slams into the crate behind it, allowing fuel tanks to rolls out of the dented door.
"Stubborn weed aren't you?" Leon continues on, his attention quickly drawn to the fuel tanks. "Time to burn you out from the roots!" He fires a shot into the tanks, watching the explosion quickly consume the flower head and its vines - its painful shrieks echoing throughout the cave.
Without wasting a moment, Leon heads toward the giant-metal door the plant was guarding, reloading his weapons on the way.
"This must be it," he murmurs to himself, his eyes scanning the complex design before he reaches the bottom. He reaches forward and grabs the lever, forcing it down, before stepping back cautiously, his ghostly entourage right behind him, all staring in horror and bafflement as the door unravels itself - the complex design raising more questions in their minds than answers.
The pitch black inside greets them, only breaking up with Leon's flashlight. After checking the area, Leon carefully steps inside.
"What the hell has the rookie gone through to not even hesitate at going inside this creepy ass place?" David questions, glancing at the others before they follow behind.
"Sherry, I've found some kind of massive facility." Leon states, before his attention is sharply drawn behind him as the entrance seals shut. "I'm seeing supplies with the logos of the usual suspects."
Marvin follows Leon's gaze, his brow furrows in concern at noticing more than one name. "Tricell? The shipping company?"
"They have a lot of ties to Africa, I believe they have own a big oil facility there." Tony answers, "my question is more on how the hell are there so many companies that are seemingly seeing a positive side of these experiments."
"You said it yourself," David replies, "they have an oil rig in Africa. They are used to exploiting and using those they view as beneath them for their own benefit - as long as it puts money and power into their pockets they don't give a fuck about who they hurt."
Marvin continues looking around, limited by Leon's flashlight to reveal their surroundings, dread for what they may find rolling in his stomach. When they went through the remains of the orphanage, they were surrounded by countless ghosts of children. Some, look as normal as any other child after the destruction of Raccoon City - with missing limbs or gaping holes in their bodies, but most had surgical scars and were terrified at the sight of them. Marvin tries to force the image out of his mind, trying and failing to stop remembering the small ghosts, some even smaller than his baby Meryl, with incision marks around their skulls, too scared to do anything but peer at them around the remains of the building. For many ghosts of Raccoon City - they have come to terms with being dead and the horrific sights that come with it - nothing can harm them anymore after-all. But it is evident that the children at the orphanage, with no one there to comfort or care for them, unfamiliar with parental or familial love that they seclude themselves to the place where many of them were tortured and killed in the first place out of pure fear.
Marvin can understand where they are coming from, being unable to get used to their reality as ghosts forced to watch the world change around them. While he has grown used to the sight of Tony's mauled corpse, Elliott's intestines hanging between his torso and legs, or even Hector's jaw swaying helplessly whenever he speaks - but nothing can ever get him used to the sight of Amelia and Meryl covered in blood and gaping wounds.
Guess that is the curse of being a father in this nightmare, Marvin thinks to himself, knowing Kendo feels the same way. While Marvin feels guilt for forcing Meryl to stay away from the RPD, which left to her getting torn apart by dogs and walking corpses when she was trying to find somewhere safe to hide - Emma has Kendo's bullet wound permanently between her eyes. Every time Kendo looks at his daughter's face, he is reminded of the choice he had to make, reminded that he was the one who killed her. The guilt eats at both of them for their actions and their babies fates - it is why when they went through Kendo's shop and he realised why Leon was there, Kendo took Emma to go and play with Meryl.
"I know there is fuck all we can do and I doubt I have to ask," Kendo told Marvin before they left, "but keep an eye out for Kennedy here. I feel bad for saying it, but knowing that Emma's death left such a mark on him that he is willing to fight whatever the fuck those bastards created and find some answers to put a stop to it? It means a lot."
"Does anyone think it is too quiet here?" Rita asks nervously as Leon's footsteps echo around the room. "Everywhere in Raccoon City has at least some ghosts hanging around there - if anything this place should be crawling with them."
"Doubt they would want to stay in the place they died though," Elliott reminds her, "Especially if Umbrella are still active. Not only would it be the place you die, but they would be forced to helplessly watch countless others lose their lives."
Going through the doorway, they all flinch as the light and water suddenly turn on.
"Sterilisation treatment as soon as you walk through the entrance?" Tony questions, glancing at the others, "this is going to be worse than the previous lab. They at least limited that to one of the specific areas."
Leon walks ahead, checking around corners as he makes his way through the facility. He glances down through the glass window, unable to see the few ghostly forms of the facilities victims lingering in the room below.
"Looks like we aren't the only ones here." David mutters, as they take in the sight of the ghosts, who hid themselves behind the boxes and test chambers when noticing they weren't alone.
Continuing on, the walk into the server room, the quiet hum of the machinery filling the air and causing tension to build as they watch Leon carefully manoeuvre his way around the room into the adjoining room. Without wasting any time, Leon uses the computer screen to look through the cameras - quickly finding Grace.
"Where is that?" he mutters to himself, glancing back at the map, before noticing movement on one of the cameras.
"Shit, we are about to get company." David states, glancing back at the door they came through.
"Let's hope his skills hold up against humans as well as monsters," Tony responds as they watch Leon ready his gun as he heads out the door.
"I'm gettin' the feeling I'm not wanted around here." Leon mutters once more, before pressing himself against one of the servers. They watch, with the limited light from the servers and torches as Leon skilfully takes them down one by one, never giving them a chance to find him in the dark before using his hatchet to take them down.
As the last one drops, the mechanism for the door unlocks - with Leon heading straight for the next door.
"How quick do you think it will take for them to come back?" Rita nervously asks, glancing at the bloodied remains of the Umbrella soldiers.
"A few minutes at most, enough time for us to get away from them at least." David states, as they all rush into the next room just as Leon shoots the canister, filling his surroundings with gas and instantly causing more soldiers across the room to shoot towards them.
"I can count at least four of them," Tony states as they watch Leon duck behind the boxes and smoothly use his sniper rifle to target his shots every time he darts out of the cover.
When it gets to the last one, who seems to not underestimate Leon's abilities based on his choice to stay hidden, Leon runs towards the ladder and makes his way across the room, never staying still.
"He's going to get shot from below before he gets there in time!" Elliott cries in fear, noticing the soldier line up his shots.
"He has a plan." Marvin states, having realising what drew Leon's attention.
Without a moment to waste, Leon shoots the chamber holding the licker, dropping down and hiding behind cover while the soldier's attention is drawn towards the new threat. The licker lunges at the soldier, its bullets doing nothing to stop its ravenous hunger as it rips through his armour and sinks its claws into his chest.
Just as the soldier stops moving, more pour through the doorway above them, the sound of their boots hitting the floor instantly drawing the lickers attention. The soldier with the riot-shield being too slow to stop the licker's tongue wrapping itself around his leg and forcing him towards it, sinking its teeth into his neck. The others instantly turn their guns towards the licker, giving Leon the chance to get into a better position behind the guards.
The licker rips apart another soldier, leaving only one left - before finally being taken down by a bullet to the head. Without giving the soldier a chance to collect himself, Leon uses his sniper rifle and shoots him directly in the head.
As Leon loots the remains of the guards and the room for more ammo, Marvin glances back towards the licker's corpse, only to see one of the ghosts they saw previously hiding standing over it. He watches as the young girl stares down at the licker, her expression matching ones his friends have worn many times when seeing their own remains finally put to rest.
"Do you think that was her?" Tony asks Marvin quietly.
"Most definitely."
Noise draws their attention back towards the way they came, realising the soldiers ghosts from earlier have finally awakened.
"We better get out of here before they come looking for a fight. Newly awaken ghosts aren't always the best at coming to terms with what happened, and to see more of their colleagues down for the count?" Rita remarks, before following Leon out of the door with the others right behind her.
As they go through another door, Marvin freezes at the sudden bright light reflecting off the clear walls before taking in the strange statue in front of him.
"And I thought Chief Irons was the only one who had strange taste," David remarks.
An announcement draws their attention as they look further around the blinding room, "Here at ARK, your movements will be constantly monitored. Do not leave the designated areas without authorisation. The recording and transmitting of information is strictly prohibited."
"They leave it a while before giving you that announcement, what the fuck else are they hiding that the past few rooms were nothing they were worried about showing." Tony says.
"I'm more baffled by whatever these statues are meant to be, there is nothing in here but these weird-ass figures and I cannot figure out how they are meant to link to bio-terrorism." Rita replies as they go up the stairs, Leon's footsteps echo around the bland room.
Reaching the side door, they step inside and watch Leon gather a few more supplies and sort out his equipment. Marvin, noticing the electronic screens wanders over.
"What the fuck?" He mutters, reading the information, "They're selling them. That's what they are hiding down here - countless of these monsters to make profit off of. The licker he just set on the guards was worth 14 million alone. The plant outside is worth 100 million. Turns out they accidentally mishandled it while trying to transport it."
The others stare back at him in horror, watching as Leon comes over to read the same information - though with no outward reaction.
"This isn't unfamiliar information for him," George says, "fuck, this is the perfect place to run an operation like this as well. Aside from us ghosts, no one else comes to Raccoon City anymore. There is nothing left for them to find, meaning it is the perfect cover for them."
Once more following behind Leon, they walk into another hallway, only for the opposite door to open - welcoming them to the sight of another soldier, with multiple disfigured ghosts surrounding him.
"What the fuck," George states, as they take in the sight of the torn apart soldiers - their suits much older than the one the previous and currently alive soldier wearing, but familiar to them nonetheless.
"Umbrella soldiers, and by the state of them I would say more victims from Raccoon City back in 1998." Marvin murmurs to the others, "a few over there look like they got too close to Birkin's claws." He stares at a few standing to the side, their insides spilling out from clean cuts - leaving their bones the only thing keeping their ghost body parts together.
Without another moment of hesitation, the alive soldier darts forward, skilfully dodging Leon's shots, using his own hatchet to block a few before swinging the blade at Leon's head, which was blocked just in time. Forcing the hatchet's away, the figure elbows Leon in the jaw, taking another swing before dodging Leon's attack. Distracted by dodging Leon's kick, however, Leon manages to gain the upper hand and punches him in the face, taking another chance to swing his hatchet - only for the figure to forcefully hit his knee into Leon's ribs and try to force him to back into the window. Leon, adapting quickly to the change in battle, uses his weight to swing himself around and propel them both through the window and into the red-lit room below.
"Holy fuck!" David cries as they race after Leon, noticing the dead soldiers joining them as they drop down into the room.
Marvin stares worriedly as Leon pauses getting up, coughing aggressively as he slowly forces himself to stand, groaning in pain.
"Leon Kennedy," the soldier states, readying himself with both his hatchet and a knife. "We finally meet."
