Code Name: EVE

A/N: The longer, more plot oriented sequel to Plagas and the Bees. As you read, remember that I am a very slow writer. My brain keeps locking up on me. But I love to share! For the end of the game, I’ve changed it so that Ashley and Leon didn’t find the plaga remover. Either it didn’t exist or they missed it on their way out, make your choice. The rest of the changes are covered below. Creative liberties have been taken with some of the plaga info.

Las Plagas Mating Habits

It can be difficult to determine the difference between a male and female plaga. Physically, they are very nearly identical. Only through obtaining samples of the plaga sex cells can one determine the gender. It is uncertain how they themselves select mates, but I surmise that they secrete a special kind of pheromone perceptible only to other plagas. Moreover, in my studies of the adult plagas in their natural state, I have made two intriguing observations.

One: It is the male plaga that bears the children. The female uses her tail to inject the eggs into the male’s pouch. The male then fertilizes the eggs internally and carries them until they hatch. Both male and female plagas have a pouch and a tail. However, in the females the pouch is non-functioning, and of course vice versa.

Two: Female plagas are extremely aggressive toward potential mates, outside of and often during mating season. Conversely, the males are largely passive, especially during the mating process. Despite this, the bond among a colony runs deep, and either sex will jump to defend its family from outsiders, especially the males for their queen.

I haven’t yet found the opportunity to study how these instincts affect hosts of las plagas, nor how their unique anatomy adjusts to that of their host body. All I can say is that they certainly possess a natural talent for adaptation…

When the lift Leon was riding reached the platform, his eyes were greeted by the sight of Ada Wong hanging from some of the high scaffolding. He sincerely hoped she wasn’t dead, but she was frighteningly limp. Unable to reach her himself, he threw his knife at the rope suspending her. It hit its mark cleanly, and he rushed over to check on her as she fell into a heap of soft debris. She was alive, but she wasn’t in great shape. As he pulled the remainder of the ropes away from her, footsteps sounded behind him. Jerking around, he spied an all too familiar purple robe.

Standing under the platform, Ashley watched breathlessly as the cult leader raised a hand toward Leon. She couldn’t hear him, but she could see him, as he fell to his knees clutching his stomach. “No… Leon!” But apparently they couldn’t hear her either. Not that it would have mattered. The girl was already fighting the urge to run to Saddler’s side, and if he made a conscious effort to summon her, she doubted she’d be able to resist. All she wanted to do was go home! Go home and get the damned thing out of her! But if Leon failed…

“Well, well, look who it is…”

The voice was like a knife through her heart. Ashley whipped around and screamed. It was Jack, but by the look of him, it was a wonder he was still standing. He was covered in blood, to the point where she wasn’t even certain where it was coming from. “What…”

His eyes flicked to the events unfolding above him. “I was after the treacherous bitch,” and then they were back on Ashley, “but this is an unexpected little bonus…” Krauser stepped forward, reaching for her with his right hand.

Ashley scrambled back, noticing distantly that he was holding his left arm rather strangely. She didn’t stop to think about it. Instead, she said the first thing that came to mind. “Leon will kill you if you touch me…”

Again? Krauser almost laughed at that, but instead, he replied, “I don’t know, he looks kind of busy to me.”

She looked back over her shoulder to see Leon fighting to drag himself away while the woman in red faced off with a rapidly mutating Lord Saddler. Not knowing what she thought she could do, she tried to dive for the lift button. If anything happened to Leon, she’d never escape this nightmare, and he’d already saved her so many times that she couldn’t just watch anything bad happen to him. A firm hand closed around her upper arm, though, stopping her.

He’d come here with the intention of killing Ada, but it looked like Saddler might be about to take care of all of that for him. Or maybe she’d kill Saddler for him. Either way, he wanted them both dead. He’d caught part of Leon’s conversation with the cult leader shortly after Leon had ‘killed’ him. “Come on.” He jerked on Ashley’s arm, moving away from the battle ground. If Saddler won this round, Krauser highly doubted he’d be in any shape to fight the huge creature himself. He’d go after Wesker first, and maybe come back for Saddler when he was better prepared.

“What are you doing?” Ashley, of course, resisted as much as she could.

“Taking my consolation prize,” he grinned.

She wouldn’t submit to him again, not after everything that had happened. She refused. Instead of buckling under the fear, she tried to knee him in the groin. For whatever reason, whether because he was just too quick to block or because at the last second something made her hesitate, she missed her mark. The next thing she knew, his hand was around her throat, his thumb pressing against her windpipe.

“I will have you,” he hissed.

Ashley clawed desperately at his fingers, but the lack of air was quickly consuming her strength. The last thing she saw before she slipped under the dark blanket of unconsciousness was his steely gray eyes, narrowed in concentration.

Up on the edge of the grating, through a dark filter of pain, a gasping Leon caught a glimpse of the pair on the ground. More specifically, Krauser throwing Ashley’s limp body over one shoulder. “Ashley!” He croaked, attempting to use the railing to pull himself to his feet. For an instant, the soldier glanced back at him and they locked eyes. Then Krauser took off into the night.