"Didn't realise I had such a big fan," Leon retorts, instantly parrying the soldier's hatchet and fighting back - ignoring the pain he is in, though unable to hide it as he talks. "How about an autograph?"
"I heard you were a smart-ass." The figure states, before swinging once more at Leon.
Marvin and the others stand to the side, helpless as they watch Leon fight for his life against Umbrella's soldier - their worry and fear growing the longer the fight takes place.
"Why the fuck are you still lingering in this place? What did Umbrella do for you guys that made you want to stick around?" Elliott finally snaps, looking at the other ghosts, unable to stand their presence any longer. The others silently turn their attention towards the dead soldiers, silently agreeing with Elliot. With the countless ghosts Raccoon City holds - aside from a few umbrella soldiers and scientists they saw back before the bomb was dropped on the city, they only tend to see the victims of umbrella linger.
"Nothing," one of them finally speaks up, his attention still focused on the fight in front of him. "Our loyalty is for him though, and we don't leave a member of our team behind."
Marvin turns his attention back to the fight, pushing aside the familiarity he holds to the meaning - after all, that is why there were there as well, deep under Raccoon City and discovering Umbrella's secrets to stick beside the one Raccoon City officer who made it out of the nightmare their home was turned into overnight.
"Not bad for someone at death's door." The soldier mocks, blocking yet another one of Leon's attacks.
"Worried about me? How sweet." Leon retorts, blocking the attack and kicking him away in the chest. Just as Leon gains the upper hand, however, the soldier quickly gains it back, striking Leon down and ripping his gun off his back. Without hesitating, Leon forces the gun to the side, kicking the soldier's legs out from under him and buying himself time to stand and aim another blow with his hatchet. To gain the upper hand once more, the soldier slams his hatchet into one of the pipes - filling the room with smoke.
"Sneaky bastard," Leon mutters, hiding behind one of the pillars and in the smoke to shield himself from the soldier's shots. As soon as the soldier gets close enough, Leon attacks him with is hatchet once more, catching him just under the ribs - only to have his next blow blocked once more.
"Getting a little handsy, aren't we?" Leon bites, blocking another aim to the head.
"Make no mistake. Nothing will stand in my way. I will complete this mission." The soldier states, the edge of frustration creeping into his tone as Leon manages to kick him off balance and land another blow with his hatchet into his side. Distracted by the sudden pain, Leon uses it to his advantage and continues his attacks, forcing the soldier to continue parrying his attacks, only to have his hatchet knocked from his hand, his knife quickly following - giving Leon the perfect shot as he slams his hatchet straight into the soldiers neck.
Marvin sees the other soldiers stiffen, as they watch their comrade fall and take his last breath, while his own team let out sighs of relief, watching Leon breath heavily and recover - trying to hide the pain he is in.
"Ran into trouble," Leon informs Sherry, "This guy was one tough bastard."
As Leon leaves, they follow closely behind him, Marvin sparing one last glance at the soldiers - all of them moving closer to their comrades fallen corpse, preparing to welcome him after all these years.
"Grace should be nearby, time to finally get some answers." Leon mutters to himself, making his way back to the hallway he was just in.
"Do you think the others saw as much shit as we did?" Elliott asks the others, knowing that Douglas and some of the others split off to stay with Grace and keep a close eye on her.
"I doubt they witnessed a fight between Zeno and the plant, but they may have learnt a lot more from him about what ARK is and Elpis." Marvin responds.
The door opens, allowing them to finally see their colleagues once more - alongside Grace and Zeno, and a new ghost, wearing a bright red coat. Glancing around, Marvin notices the various pods lining the walls, a mechanism standing in the middle of the platform - drawing Zeno's attention from Grace.
As they get closer, they notice the expressions of fury and concern lined on their friends faces, with Grace's nerves growing as she backs away from Zeno.
Finally noticing Leon's entrance, all of them turn their heads towards them.
Zeno walks slowly towards Leon, before moving too quick for Marvin to follow as he dodges Leon's bullets, rushing up behind him and holding his gun to Leon's head.
"Aren't we fancy?" Leon mocks, before quickly knocking the gun away from his skull and using his hatchet to slice through Zeno's arm, only to get an elbow to the jugular in return.
Marvin watches in worry as Leon collapses to the floor, wheezing as he clutches the throat, not noticing how Zeno's arm fixes itself within an instant.
"What the fuck." David mutters.
"You took the words right out of my mouth." Douglas replies, his eyes glued to Zeno, analysing his every move.
Leon hits Zeno's gun away from him once more, only to be forced away and thrown onto the platform, his gun falling from his grasp as he groans, the pain stopping him from reaching for it straight away, instead forcing him to cough up blood.
"Oh fuck," Hector states, "has he been doing that for a while?"
"No," Rita replies, "though he has been getting worse."
The worry for Leon increases as they watch him splutter, desperately trying to free his airways of blood.
Zeno comes closer once more, preparing his gun and aiming it yet again at Leon's head, only for Grace's sharp cry to draw their attention away from their friend.
"Don't move!"
Marvin looks at the terrified woman, her gun held loosely in her hands as she tries to think of what to do to save Leon. Seeing Zeno glance at her, before continuing to lift his gun to Leon's head, her confidence builds.
"Come on Grace," the lady in a red coat mutters to herself, her slashed throat moving with her lips.
"Wait!" Grace cries out, before lifting her gun to her head, causing Marvin and his group to cry out in shock. "You still need me, right?"
Realising they are missing information, Marvin turns his attention towards Zeno, noticing his hesitation - buying Leon time to draw another weapon and fire at one of the parts of the platform, causing it to crash and slowly begin to slide down.
Leon forces himself upright, grabbing a hold of Grace's arm in the meanwhile. "Come on!" He calls to her, "grab tight!" He wraps his free arm around the falling piece - the lack of plan evident with his panicked actions.
"What the fuck is he doing?" George asks, baffled as he watches them slide down below, relying solely on Leon's grasp.
"Anything possible to get them safely away from Zeno," Marvin responds, defending his rookie. Marvin looks up at Zeno, watches as he lowers his gun, watching them helplessly escape. "Let's meet them down there."
Within an instant they allow their ghost forms to catch up with them, watching as they jump down from a moving platform above them.
"I take it, this is some form of mutated garbage dump." Wes states, glancing around uncertainly.
"Not a surprise with this place - did you guys see the mutated plant on your way in?" Rita asks.
"Another one? No, we must have went through a different entrance to you guys." Neil replies.
Their attention turns back towards Grace and Leon, watching as they both stand unsteadily.
"What now?" Grace asks, "Leon?" She turns towards him, just in time to see his eyes roll to the back of his head as he collapses onto the floor, his body rolling down the slimy, rotting remains and lies motionless on the floor.
"Leon!" Grace cries, unknowing that it was echoed by a multitude of ghosts, she quickly rushes down, unsteady on the unstable garbage as she tries to get to him. When she reaches him, she collapses onto the floor beside him and turns him over, terror filling her whole body.
"Are you sure he wasn't coughing up blood earlier?" Brad asks, looking back down at Leon with concern.
"Not while we have been with him." Elliott confirms. "I don't get it, he has been alone for most of this time, it isn't like he knows we are here, why has he been hiding how bad of a toll the t-virus is taking on him?"
"Because that is what he is used to doing," Marvin answers, "and I am sure he doesn't want to worry Sherry whenever he contacts her, or scare Grace any more than she already is."
"Your Alyssa Ashcroft." Rita interrupts, looking at the woman in the red coat. "Your Grace's mum. What is it that Zeno and Gideon want with her?"
Alyssa glances at them, before back down at her daughter, whose terror and exhaustion evident as she sits by Leon's unconscious body as she tries not to cry, before responding. "They believe she has the password for Elpis. I adopted her when her original adoptive father, Oswell Spencer, passed away."
"Wait, Oswell Spencer? She was originally adopted by the founder of Umbrella?" Brad asks.
"She was. I never fully understood why he chose her, or what caused him to ever adopt a child. But I never regret taking her in as my own." Alyssa replies, her voice softening as she watches her daughter cry, helpless.
"You said that they believe she has the password. She doesn't have it?" Marvin asks.
"No, she knows nothing about any of this. I kept her sheltered from it all, moved us around constantly and left false trails whenever I could. My habits stuck, even after I died. She went on to become a tech analyst for the FBI, rarely going anywhere or leaving a trail, though it kept her isolated and alone." Her regret and pain evident for her daughters suffering increases as she explains.
"You were just trying to keep her safe, the best way you knew how." Marvin comforts, "it is what us parents all try to do, even if it backfires."
They share a look of understanding. Quietly they all go over what happened since they split up, keeping a close eye on Leon and Grace as time passes.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Leon beings to wake - his weak coughs startling them all and drawing their attention. Marvin looks down at his worsening dark marks taking over his arm and face, the skin looking as though it was already decaying.
"Leon." Grace sighs in relief, trying to hide how she had been crying. "Are you okay?"
Hearing Grace's voice draws Leon's attention, causing him to look around in confusion as he tries to take in deep breaths, his lungs aching and burning.
"How long was I out?" He asks, his mind finally catching up to him as he forces himself to sit up.
"I-I don't know," Grace stutters out, trying to hide her fear for what is happening to him. " A-a while."
Grace looks closer at Leon's arm as he finally manages to sit up, coughs still ripping through his throat. "Those marks…"
Leon glances over to her, "It's T-Virus. Stage three infection."
"If you're so sick, why would you come here?" Grace questions.
Leon pauses for a moment, looking at her, unaware of the ghostly audience, many of whom wondering, helpless, about why he would ever bring himself back.
"This place, Raccoon City was where it all began for me." Leon starts, glancing around at the mutated and disfigured remains of what would have been human remains. "When it all happened. I- I couldn't make a difference. So I am here, now."
Marvin feels his heart clench at Leon's words - looking at the man, but being reminded of him all those years ago, desperate to help and blaming himself for arriving late - as though he could have protected them all from what was to come.
"We can't stop, Zeno." Grace reminds him.
"He said something about you having a password. What was he talking about?" Leon asks.
"I don't know!" Grace panics, "I'm sorry, I…"
Brushing Grace's apology aside, Leon grabs his gun and tries to force himself to his feet, only for Grace to rush over to help him stand - the pain racking through his body and stopping him from being able to stand properly.
"I'm going back," Leon starts. "I'm going to destroy Elpis."
"I'm coming with you." Grace manages to get out.
Leon glances at her over his shoulder before shaking his head, "No you're not."
"I don't want anymore regrets!" Grace stubbornly argues back - causing her mum to sigh softly, guilt filling Alyssa's stomach, knowing her death had such a vital impact on her daughter. "Whatever it takes, count me in."
Leon pauses and turns back around to face Grace, her stubborn but hurt frame reminding him of another time where he said such similar words, back to where his fate was sealed and his fight against bio-weapons began.
"If anything happens to me," Leon states firmly, "you promise, you'll end this."
"I promise." Grace confirms.
"Come on," Leon finally calls to her. They slowly make their way through the garbage, both trying to ignore the oozing, wet sound beneath their feet.
"Look! There's a door over there." Grace points out, looking above them as she tries to figure out a way for them to get out.
"Crane's blocking it, though." Leon replies, before noticing another doorway further ahead. As they both reach it, Grace quickly forms a plan.
"I can check it out for us. You think you can give me a boost?" She asks, hesitantly, taking in Leon's half broken form, his body shaking slightly from the pain.
"Guess we're about to find out." He replies, trying to hide his uncertainty, before crouching down, balancing his flashlight between his shoulder and head. Watching Grace climb above - Alyssa quickly vanishes from their group.
"We will go with Grace again as well," Douglas decides, "lets hope the next time we see you, Leon isn't one of us." Marvin nods in agreement, as Douglas, Wes, Neil, Brad, Hector and Meyer disappear as well.
"Watch out for yourself up there, yeah?" Leon calls up to Grace.
"I will." She responds, her voice stronger than before with certainty before she heads down through the dark passageway.
No longer trying to appear better than he was, now believing he is alone, he slumps to the floor - pain coursing through his body and leaving his mind foggy. He sits there, ignoring how the wet residue from the floor sticks to his skin, and how his heartbeat is racing in his ears as though he had done a long workout.
After a while, his mind losing track of time due to the pain, the noise from the crane draws his attention, forcing him to slowly stand and make his way over.
"Okay, back in busi-" the pain suddenly shoot down his spine, forcing him to bend over in agony. "Fuck…" Marvin and the others stand around him, as if they could catch him if he fell once more as he responds to Sherry. "Grace cleared the way for me… I'm going to settle this. You just send us a chopper for immediate evacuation."
Making his way up the ladder - the cold metal barely noticeable through his decaying skin, Leon stumbles his way through the door, barely glancing at the numerous monitors.
"Containment breach. System-wide surveillance failure detected." The announcement rings out throughout the room.
"They just can't catch a break." David mutters, "Can Umbrella even do one thing right? How many of their experiments always end up loose?"
Going through into the next room, Leon looks through the window - noticing the platform above them.
"Over there? Easy as pie." He commentates to himself, preparing his gun at the distant sound of groans growing closer. With ease, he fires his bullets into the decayed and barely recognisable corpses, causing them to instantly drop to the floor. As Leon heads further down the corridor though, his vision suddenly becomes blurry - coughs wracking throughout his body and his lungs tighten, their air harder to breathe.
"Come on, rookie," Marvin murmurs beside Leon - his arms hovering helplessly in worry - only to startle when Leon's attention shoots towards his direction in confusion.
"Didn't know hallucinations were a side effect," Leon muttered to himself once he was finally able to gain his breath back, his eyes scanning the room but unable to see Marvin frozen beside him.
"He heard you," Elliott states, looking at Marvin in both shock and terror.
"He hasn't before now," Rita points out, "that wasn't just a coincidence - he is running out of time."
Leon's attention is once more drawn towards another zombie, "Ah, shit, you've gotta be kidding me." Still trying to catch his breath, he stumbles back slightly, before shooting it through the skull, before quickly firing once more to be certain.
Once it drops to the ground, Leon leans slightly against the wall, glancing back over to where Marvin is standing - unable to see anything but the wall. Hesitating for only a moment longer, Leon pushes himself up and heads towards the door - stopping just before he leaves the room to glance back one last time, uncertainty swimming in his eyes.
"He didn't hear either of you," Marvin hesitates, unable to take his eyes off of Leon as he slowly makes his way to the stairs towards the door with the flickering light. "It must have just been a coincidence."
The others share a glance, but choose not to comment, noticing Marvin's troubled expression as he stays close beside Leon.
"Shit, more test chambers with zombies." Elliott states, looking around the room as Leon investigates the elevator control panel.
"Security threat detected. Elevator shutdown in effect. Override key authorisation required." The system announces, its emotionless voice cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"Who ever designed this place is an idiot, who the fuck keeps test chambers, that are actively being used mind you, right next to the elevator." Rita grumbles.
"The same idiots that decided that making biological weapons from living beings was a smart idea," George replies. "They may scientifically be intelligent, but they lack common sense and a few brain-cells."
"Clearly. They left fuel tanks right next to the test chambers without anything stopping them from being knocked into." David responds, nudging Tony and smirking, "How much do you want to bet Leon uses them at some point?"
"Taking that bet would make me as moronic as the fuckers who placed them there." Tony chuckles, as they through into the repository - only for the distant sound of a lickers ear-piercing cry to draw their attention.
"Fuck, those things are everywhere." Elliott cries out as they come to the railing, overlooking the room. Lickers cling to the walls around the room, they claws digging into the concrete walls with ease as they slowly manoeuvre around.
"It is just like the kennels," Tony quietly says - rubbing his hand over the giant gaping would on his neck, remembering the feeling of his one beloved Police Canines tore into his flesh with rapid hunger.
"Leon isn't an idiot, he has clearly faced these things many times before." Rita reassures him, placing a comforting hand on his back. "Even in his weakened state, he knows what he is up against."
They continue making their way down the corridor, Leon's steps purposefully light, pausing at the systems management door and realising it is locked tight.
"Shit, shit, shit," Tony mutters, noticing Leon look glance around the room and form a plan.
Making is way carefully down the stairs, Leon readies his Requiem and fires it directly into one of the licker's brains - only for another to race through the vent, dropping down directly in front of him. Without hesitating, Leon parry's its tongue, before dodging its swipe.
"I'll take out as many of you fuckers as I can." He grumbles, his exhaustion creeping into his voice, before he aims his requiem directly at its skull once more and watches as it drops, motionless, to the floor. The noise echos around the room, drawing more attention to him - with another racing down from the vent.
Jumping out of the way in time, Leon stumbles to the railing as he tries to put some distance between him and the licker, hastily making his way down the stairs on uneasy legs, a coughing fit ripping through his body once more. With pure-muscle memory, he managed to dodge another swipe, before shooting it through the head. Just as it drops to the ground, Leon bends over, more blood pouring out of his mouth as he tries helplessly to regain his breath. Too distracted by the pain and his inability to breathe, he never notices the third licker climb through the railing and begin to race towards him.
"Behind you!" Tony bellows, his heart dropping to his stomach at the sight of its deadly claws and blood-stained teeth reminding him too well of the kennels, forcing him to feel - for a split second - as though he was back there.
Leon, without a moments of hesitation, darts out of the way - shoots his Requiem three times, stopping it mid leap, forcing its body to slam straight into the concrete, its body barely recognisable.
Leon lays there, pressed against the wall, staring at the licker, finally able to breathe. Each breath joined by a faint wheezing sound from his throat, pain lingering with each movement. Giving himself a moment to recover, Leon tilts his head back against the wall, covers his eyes with his blood-soaked and dirty hand as he tries to wrap his head around what happened.
"Leon?" Rita tries to call to him, only for her words to be unheard.
"That wasn't a coincidence, he heard you." David states firmly, looking down at Leon, the lickers reminding him of his own brutal death - remembering how easily their claws can slice through your body as though you were made of paper.
"Come on, get it together," Leon quietly murmurs to himself. "The others need me to do this, come on. Grace needs me to do this."
Carefully, with pain shooting throughout his body, he forces himself to stand, not taking his eyes away from the floor and he makes he way carefully to the ladder, readying his gun once more.
"Haven't changed much, have you?" He mocks, trying to focus on the task at hand, clearing his path easily with another powerful shot into a licker, the bullet tearing through its brain with ease and its body falls to the floor within an instant.
He drops himself down to the floor, grunting as pain increases throughout his body, before forcing himself to make his way to the control panel and through into the generator room - shooting two more lickers as he opens the door.
Just as he tries to leave, coughs wrack through him once more. They all hold their breath, terrified of being heard and scaring Leon any further, watching with horror and pity as he wheezes against the doorframe, his hands gripping tightly against the wall as if it is the only thing keeping him together.
Finally, he manages to force himself to regain control of his breathing, going through the room with unease, glancing at the twitching corpses inside the test chambers , before making his way upstairs. His legs burning as he forces his way forwards, grabbing the override key on the wall with shaking hands - his heart working overtime, thumping wildly against his chest as he makes his way through the door and back into the repository.
"Oh fuck!" Elliott cries, as they enter the room, noticing the herd of lickers having gathered above the elevator entrance, their limbs overlapping as they crowd themselves into the small area.
Hearing the quiet growls, Leon freezes, before aiming his torch upwards and noticing the pack - his eyes darting about as he tries to form a plan. Silently, he walks towards the fuel tank - before aiming his requiem once more at one of the lickers and shooting it directly into one of them.
Hearing the shrill cries of their pack member die, alongside the noise of the bullet firing, the other lickers instantly screech - the noise ringing in Leon's ears - before racing towards him. Without hesitating, he kicks the fuel tank forwards, stumbling backwards and shooting the tank just as one prepares to leap.
The explosion shakes the room, followed by shrill cries of agony from the lickers as they claw helplessly at their flesh, trying to stop the flames eating away at their skin, before falling silent onto the floor. The last survivors try to push forwards, ignoring the pain and leaping viciously at Leon, their teeth bared and claws drawn back in preparation to slash, only to be met with the sharp blade of his hatchet blocking their attacks and ripping through their brains.
Placing and turning the override key, Leon lets out a sigh of relief, slumping over the control panel as the lights turn on and the elevator begins to descend to him.
"Warning: Autoclave compromised. Pod lockdown unavailable. Memory corrupt. Self-repair functionality offline." The automated voice states, strange noises breaking apart the words. "Aerosol monitor warning. Pod lockdown unavailable."
The test chambers shatter behind Leon, coughing ripping through him as he grabs his shotgun off his back. "Yeah, yeah… let's get this over with." He mutters to himself between gasping breaths, aims for the zombies and firing directly at their heads, reloading within an instant and firing once more, not giving them a moment to attack.
"The elevator will arrive shortly." The automated calls, just as he fires bullets into the last few - giving him a moment to breath before he slowly makes his way over.
"The elevator has arrived."
Stumbling through the door, and pressing the button, he leans heavily against the wall, his legs shaking as he feels his whole body burn in agony and exhaustion. Grasping a hold of his requiem he refills the bullets, purposefully trying to ignore the increasingly spreading grotesque marks on his arms, the rotting flesh standing out aggressively under the bright light.
Marvin watches on in anguish, feeling useless as he watches Leon suffer and try to hide his own pain.
"Almost there, Sherry." Leon manages to croak out into his earpiece.
Coughs rips through his excruciatingly painful lungs, his vision swimming, his insides twisting and burning inside of him.
"Shit…" He weakly splutters to himself, his eyes unconsciously filling with tears as the pain becomes unbearable, every breath send ripples of torture throughout his nervous system. Noticing the elevator door opens, he slowly staggers through, his steps uneasy as he tries to stay upright.
"Not done yet," he groans to himself, unaware that his stubbornness sends a wave of heartbreak through his onlookers - all wishing they could get Leon to stop and let his body rest.
The continued coughs send droplets of blood on the floor as he focuses on pushing on, the corridor feeling endless before he finally reaches the door. The bright yellow room greets them, reminded them of what Leon is about to face - though he pauses before the steps, a migraine send sharp, blinding pain through his skull as dark spots dancing in his vision.
"I can't watch," Elliott whispers, his voice cracking as they watch Leon take cautious steps up the stairs, before collapsing onto his hands and knees. Looking back up, Leon groans in distress as he forces his legs to hold his weight, climbing each step, his heartbeat thumping in his ears, his head and vision both becoming cloudy. Finally, he reaches the top - only for his legs to finally give out when he finally reaches the door, blood tearing through his oesophagus with each cough and splutter, his back crashing into the door as he slides to the floor, his blood smeared along the surface and floor, the bright red liquid distorted under the yellow lighting, causing it to look black.
Marvin and the others watch on, tears rolling down their faces, powerless, as they desperately pray and plead for whatever god there may be to stop Leon's suffering. Marvin crouches down beside Leon, his invisible hand resting against Leon's shoulder - much to Marvin's surprise and horror.
"Come on, Rookie." Marvin murmurs quietly, trying to comfort him. Looking at him now, unconscious and in endless amounts of pain, he is unable to see Leon as he is now - instead he is reminded so strongly of him, back from all those years ago, with his dirty blonde hair, his uniform still new from the storage without a mark on it, his eyes shining with hope as he tried to find them a way out of hell. It took Marvin pointing his gun at Leon, for him to leave him behind - but even then he came back for him, refusing to give up even with all of the evidence in front of him. "It's okay Rookie, it's okay."
Marvin stays there, quietly muttering words of comfort to Leon, not knowing if he can hear any of it. His mind drifts to his little girl, wondering if she had anyone watch over her, if she had any comfort in her last moments as the pain tore through her. He wonders if his darling Amelia had tracked her down, feeling as useless as he does know as she watched her baby die. They never spoke about what they saw when the outbreak first started, the memories too painful and hard to bring up. They saw enough of the aftermath with their own eyes everyday, from the destruction of the city to the deformed figures that roamed the streets and rpd everyday.
Footsteps draw their attention back towards the stairs, Grace and her entourage race towards them.
"Fuck," Douglas croaks out - the other officers wearing matching faces of horror and anguish as they realise that their rookie doesn't have long.
"Leon!" Grace calls out, her heart dropping in her chest at his lack of response. "Leon!" She calls again, knelling down beside him and shakes his leg, her eyes taking in his rapidly decaying skin. "Oh no…"
Leon grumbles slightly, causing her to shoot up with hope, "Hey! It's me, it's Grace." Her fear and worry unable to hide as she watching him slowly force himself awake once more, rubbing his leg and shoulder. "Please wake up. Come on, wake up, wake up."
Seeing his eyes begin to open, her smiles in relief, "Hey! Hey."
"Hey you," Leon states, once more trying to hide how bad he is hurt sending another wave of pain through Marvin and the others hearts. "I was just resting my eyes." He glances over his shoulder in confusion as he forces himself up, unable to see Marvin's hand, but feeling something there.
"You're okay," grace tries to comfort, coughs racking through Leon's body once more as he tries to stand. "Let me help you!" She wraps her arms around him, slipping his arm over her shoulders.
Leon shifts his weight to his right side, careful not to weigh Grace down or hurt her anymore, conscious of the bandages wrapped around her chest. "Let's do this."
Leon pushes the door open, as they slowly make their way back to the platform, noticing Zeno waiting there, smoking his cigarette, knowing they would return.
"I-I don't know the password." Grace quietly says, her eyes not leaving Zeno's pacing figure.
"It's okay, Zeno left it wide open for us." Leon comforts. "Any wrong code will do. It'll destroy Elpis."
Finally noticing their entrance, Zeno's attention moves towards them, patiently watching them struggle towards him.
"Let's try." Grace says.
"Grace, whatever it takes, I can buy you some time." Leon states, ready to accept his fate.
"No." Grace replies, her mind racing and her eyes darting to the computer. "No, no, I have an idea."
Taking in her certainty, Leon nods in understanding - his mind growing foggy once more. "I trust you, I trust you."
The ghosts slowly follow, all of them watching in agony as their rookie and Grace make their way towards the platform - hoping desperately that there was some miracle that could get them out of this.
"He would have made a good officer," Douglas states, sniffling and clearing his throat as he lets his tears run down his face.
"He was." Marvin affirms, "We are lucky to be able to call him one of ours."
Zeno watches mockingly, a smirk growing on his lips as Grace helps Leon down the steps. "So, the prodigal daughter returns."
"I know the password." Grace states confidently, trying to hide the slight waver in her voice, watching as Zeno's attention is instantly attached to her.
"Fulfil your destiny, and all will be forgiven."
Leon forces himself out of Grace's grasps, collapsing onto the floor, coughing weakly.
"O-only if you let Leon live!" Grace bargains, watching him lay powerless on the floor.
"Very well," Zeno agrees, his attention back on the machine.
Distantly, Leon sees Grace walk towards the machine - but his attention is drawn away from her, and to his side, seeing hazy, translucent figures slowly become clearer.
"Marvin," Leon weakly mutters - causing Marvin to stare at him in shock before dropping to his side, resting his hand on Leon's back, desperate to try and comfort him.
"It's okay Rookie, we're here." Marvin tries to comfort, ignoring the tears running down his face. The others stand a little ways back, knowing Leon was not familiar with them outside of their deceased forms.
"Deputy Douglas," Leon whispers looking up through his hair at the others - taking in the gruesome sight of their ghosts, "don't know what I did to deserve all of this attention."
Douglas tries to hide his shock, never realising that Leon still remembered the names of those who he never got to meet, who were once going to be his colleagues.
"You done more than most of us," Douglas states. "I am proud, and honoured to call you a member of our Police department."
Leon lets out a weak sigh, tears filling his eyes at his words.
"I am sorry about Meryl," Leon whispers, shakily to Marvin. "I wish I could have done more to help."
"You don't need to be sorry, you have done nothing to apologise for Rookie, that's an order. It was my fault she was out there to begin with, and she is now with me and her Mum once more." Marvin comforts, never realising Meryl's fate affected their rookie so much.
"Thank you, Agent Kennedy." Alyssa chimes in, turning her eyes away from Grace as she reaches the terminal, hesitating as she opens the keyboard. "You have done more for my daughter than anyone has done since I have passed, and it is because of you she has made it this far."
Leon looks over at Alyssa, his attention then drifting back towards Grace. Slowly, and with shaking legs, he forces himself onto his knees - not willing to just lie there if he can help it.
"It was all her," Leon replies, "she just needed some support."
BAD ENDING
After much debate and her mind jumping between her choices, Grace finally types out "Destruction", squeezing her eyes tightly to try and calm her nerves before hitting enter. The sudden silence as the machine turns itself off draws her attention.
Leon and Zeno glance around, noticing the sudden change in the room - tension filling the silent atmosphere.
"What did you do." Zeno growls out, just as the platform begins to shake beneath them.
"What I had to," Grace responds firmly, glancing hesitantly at the floor and it begins to break and shudder.
"Grace, get out of here!" Leon yells, ignoring the way his throat burns at the force.
Zeno grabs her, unwilling to her let escape, fury filling his veins. Seeing this, Leon forces himself up, the last bit of adrenaline and knowledge that Grace's Mum is watching over giving him the ability to grab his hatchet and swing it down on Zeno's shoulder, forcing Zeno away from them. The platform shudders once more, drawing Leon's attention to the bridges leading to it - noticing how they are steady.
"Go! I'm right behind you," He calls, urging her forwards protecting her from Zeno as he helps her climb onto the bridge just as the platform drops further.
"Leon!" Grace calls in panic, noticing his lack of attempt to reach the bridge. "What are you doing, come on!" She helplessly reaching towards him, her eyes darting around the platform, trying to find a way for Leon to get to safety. The pillars underneath the platform shudder one final time, before exploding - tipping the platform to the side.
"Leon!" Grace calls out, terror filling her veins, only Leon's attention diverts back to Zeno, watching as he angrily rips Leon's hatchet from his shoulder.
Knowing he will not win this fight, Leon raises his fights, preparing to swing - only for Zeno to slam his fist straight into Leon's stomach.
"Leon!" Marvin cries, the others all crying out in horror as they watch him use the last of his energy to protect Grace and buy her time. Forcing himself up from the ground, refusing to let Zeno focus on Grace for more than a minute, he swings at him once more - only for Zeno to block it, and dislocate his arm instead.
"Leon!" Grace cries out, her and the officers desperately silently pleading for this to end, for Leon to somehow escape and make it out alive.
He swings at Zeno once more, only for him to get blocked and attacked, Zeno's brutality ending with an aggressive punch straight into his abdomen- forcing blood to splutter out of his mouth one last time.
The last of his energy gone, Leon collapses to the floor, barely able to feel to platform collapsing around him as he hears Grace anguishly call out to him. Weakly, his breaths shudder through his bloodied and broken lungs, the pain consuming is every movement.
His mind wanders to the others, Sherry working tirelessly at HQ, hiding her pain, waiting to hear from him as they worked tirelessly for a cure. Claire forcing herself to continue her work with Terrasave, even with Chris' constant fretting and worry as her body decays more every day; Jill and Carlos tracking down old Umbrella members, trying to find any information they can. Rebecca spending countless nights in the lab, trying to make various cures, trying different variables without any luck. Ada and Jake, somewhere out there looking for answers, using every contact they can, no matter the price, to try and find them all a cure - refusing to go down or lose those they care about without a fight.
He looks up at Grace, her figure crouched on the bridge, his vision blurry and barely able to make her out - only the red coated figure kneeling beside her in comfort, allows him to know that she is safe.
"At least, I could save you." Leon whispered, faintly hearing Grace's terrified cries grow, alongside those he once hoped to be able to call his colleagues and friends. He turns his attention to Zeno, staring at the gun placed between his eyes.
The shot runs out, Leon's skull explodes into pieces, his remains slump to the floor, motionless.
"No!" Marvin cries, sobs wracking through him. Rita and Elliott cling to one another, turning their eyes away from Leon's corpse.
"Fuck!" Brad cries, anger filling his veins as he looks at Zeno, reminding him so achingly of Wesker and what he did all those years ago at the mansion to the other STARS members.
Another explosion rings out, before the platform tilts and finally collapses once more - the ghosts disappearing from it as Zeno gets dragged into the explosion.
Back on the surface, the ghosts reappear - waiting around the elevator shaft to make sure Grace gets to safety. Smoke and embers fill the air, the distant sound of sirens drawing closer. The group stand is silence together, tears running down their faces as they all try to collect themselves.
Finally, Grace appears on the elevator, taking hesitant steps as she glances around herself, exhausted, but her mind reeling from everything that has happened since she was sent to the Wrenwood Hotel. Suddenly a blinding light shines on her, the sound of the helicopters propellor fills her ears.
Watching it land, Grace feels her heart sink, realising how close they were from being rescued, knowing it is thanks to Leon that someone even knew to look for them here. "I wish I could have saved you, Leon."
"Grace," A voice murmurs beside them, snapping the officers to attention. Standing beside them, was the bloodied and broken ghost of Leon - his head floating above his torso, blood pouring out of every orifice.
They stare at him, unable to find the words to say.
"Miss Ashcroft?" A soldier asks her, his gun lowered as he analyses the area.
"Yes?" Grace manages to answer, her tongue feeling heavy and her lungs filled with smoke.
"Where is Agent Kennedy?" The soldier asks.
"He…" Grace's voice cracks, glancing back behind her. "He was killed."
The soldier freezes. "Are you certain, Miss Ashcroft?"
"Certain. He was shot in the head, there was… there was no way he could have survived that - even before the explosion." Grace manages to croak out before more tears run down her face, too tired to hold herself together anymore.
"Come in, ALPHA. Agent Kennedy has been confirmed to be killed in action, Miss Ashcroft has been found safe." The soldier informs over the radio.
A medic appears, ushering Grace towards the helicopter while others begin to analyse the scene.
"Chris," Leon mutters, knowing that he is the one who is being informed about his death.
"Redfield? He is still kicking after all this time?" Brad asks.
Leon nods, "he is one of the few left, and one of the only ones not infected with the T-Virus."
Tense silence fills the air as they all watch as Grace is eventually ushered into an ambulance, Alyssa climbing in after her and staying by her side.
"Chris will make sure she is okay, Miss Ashcroft. I promise." Leon calls to Alyssa, who glances at him and nods, an understanding shared between the two of them.
"It was you all, wasn't it? That I heard down there, I wasn't seeing or hearing things." Leon states.
"It was, we have been with you since you came through the rpd." Marvin states. Their attention all drawn back to one of the soldiers.
"You really all followed me this whole time?" Leon eventually asks, turning back towards them.
"Course we did, you are one of us Rookie." Elliott states firmly.
"We following you are Claire back then as well, until you got on the train." Rita adds.
"I was only an officer for a day though, if it can even count." Leon responds, his mind reeling .
"You are one of us Rookie," Marvin affirms, "It has been too many years for you to try to deny it now, understood?"
Leon nods in agreement, a slight smile building on his lips. "What do we do from here?"
"We return to the RPD, I have a daughter who has been desperate to meet you since 1998, and from there we can form a plan. We have all the time in the world." Marvin states, watching as Leon nods in agreement.
Leon's mind drifts to his friends and loved ones, knowing that Chris will be the one who will inform most of the others of the news, Ada will find out through her own ways. He knows it won't be long before they join him as well, the clock ticking down for all of them, but for now, he will let himself gather his thoughts, come to terms with his what his new future will look like, and finally meet the other officers of the Raccoon City Police force.
GOOD ENDING
After much debate and her mind jumping between her choices, Grace finally types out "Hope", her mum's words echoing through her mind. Squeezing her eyes tightly to try and calm her nerves, she forces herself to take a deep breath before letting out a sigh. The machine lights up, echoing around them before the a small mechanism pops up - revealing syringes holding a golden, glowing liquid.
Hesitating, only for a moment, Grace reaches down and grabs a hold of one.
"What're you doing Grace?" Leon questions, his voice ragged from the pain.
Grace turns towards him, her mind races as she pieces everything together. "Spencer regretted what he did! He n-" She was cut off my Zeno, forcefully shoving her out of the way as he drinks in the sight of the liquid.
"Well done," he purrs, picking up one of the syringes, before glancing over at Leon, hesitating.
"You promised!" Grace blurts out, moving in front of Leon, only for Zeno to walk past her, a smirk growing on his face.
"Yes, that I would let him live." Zeno watches as Leon slowly pushes himself up, his body feeling as though it was trying to tear itself apart from the inside. Without another moment to waste, Zeno stabs himself in the neck with the injection. "Mr Kennedy, I give you the honour of experiencing my power first hand."
grace interjects, "I-I'm not sure Elpis is what you think it is. There is nothing special about me. I was never any key. Spencer wanted to make amends, he…" her words trail off as she notices his attention drifting - panic settling into him as Elpis works its way through his body.
"But you released Elpis. What is it?" Zeno states, his mind racing. He turns towards Grace, allowing her to see the black marks disappearing from his face, the cure rapidly helping him recover from the T-Virus. "Tell me!"
He races towards Grace, causing Leon to push himself forwards, wrapping his arms around Zeno to stop him from reaching her, only for Zeno to chuck him to the ground. He lays there, helplessly on the floor, his mind drifting unconscious once more.
"Leon!" Grace cries, kneeling down next to him.
"Why?" Zeno questions, his fear evident, "My powers!"
"Elpis is Spencer's atonement." Grace explains, "It's an antiviral."
A sudden laugh draws all of their attention, Victor Gideon stands on the bridge, ripping off his headgear with a smirk.
"How the fuck does this guy look worse than when we last saw him?" David groans, "and where the fuck did he come from?"
"Amazing," Victor begins, taking in the sight, "I am humbled by my master's genius."
Zeno forces himself to stand, furious, slowly making his way to Victor. "Your research was wrong. Elpis wasn't a weapon. There was never a key."
"Spencer's paper was obviously incomplete. There was no connection between Grace and Emily."
"Do you know how much time and money I wasted on this?" Zeno argues.
"Don't you see the genius?" Victor counters. "With Elpis, all virus-based weapons are useless. The world order will be thrown into chaos."
"We wanted a weapon."
"Instead, Spencer gave us anarchy." Victor grins, menacingly. " I will carry his torch and bring his vision to life."
"You?" Zeno mockingly laughs. "You and Spencer were a means to an end."
"Yet he outwitted you all."
"Spencer defied us and paid the price with his life. He was nothing."
"You are nothing but an imitation!"
"It's over, Victor. The Connections is done with you." Zeno yells, furious - only for Victor to grow tired of Zeno's words, letting his arm mutates and letting it slice though Zeno's neck, ripping his head clean off.
Grace panics at the sight, her mind reeling from the information, before glancing down at the anti-viral in her hand. "We can't let him have it." She looks up, just as Victor stabs her through the abdomen.
"Grace!" Alyssa cries, the others panicking, powerless. Rita wraps a comforting arm around Alyssa, supporting her in anyway she could.
"Your ignorance is staggering." Victor mocks, walking past Zeno's corpse, staring down at the remains of his previous partner, who is easily fooled and manipulated to get his own way.
"Leon!" Grace cries, shuffling her way over to him while Victor's attention is not on her. "It's a cure." She stabs it into his arm, ripping his glove off and watches as Elpis instantly works his magic, with his rotting flesh rapidly healing.
"Yes!" Elliott cries out, all of them letting out sighs of relief and cheers, knowing that Leon is free from the Virus that took most of them to their graves.
"It's working," Grace sighs in relief, noticing Leon begin to stir beside her. "Leon, it's working! Wake up!" She tries to move, only for her side to burn, slowing her down.
Leon, suddenly hearing a noise behind him, looks over - just in time to see Victor remove one of the vials.
"Now," Victor announces, being uses the computer, "let it all come down. All of it."
Leon turns to Grace, feeling adrenaline suddenly burst through him, the pain receding at a rapid pace. "Grace, what happened?" He questions, only to glance around as the platform shakes beneath him. "It's gonna go! Grab something!" He yells, realising there is not enough time for them to try and get to safety.
Without any hesitation, he rolls over and kicks the barrier out of the way, dropping down onto the platform below him and staggering out of the way, watching as more of the platform they were just on collapses as the ceiling shuts above them.
The ghosts quickly allow themselves to land on the new platform, sticking close to Leon.
"Grace?" He calls, looking around the area, his mind racing as he tries to find her, "Grace!"
Suddenly, his attention is drawn towards Victor, his figure stumbling closer, his arm further mutated with more hands sprouting from his tentacle.
"I hate that, even just from the weird shit we have seen today, that is normal to me." Wes grumbles, taking in the sight of Victor as some of the others spread out, looking for Grace.
"Over here!" Hector calls, causing Alyssa to race over. The rest give her some privacy, turning their attention towards Leon and Victor.
"Time to bury Umbrella's last skeleton." Leon states, glaring at Victor, readying his gun.
"Spencer's weapon lives through me," Victor announces, "and I will see that it is brought to fruition."
He tries to attack Leon, only for him to skilfully parry it, his strength returning for the first time in months, changing to his Requiem and firing a shot directly at his skull.
"And how many more will have to die for that 'vision'?" Leon questions, before firing another shot. He quickly dodges Victor's attack, before suddenly electrical sparks shoot from beside them as Victor collapses to the floor. Leon uses this time to fire more bullets at him, creating some distance between the two of them as he analyses their surroundings.
Forcing himself to stand, Victor uses his mutated arm to throw himself onto some of the debris, taking this time to absorb the electrical charge coming from the parts of machinery around them before firing it at Leon, with little to no thought.
"How is he doing that?" Douglas murmured, fascinated as the electrical currents spark directly where Victor desired.
Leaping out of the way, Leon dodges Victors attacks, firing more shots at Victor, not giving him a moment to catch his breath.
"You insufferable, fool. My master's future, is absolute!" Victor forces out, his voice becoming distorted as he begins to lose control of the mutation.
"Seems your reaching your limit," Leon mocks, darting out of the way once more, before noticing Victor pull out a rocket launcher from underneath his coat. Without hesitation, Leon fires shots directly into his arm - forcing him to drop the rocket.
Trying to give himself the upper hand, Victor goes back to the debris absorbs more of the electrical current, giving Leon the perfect time to race over and grab the abandoned rocket launcher. Not giving Victor time to realise what he had time, Leon fires it directly at him, forcing him off the debris and onto the edge of the platform.
"It's over." Leon states, firmly.
Victor cries in agony, the mutation growing out of control inside of him, more tentacles shooting from his back, as he slips off the platform, his contorted screams fading as he fell.
"Good riddance," Leon grumbles, standing tall - his body finally free from pain. A sudden noise causes him to pause, drawing his gun once more, only to see a mutated hand pull itself up onto the platform, tentacles gluing themselves around the building, its sickly flesh spreading itself out.
"A nemesis," Leon grumbles, causing Brad to snap his attention towards him in worry, "no wonder you're so damn relentless."
Using his knowledge from Jill about Nemesis', he fires at the bulging sacks that rapidly grow along its body like tumours, dodging out of the way of Victor's attacks.
"There is no wonder how the hell he managed to make it this far while in so much pain if he can handle this thing with ease." Elliott states, baffled as they watch Leon fight skilfully against Victor's mutated form, parrying its attacks without breaking a sweat.
"Raises the question as to what exactly he has gone through and faced over the years." George replies, just as Leon back flips away from another attack.
Marvin watches him, feeling warmth spread throughout his chest as well as concern as he proudly witnesses Leon's abilities. "He has come a long way from being the Rookie who had one hell of a bad first day."
Suddenly, Victor manages to grab a hold of Leon, holding him tightly in his grasp. Using all of his strength, Leon forces his legs to push Victor's fingers away, before racing up Victor's arm, not giving him any time to react, before slamming his hatchet into him repeatedly. Victors shrieks of pain fill the air, his limbs thrashing around and knocking more of the unstable ceiling loose as he collapses.
Leon walks over to his collapsed figure, having jumped to safety just as he began to thrash around. Without giving time for Victor to plan his next move, he fires his requiem at his arms, destroying his hands completely.
"This time, you ain't getting back up." Leon states, before firing directly at Victor's heart. Victors pained shrieks fill the air once more, as he takes his final breaths, his body unable to hold a solid form any further and liquidising all around them. Leon watches, analysing the scene, before spinning his gun in his hand and sliding it into the holster.
As Victor's screams silence, the creaking from the unstable building rumble around him - drawing Leon's attention.
"Grace," Leon whispers, before yelling louder, "Grace, where are you!" As he races around desperately, looking everywhere for the woman.
Trying his earpiece, he calls out "Sherry, Sherry come in." Only to be greeted with silence.
The others watch on in concern, relieved as they notice Leon heading in the right direction for Grace.
"Shit," Leon mutters to himself, rounding another corner, to be greeted by the sight of Grace lying there, unconscious on the floor. "Grace, hang on." He kneels down next to her, noticing the blood soaking the bottom of her shirt. "Fuck," he whispers quietly, calling out to her as he gently holds his hand over her face, trying to reassure himself that she is breathing.
"Leon," he manages to mutter, struggling to regain consciousness.
Leon looks around as the building shudders once more, the ceiling unstable above them. "We need to get you outta here. Come on, lets get you up." He carefully helps her sit up, only the shooting pain from her side rips through her, as she lets out a cry.
Suddenly, parts from the ceiling above them slam into the floor, the noise drawing both of their attention. Leon stands, glancing around at the building, helpless, as he tries desperately to find them a way out of there.
"There's no way out, is there?" Grace quietly asks, realising what the problem was as she looks around them, her side pulsating with pain.
Leon turns back to her, his heart dropping into his stomach, unable to stop his guilt building. "Well, I'm not going to leave your side." he sits down beside her, "I'm gonna sit right here with you." Both of their attention is turned towards the lights, as they splutter and shut down one by one - before finally locking them into the darkness.
The ghosts watch on, their hearts heavy as they stay with them in the dark, refusing to leave them behind.
"I guess this is it then." Grace whispers, as though not to disturb the silent atmosphere, their surroundings finally not filled with the distant distorted cries of the undead.
Suddenly, a light beams down from above them - shortly followed by ropes. Leon sits up, grabbing a hold of his gun in advance.
"He told Sherry to call for Evac earlier!" Tony cries out suddenly remembering, their hope increasing. Soldiers slide down the ropes, wearing uniforms much different from Umbrella's.
"Leon S. Kennedy?" One of them calls out.
"Depends whose asking." Leon replies.
"Alpha, do you read me sir?" The soldier says, talking to his earpiece as he makes his way over. "Yeah, they're safe. I've got them. Mr, Kennedy, I have a message from Captain Redfield."
"Chris?!" Brad exclaims.
"He says that he needs you to regroup, there is a place that you know well and need to meet him at. The others will be waiting there, furious that you set off alone, but relieved that you are okay."
Leon snorts at the message, "as vague as ever, that is Chris for you. You can let him know I have heard and understood his message. I've got a few things to do first though."
The soldier nods in agreement, "Understood sir, now let us get you both to safety. We will take it from here."
The officers cheer as they watch Leon carefully lift up Grace, carrying her over as the soldiers work out the best way to get them to the surface.
"Let's beat them up there," Marvin calls out, as they all let themselves reach the top. Their ears suddenly are filled with a cacophony of noise, firefighter sirens wailing in the distance, helicopter propellors whirring above them and the chatter and orders being yelling between groups.
Finally, they watch as Grace and Leon reach the surface, with Grace being placed down in a helicopter while Leon leaves to fill in the higher ups about the events and what they may find. Alyssa races over to her daughter, unable to stop worrying, blaming herself for not being able to keep Grace safe from those who wanted to hurt her due to her connection to Spencer.
Wandering back over to Grace after passing on the information to the correct people, Leon wanders back over to Grace, talking to Sherry on his earpiece. "I'll be damned. Can't believe that antiviral actually worked. I feel better than I have in ages." Marvin walked beside him, unable to hide how proud he is of Leon, a soft smile stuck on his face.
"I've got a dose with your name on it. You'll be back in action in no time. Would have been a lot smoother if Chris hadn't been so late to the party."
"Where is Chris anyway?" Marvin hears Sherry asks over the earpiece.
"No idea," Leon chuckles lightly. "I'm sure I'll run into him at some point." Leon hesitates for a moment, glancing at Grace, "before I go, I have a quick question to ask."
"Go for it." Sherry replies.
"In all of the cases of the T-Virus, did anyone ever report hallucinations?" Leon questions, feeling Sherry's hesitate at his words.
"No, never. Why, did something happen?"
"I thought I was hearing things at first, but then, just before a licker attacked me from behind I heard someone call out a warning. And when I was lying there, before I got the cure… I saw them there - some of the officers from the rpd. Marvin, Elliott, even the Deputy. I also saw Alyssa, hovering near Grace."
Leon feels himself growing uncomfortable at telling Sherry, feeling her concern over the phone.
"It was just strange, that's all. Nothing to worry about." Leon brushes it off, not wanting to her to worry about him anymore.
"I don't know if it was a hallucination, or something else." Sherry hesitates, "It wouldn't surprise me if it was - we face a lot of strange stuff. But it is nice to think, that those we have lost are watching over us still."
Leon smiles softly at Sherry's understanding. " Yeah, anyway. I will call you back, I need to talk to Grace."
"Understood, I'll keep you company while you go and fetch your car from god knows where," Sherry teases, "at least it didn't end up wrecked this time."
"Ha-ha, I'm disconnecting you now." Leon groans, unable to fight the smile forming on his face as he wanders over to Grace.
"It's over then," He says, seeing how Grace curls herself smaller under the purple shock-blanket.
"Yeah," Grace responds, "Elpis really was our last hope."
"Well let's pray that Umbrella didn't leave us any more nasty surprises."
"I wish we could have saved Emily," Graces sighs out, unable to stop herself.
"Grace, I didn't hit any of her vitals. She could still be alive."
"What are you saying?"
"Maybe we can save her. You saw it yourself, how Marie came back until the sunlight burnt her alive to the point that there was nothing left. Emily was down, but she wasn't gone like Marie. If whatever they did to her was similar to Marie, she may have a chance."
Grace smiles in relief, nodding in understanding.
"I need to go, you have my number - let me know if you need anything, understood? Even if it is as simple as just having someone to talk to. Don't isolate yourself after something like this." Leon gently tells her.
"I will, thank you Leon. For everything." Grace nods, glancing down at her coffee.
Leon hesitates for a moment longer, "your mum would have been proud of you today. I never knew her, but I have read some of her work. She was an incredible researcher, and you have helped save a countless amount of people through your bravery."
Grace looks up at him, her face flushes in embarrassment and tears well in her eyes as she thinks about her mum. "You think so?"
"I'm certain of it. I know I would be if my kid did half the shit you did today." They share a smile, before Leon walks away, heading towards the temporary car he is being loaned.
Pauses just before he gets in, he turns towards the empty air beside him - unable to see the other officers of the Raccoon City Police force, but knows that they are there.
"Thank you, for watching over me. And thank you, Lieutenant Branagh, you have taught me a lot more than ever realised." Leon reaches into his knife holster, pulling out the achingly familiar knife - one kept has kept safe even after all these years. "It has done me well, after all these years. I hope I did the RPD proud."
"You have, Leon," Marvin quietly responds, his heart clenching in his chest at the sight of his knife, Leon's smiling making him look years younger, and reminding them all of the rookie they watched over all those years ago.
"We are so proud, to be able to call you a member of the RPD."
Description: Who is to say there isn't a life after death, afterall, the undead are now roaming the streets of Raccoon City. When Marvin Branagh passed, he never expected to be greeted by his colleagues - and never expected to see the rookie Leon Kennedy again, after so many years.
A/N: This idea has been eating at me since I played re9, so here you are :) I've been playing a lot of the resident evil games recently, currently re 6 and even though I play single player it is a lot of fun! Never wrote for resident evil and I have been busy with work stuff and had a writers block so I haven't done much recently but hope you all enjoy!
NO AI USED - DO NOT USE AI ON MY WORK
Word count: 4787
TW: death, violence, violence mentioned against child, death of child, angst
***1998***
The Raccoon City Police Department was never quiet, at least, not while Marvin Branagh had ever worked there. Whether it is from his colleagues, other members of staff at the precinct or even civilians coming in - it was never quiet at the rpd, no matter the time of day.
It is why, slumped over the bench in the empty entrance of the precinct, Marvin found it so harrowing. His shallow breaths echo in the vast halls, every so often being joined by the distant shuffles and groans of the walking remains of those they tried helplessly to save.
Marvin feels his eyes grow heavier, with breathing taking more and more effort. He tries desperately not to remember what has become of those he was supposed to keep safe, those he was once able to call his friends, or even his beloved wife, Amelia, and babygirl.
Meryl, Marvin silently calls out to, too exhausted to able to make a sound. The guilt that has been consuming him since he forced her to stay away eats away at him, taking the last of his energy or ability to try to fight for his survival. He knows that there is little to no chance that his baby would have been able to get out of his hell.
Were you scared, baby? Marvin wonders desperately, were you in pain for long?
Tears fill his eyes, as he forces his mind away from Meryl, wishing the pain would end, while dreading for what he is about to become.
He looks over at the strange entrance Leon had managed to reveal. God, I hope you make it out of this, Rookie.
****
Having become used to the harrowing silence of the rpd, Marvin was shocked by the sudden wave of noise that filled the room.
Instinctively shooting up, he looks over, only to be greeting by the sight of his colleagues and their bloodied remains - only more whole than they were when he last saw them.
"Lieutenant Branagh, I would say it is good to see you - but I think the situation speaks for itself." Deputy Douglas states, his blood coating his shirt and neck from where he was torn into.
"Deptuy Douglas," Marvin exclaims in shock, "how…"
"You died, much like the rest of us in this godforsaken hell." Douglas explains calmly, evidently used to having to explain the situation to those who recently passed. "What remains of you, is still on the bench."
Marvin turns around, only to feel his heart drop at the sight of his own eyes having the familiar cloudy appearance, and the starts of unnatural groans beginning to rip from his throat.
"What the fuck," Marvin murmurs, before forcing himself to turn back towards his friends.
Looking at those beside Deputy Douglas, he spots Elliott Edwards - with his torso hovering over his legs with his organs spilling out between the two - and Rita Phillips - with her neck and shoulderblade torn apart, with bone fragments appearing underneath the blood.
"I told you both that there was a secret tunnel," Rita remarks, her wound stretching open everytime she moved her jaw.
"I have already apologised for not believing you Rita," Elliott sighs, "at least it is helping someone escape this place."
"Never would have thought it would have been the newest recruit, who came even after being told to stay away, and Chris Redfield's very own sister." Douglas adds, glancing over to the others before looking back at Marvin.
"What… are we the only ones here?" Marvin manages to asks, his mind reeling.
Douglas shakes his head, "practically everyone who has died here is around somewhere. We have had some wander to other parts of Raccoon City to find their loved ones, but some of us are staying in the place we died."
"Practically all of us cops are dead, aside from the rookie and that bastard Chief Irons," David Ford informs Marvin as he wanders down the stairs, his body ripped to pieces with his left arm no longer even attached to his body. Following closesly behind him, Marvin spies Meyer, whose mangled face left the remains of his brain exposed, alongside a destroyed eye socket which left the mutilated pieces of his eye hovering grotesquely where it once belonged.
Feeling his stomach roll at the sight, Marvin forces his gaze to turn back to David. "What did he do this time?"
"Remember how we couldn't find him when we got overun in the east wing, and thought most of the officers died in there? Turns out he sent a seperate team of officers to the west storage room and locked them in with people who had already been bit. He was trying to set it up with c4 and gloated about watching them all have to choose between killing their friends or dying themselves. The ghosts of those officers haven't lingered here, unsurprisingly."
Marvin stares in horror, glancing over at Douglas, only to see him clench his jaw in anger as he gazes at the floor.
"I knew he was a shit chief… but…" Marvin manages to force out, losing the words to describe the disgust and fury within him.
"It gets worse." David says, nodding in understanding at Marvin's reaction. "I followed him for a bit after I died, turns out the bastard was a bit too interested in hunting and taxidermy; he had a whole private room attached to his office dedicated to his so-called "trophies". He kept on calling people about the "t-virus" and how he supplied them with test subjects and protection."
"The recent missing cases?" Marvin croaks out.
"Highly likely, even read a journal he had left on display from that secretary he apparently "fired" back in April. She knew he was up to something and was scared for her life."
"He kept her so busy and away from the rest of us, she probably didn't know who to trust." Rita murmurs sorrowfully.
"They aren't the only ones either. This fucking nightmare hasn't stopped him - I followed him to the orphanage, where there is no one but him for reasons I don't want to even think of, and he has Katherine Warren's body set up for his next taxidermy project."
Everyone stares at David in anguish at the monstrous depravity of their police chief, and the knowledge that he may have used them to get away with his heinous actions sinking in.
"He made sure we couldn't investigate properly, or stop him in any way." Elliott whispered - though his words tore through the tense atmosphere as though he screamed them.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed from the east wing entrance, drawing their attention. Racing past the front desk, they see Leon - having returned from the parking lot.
"Leon…" Marvin says, surprised to see him return so quickly, and worried about him being so close to his zombified remains. Leon races past the front desk, oblivious to their presence as they observe him head straight for Marvin's remains.
"Marvin! Aw, no… dammit!" Leon exlaims mournfully, his regret for not being able to save him evident in his voice. Hesitating for a moment before aiming his gun, Leon shoots Marvin's remains through the skull, not even giving the zombie time to move from the bench. Seeing his corpse fall to the floor, Marvin sighs in relief, glad that Leon will not make the same mistake of letting his guard down, while trying to brush off the unease it feels him to see his own corpse being shot by a fellow officer.
"i'll stop this Lieutentant, I promise." Leon states firmly, before forcing himself to turn away and head into the West Office, where the 'Welcome Leon' sign mockingly hangs above the desks.
"The kid has balls, I'll give him that." Douglas remarks.
"If only that was all you needed to get out of this place," David replies.
"Claire is around here somewhere as well, between the two of them I think they stand a chance. They have figured out a way out of the station within just a few hours." Rita retorts.
"According to my old radio," a voice is heard from the east wing entrance. Turning around, Marvin is greeted by the sight of Tony, the houndmaster, and his fellow officers, George Scott, Neil Carlsen, Wes Drucker and Hector, "the government plan to nuke the whole of Raccoon City in a few days to stop the virus from spreading further across the US."
"I can't say I blame them. Even the animals and insects are infected and fuck knows what those creatures with the long ass tongues are." Elliot says, unable to hide his wince of disgust at the sight of Tony's mauld flesh.
"God help those who were near the zoo when the outbreak happened. I would take getting my jaw ripped apart over an infected giraffee or elephant running at me anyday." Hector states, shuddering - his jaw barely attached to the rest of his skull.
"At least there wouldn't be much left of their remains. My hunger after days of us being trapped here with dwindling supplies apparently passed on to my corpse, and the thing won't stop trying to break into the vending machine." Neil grumbles.
"I just hope Leon and Claire didn't open the locker," Wes says, his arms crossed over his chest in discomfort at the idea of discussing his death, "I left a note, warning people not to open it, only for that bloody Umbrella guy to take it when him and that other bloke came looking for something."
"They weren't too bad," George Scott adds, "I followed them into the STARS office. They were finding information about an Umbrella researcher, and one of them was on the phone to Jill."
"Jill was calling one of the Umbrella guys?" A voice breaks out, drawing all of their attention.
"Daddy!"
Marvin feels his heart stop as looks towards the main doors, only to see Brad standing there, his yellow vest still drenched with his blood, with Marvin's little Meryl beside him. He feels his stomach drop taking in the sight of her ghost, with her shoes missing, and chunks of flesh missing from her stomach and neck.
"Oh, baby." Marvin breaths out before rushing over, instantly wrapping her tightly in his embrace and cradling her close, as though he could finally protect her from the nightmare she lived through in her final days. He feels as though his words get stuck in his throat as he tries to think of how to explain why he sent her away, and how he foolishly and helplessly thought it would keep her safe if she wasn't trapped in the rpd like him.
"Marvin, I am so…" Bard starts, causing Marvin to look up, suddenly remembering that everyone else was still there, all with similar sympathetic and pitying expressions.
"Don't." Marvin forces out, his hold on Meryl tightening. "You can't blame yourself for the actions of your corpse Brad. I hesitated, it is my fault, understood?"
Brad nods unwillingly, before directing his attention back to the others, "Are you sure it was our Jill?"
George nods firmly, "best part about being a ghost, personal space doesn't exist anymore to those still living. I pressed myself close enough to his earpiece to hear her voice loud and clear. She was on a train to get out of the city when it derailed; she was the only survivor, besides this guy called Nicholai who left them for dead. She said how this thing was back?"
Brad swear quietly, running his head through his hair in fear and frustration, "Nemesis - it is hunting down STARS members specifically, an Umbrella creation. I called Jill to warn her, and it literally burst through her apartment building. If she is trusting those two guys then that means not everyone at Umbrella knows about their involvement, and the situation is a lot more complicated than we realised."
"Have faith in her Brad, if anyone is going to make it out of this city it will be Jill Valentine. That woman won't go down without a fight and taking a lot of those bastards with her." Rita firmly reassures.
"That's a bad word," Meryl murmurs quietly to Marvin, her hold on him just as tight has his own.
"Yeah, so you better not repeat it." Marvin chokes out, his heart aching at her innocent comment, "We will let them off for it though, just this once."
"So what do we do now?" Elliott asks, glancing around.
"There isn't anything we personally can do," Deputy Douglas states, "whether this is how we will spend eternity or we will eventually pass on I don't know, but for the time being this is it. Find your loved ones, help others find theirs, it is up to you, but personally, I am going to follow the Rookie and Redfield's sister for the time being to see what else I can learn about this mess."
At his statement everyone begins to pair off and plan, though Marvin stays there, soaking in his daughters cold embrace, his eyes wandering back to his remains, his corpse slumped in the empty and abandoned Police Department.
*** 2026***
When the bomb first went off, Marvin remembers the terror that spread through his ghostly body when he saw the explosion and felt the heat rip through the air. It only got worse as he watched the rpd be torn apart, with the roof caving in and parts of the once sturdy walls give way as though they were made out of glass. Eventaully though, after the explosion died down and the carnage of Raccoon City was left to rot, it began to sink in more that they were just stuck as witnesses to the world around them, waiting to be able to move on.
At first, some of the others left to find their loved ones - whether that was to a different city, or finding their ghosts somewhere in the city. They always came back though, whether from not wanting to watch their families move on without them by their side, or finding it easier to accept their fate at the rpd, bringing their loved ones with them. Marvin never left, unwilling to see the remains of his home, and the crumbling remains of the city. Both his beloved Amelia and sweet Meryl found him and chose to stay by his side, understanding his decision to stay and always coming back to the rpd if they ever left.
"You can't blame yourself for not being able to do more, Marv." Amelia once said, gently stroking his cheek, "you did more than countless of others, hell, you did more than your Police Chief and those in charge of this city."
Marvin always argued against her though, refusing to let his guilt go, instead holding onto it and the pain he feels everytime he sees more ghosts with similar grotesque remains visit.
With being a ghost in an abandoned city, stuck within the remains of the rpd, time flew by in a blink of an eye - only being marked by further decay of the place he was once so proud to work at. They rarely hear about the outside world, with only getting updates when a ghost returns, or from the view rare visits they get from members of the BSAA exploring and searching through the rubble.
It all changed, when they were greeted by the sight of two strangers waltzing into the rpd, as though they had been their all their lives.
"Lieutenant! There are people in the main hall!" Elliott's voice calls out, startling Marvin.
"People?" Marvin echoes, following after Elliott. Arriving to the scene, he instantly spots the two figures standing out against the ruins.
"What the hell…" Marvin murmurs, staring in horror at the familiar figure of Albert Wesker, joined by a man with skin so grey and stretched unnaturally across his bones, an appearance Marvin has come to recognise as a similar trait to the undead.
"That can't be Wesker." Brad denies, anger and disbelief flashing across his face. "That bastard was killed in the Arklay Mountains, there is no way that is him."
"I agree, while he bares an uncanny resembelance to Wesker - he does share some differences." Douglas reassures, his eyes not drifting from the man.
"It is possible he had a twin, it isn't like Wesker ever talked about his family or life outside of work." Rita chimes in.
"I'm more curious about the strange dark markings on his face - and whatever the fuck is up with the other guy." David adds.
"He looks like he could be one of the undead before the bomb went off." Marvin says, unnable to stop the shiver running down his spine as his uncanny appearance.
They continue to watch them both wander around the ruins of the rpd, looking over the files and notes left behind by the last BSAA squad.
"So you truly believe that we can somehow convince Grace Ashcroft to come here willingly?" The Wesker lookalike states.
"You need to have some faith in me, Zeno. We will be able to get her here, and he won't be far behind." The other man smoothly replies, a chilling smiling revealing his yellowing and blackening teeth.
Zeno rolls his eyes, typing away on the laptop, ignoring how the strange figure wanders through into the west wing offices.
"Your obession with Leon Kennedy is ridiculous Gideon. If he follows after her, do you truly think you will be able to control yourself enough to put a stop to him?"
Marvin straightens up at the mention of the rookie, remembering how the last time they saw him, he was racing onto the train out of the city, leaving them to stay behind, hoping the mutated remains of William Birkin wouldn't be able to catch up to him and Claire.
Coming back into the entrance, Marvin feels his stomach drop as he watches the sickly looking figure drag the remains of their sign for Leon behind him.
"He will play an important role, but he won't stop us releasing Elpis, I can assure you of that." Gideon lets out a breathy laugh, as he arranges the sign around the BSAA files.
"What the fuck is wrong with these people," Elliott murmurs, his heart aching at the sight of the sign he created - once prepared to warmly welcome a new memeber of their team and make sure that he felt like they wanted him there, only for it to once again be a mocking sign left to remind him of just how much the outbreak had taken from him.
"At least we know they successfully made it out of the city before the bomb went off," David tried to reassure them all, only for Marvin to feel how empty it sounded. Afterall, if he was expected to return, to a place where the aftermath of the outbreak still remains after all these years, was he ever able escape Raccoon City?
After laying out the sign, the ghosts watched them leave, lingering in the entrance for an unknown amount of time, wanting to see if Zeno and Gideon's beliefs about their rookie returning were true. While he may not have been there when the outbreak first started, he was a part of their team, and he came to try and help them.
When the day arrived, they were first greeted to the sound of a helicopter outside, followed by Zeno reutrning once more alongside a young blonde woman, whose nervous demeanor and her bloody clothes instantly causing them all to become alert.
"There is no way she came here willingly," Rita states, hovering closely to Grace, observing her bandages and pale face. "The poor girl looks as though she has been through hell, what the fuck did they do to her?"
"Stay with her Rita." Douglas states firmly, "the rest of us split up. I doubt he came here alone with her, especially if they expected Leon to not be far behind."
Watching the others split off, Marvin lingers in the entrance, his eyes glued to the front door.
"Marvin." Douglas calls to him, "Are you alright?"
Marvin sighs deeply, before shaking his head.
"I should have done more to keep Leon away from this place." He starts, before looking over at the Deputy, "He kept on trying to argue against me to try and get me help, and instead he got forced to shoot me."
Douglas wraps a comforting arm around his shoulder, understanding the guilt he feels, and knowing how long it has been eating up inside of him.
"He would understand, especially if he is used to dealing with zombies. And we did try to keep him away from here, remember? He is just a stubborn fool, and refused to listen."
Marvin nods, his eyes going back to the entrance door.
Suddenly shouts come from the upstairs east wing ring out, drawing their attention.
"Another blue trench coat guy is upstairs over the east wing office where Grace and Zeno are currently located!" Elliott yells down.
"Shit," they both respond, before Douglas races up the stairs to join them in their investigation.
After some time, standing in the empty hall, Marvin hears the faint creek of the rusty gate outside - drawing his attention.
With his eyes glued to the door, he watches the door be pushed open, revealing the tall figure of Leon Kennedy. So achingly similar to how he once looked nearly 30 years ago, only his his hair darker and longer, with pieces beginning to go grey - alongside stubble lining his jaw.
"Fuck me, the rookie ain't much of a rookie anymore." David comments, having observed his entrance from the west wing balcony. Marvin rolls his eyes at his comment, before walking closer to Leon, and noticing the dark marks along his neck.
"He has the same markings like Zeno," Marvin calls out, "an infection of some kind."
"The same thing most of us got?" David asks.
Marvin nods, "I remember seeing it a bit on George, and the skin around my wound had some dark lines."
"Sherry, i'm in RPD" leon states, looking over the BSAA files and staring at the broken statue. "Looks like the BSAA set up HQ here."
Marvin and David watch as his attention turns towards their handmade sign, their sorrow and sympathy growing as they watch his forlorn expression as he looks over its dirty remains. Noticing his attention drawn towards a note, Gideon left, they move closer to look over his shoulder, reading it beside him.
You can't save anyone
"How fucking dare that gross bastard…" David mutters before walking away, heading off to inform the others of Leon's return.
Marvin continues to watch over Leon, observing him use to computer.
"Sherry, I found Grace… and someone's been expecting us."
Once Leon finishes his conversation and tracking Grace's location in the rpd, Marvin follows him as he wanders around the rpd - sticking closely behind as they head into the west wing offices.
Stopping in front of Marvin's old desk, Marvin feels his heart drop to his stomach when he sees Leon hesitate at his name sign, picking up his old journal carefully and reading their plan of action to make sure Leon felt welcomed and like a part of their team from day one.
"Hey Lieutentant Branagh. Kennedy, reporting for duty…" Leon mutters to himself, the pain exivdent in his voice.
Marvin clenches his eyes shut, feeling his stomach drop at Leon's words, before following him further into the west wing, helpless and unable to respond even if he could find the words - before bumping into some of the other officers.
"It is weird seeing the rookie practically my age now," Tony states.
"Shit, I think my corpse is moving up ahead." George worries, rapidly drawing their attention towards the corridor that they once barricades, noticing his skeletal remains stumble around near Hector's jawless body, still slumped against wall.
"Hopefully he is as good as Gideon and Zeno implied," Marvin reminds him, as they observe Leon coming closer. Without any hesitation, Leon rushes at the corpse, giving it no time to react as he slams his hatchet into its neck, slicing its head clean off its shoulders.
"Rest easy, officer."
George feels a small smile grow on his face, relieved to finally not be forced to watch his decaying remains wander around looking for its next meal.
"Oh fucking hell, my corpse is back to the stupid ass vending machine." Neil groans, only to see Leon quickly turn around and deliver two clear shots through his undead skull. As the shots ring out through the hall, silence quickly follows, finally free from the rattling of the distorted groans and stumbling footsteps.
They continue to follow him around, watching as Leon expertly travels through the rubble and figures out how to access the east wing. Quickly reuniting with the others, Rita turns to the others - her fear evident in her eyes.
"That orphange has been working alongside the umbrella facilities for a lot longer than we thought, even before Irons took over. Apparently they used to keep clones there who were their main subjects." Rita explains quickly. "It doesn't make sense though, he is saying how Grace is the original of all of the clones, but that would make her much older than she appears. I recognise her last name from somewhere, I think her mum was a journalist? She would have been around 20 to 30 years old when the outbreak happenened."
"So he is trying to decieve Grace, hoping she doesn't catch that detail." Douglas summarises, quickly working out the situation. "Whatever they want her for, and whatever her part is in releasing this thing called 'Elpis', they are trying to give her as little information as possible to get their way."
Grace's panicked cries and gasps for air draw their attention, alongside Leon's - who quickly ran in and called for her.
"Mum…" Grace whispers out, before collapsing to the floor, the overwhelming situation becoming too much for her already exhausted mind and body to handle.
Leon shoots at Zeno, only for him to move out of the way without any struggle, shocking their unseen visitors.
Suddenly, the ceiling caves in above them - the broken concrete sending a wave of ash and dust throughout the air, making it harder for them to see Zeno quickly grab Grace.
"Have fun," Zeno retorts, leaving Leon with the towering figure.
"I remember you," Leon states, shooting unsuccessfully at the humanoid creation, only to quickly grab his hatchet to try and block its jab - resulting in him being thrown across the room.
"Leon!" Marvin cries out, the group terrified they are about to be joined by their rookie. They all breathe a quiet sigh of relief when they hear him make another retort to himself, shoot the ceiling above the monster and slowly force himself to stand before attempting to head out of the east wing.
The beasts thunderous footsteps quickly follow after him, all of the ghosts helplessly rush after him, hoping desperately that Leon manages to get out before the monster grabs ahold of him, or causes the east wing to collapse on him.
As Leon rushes towards the first floor entrance, diving out of the way of the beast, he turns around in preperation to shoot at the relentless figure, only to be greeted with silence.
"How the fuck has that thing managed to survive after all these years," Elliott mutters.
"More likely that it is a different variation of the one from all those years ago, they are powerful - Umbrella probably makes a lot of money selling them." Wes explains.
"They're taking Grace to ARK." Leon states, drawing their attention once more. "The orphanage is the entrance."
The ghosts all turn to look at one another in concern at his words. While many have ventured throughout raccoon city since they passed, even going to other states and countries, none of them had managed to force themselves to go into the orphanage after Claire escaped with Sherry all those years ago. The ghosts of the children there were different from others, with many victims of Umbrella's experiments having grown up within those walls and hiding inside its familiarity.
Watching Leon head towards the broken rubble leading towards the street, Hector speaks up, "Are we following him then?"
Marvin instantly nods, "we don't leave a member of our squad to face a situation alone, no matter how much or how little we can do to help."
With his determind statement, the others quickly agree and follow closely behind him, refusing to let their rookie face raccoon city alone once more.
I want to re-redesign these ones, ignoring *a little* how they look in the canon, since i felt very limited. They'll probably end up looking very urban, i'm not sure. I'd like to try it with my current style.
I feel like these drawings looked very Tumblr-ish (valga la redundancia) unconsciously, i want to change that.
