Wake Up
folder
+M through R › Resident Evil
Rating:
Adult +
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9
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11,195
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
+M through R › Resident Evil
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
9
Views:
11,195
Reviews:
28
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Resident Evil, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Released
This is an important chapter and I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been hurting a lot for some good ole’ fashioned fluff for our actual couple. They’ve been doing this little dance, interacting with a lot of other people and not each other because absence makes the heart grow fonder. Leon’s feelings are developing but he’s not willing to accept them yet and we’ve still got lots of flashbacks to deal with in the next few chapters. Next chapter is going to be a really good one and then we’ve only got a few more left before they meet again.
It’s nice… I’ve got a steady average of around 5k a chapter so that’s good but what I am really focusing on is setting up for so many things in the future. Things you won’t even realize are important… are SO going to make you have an “ah ha” moment. Enjoy this chapter!
-Luky
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Chapter Five:
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Released
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“Well, sitting in this shit hole isn’t making my mood any better that’s for damn sure.” he said to himself, pacing in his cell from the toilet to the door. Nothing was more annoying then having your bathroom attached to your daily living area. He hated feeling like a caged animal, unaware of what the hell was going on the outside and having to live with his waste removal contraption only a few feet from where he showered and slept.
He’d been in the same room for nearly three months and he was getting tired of the same four walls-- thank God he was leaving today. His bed, his toilet and his shower were all linked into the same four walls without any means of a privacy screen or a shower curtain. He took a shower with careful eyes watching and monitoring every move he made-- he shit and had to stay in the same room with it, and although none of these things were bothering him yet, he was eager for a damn shower curtain at least. Eventually he’d ripped the bed sheet off of his bed and bathed with that, but he’d gotten in trouble for it.
‘Whatever…’ he thought, remembering the deep voice that had calmly told him to replace the sheet on the bed. There truly was noting like having your “man junk” for the whole world to see.
The walls were made up of pristine white tiles that were stacked perfectly on all sides around every crack and crevice. They were specially coated with anti acid coatings as well as other coatings to help prevent any form of chemicals to break down the tiles, not like he had any chemicals that were spewing from his orifices, and they used machines to open up holes in the wall-- a slab of tiles pushing forward to reveal an air sealed box where he received all his supplies.
The room was designed so that any contaminates that he had on him, or in him, would have one hell of a time getting out of the room. Not like that would stop anything he’d been in contact with but he was sure there wasn‘t anything wrong with him at this point. The floor was high enough up that the camera’s that were constantly watching him were out of his reach, not like it matter much now-- he was getting out today.
He’d been fed basic rations that he’d survived on back in the earlier days-- military dishes that were devoid of flavor to help the combatants on the ground levels not to have an adverse reaction to the foods and hinder their ability to think clearly. Supposedly euphoria over a little salt was too damning for a man risking his life on the field-- but he didn’t care about that either really, his mind was occupied on what had happened in the last few month since he’d been here.
He hated, absolutely hated, not knowing what was going on. Even when he was in Spain he could feel the bureaucratic hands turning, trying to manipulate the situation and now that he sat here in this stupid cell for so long, he knew damn well that they were most likely plotting away. Inspecting the wall he briefly wondered if it would hurt to take his frustration out on it.
Thinking back on his briefing he wondered if he’d done a good thing by omitting a few pieces of information as he had done. He had hidden some details-- details about him and Ashley that were best kept secret if it all possible. They didn’t need to know any of that information, it wasn’t crucial to what was going on in Spain and it certainly didn’t have anything to do with his mission.
He’d also put aside some of the information regarding other things as well-- a few little details about Ada… Things he knew they didn’t need to know were specifically cut. She didn’t need to be on the wanted list of the entire United States and if there was one thing he could do for her, it would be to lie on her behalf despite everything that had happened between them…
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“…We were retrieved on the shoreline by five agents and were taken directly here at which time we proceeded, each of us, to our quarantine rooms to be sanitized. Mission objective completed at approximately 1130 hundred hours when subject Ashley Graham was delivered to quarantine facility. That concludes the report. Do you have any questions?” he stopped, taking a shallow breath.
He’d stood up for the briefing and it had taken a little more then what seemed like an hour. He had a great sense of time when he could see the horizon… but he had a good idea based on all the information how much time had passed since he‘d gone to Spain. It was rare that he never had a watch with him, or wasn’t aware of the time… or his surroundings. In a place like this, time was endless.
“One more question, Agent Kennedy. Use of the helicopter from agent Hunnigan was not recovered, were you able to get the pilot logs from the unit and destroy them?” the voice asked.
“No, but it was destroyed before the island was self destructed-- pilot Mike was unable to be saved as the enemy destroyed the helicopter. Upon escaping the island, charges that had been set by the third party were detonated. I was unable to ascertain whether or not any Las Plagas infested was alive after the explosion and I was unable to bring back a sample for testing purposes. All vestiges of invasion on Graham and me have been completed destroyed…” he stopped, remembering the way Ada had held a gun to his head and took the sample from him.
She didn’t want to kill him, he’d known that then even as she had placed the cold barrel against his pounding head, he felt certain of that fact. She was a damn spy. She was one hell of an infuriating woman-- playing his weakness and on his feelings for her- using him to get exactly what she wanted. It was so controlling that it almost made her seem more allusive… It was the only thing he couldn’t have completed on his mission. Not when it meant battling Ada as well-- he couldn’t have killed her for it.
“Very well. Again, good work. Your next orders are to complete the quarantine here at this facility for the reminder of the three month period. At the time of your release you will be allowed a short break where you can go at your leisure. Nothing is to be said about the events that transpired in Spain. You will report to the White House directly for your next briefing from the President of the United States when we summon you…”
He nodded, wondering distantly just how short of a break he’d be getting. Vacation time in his line of work was practically none existent. If your employer was killed while you were on vacation, you’d return home and have no job. There was no other way to work for someone as elusive as the president and still have life-- you lived in your job. It seemed just as well that as a man you’d live your life protecting a woman seeing how it was a necessary evil.
Being in this room with her for the past few hours had been suffocating, he was unwilling to let his resolve weaken while around her… but it hurt him almost physically to deny himself the ability to reach over and touch her-- assure himself that she was still there and okay. It had taken all his resolve not to go over and hold her while she slept-- but they were watching every second of their encounter and he knew that. Letting them see the way he‘d held her had been a mistake. He could very well lose his job. Luckily enough they hadn‘t asked him about his encounter with Ashley directly.
He’d lost her so many times and the frustration was something he didn’t like-- but also the gnawing fear that she’d die the next time she disappeared was strong enough to make him shake with worry. He hated the sound of her dreams; he hated it so much that simply couldn’t wait until he was able to be away from her. She was too much of a temptation for him, despite her being fast asleep.
Without thinking he interrupted the voice, “When is Ms. Graham to be transferred from this room? The President‘s daughter is not someone who should sit in quarantine and as you can see she is already in a fragile mental state and she could be irreparably damaged from the event. She needs to be in a facility where she is familiar and where she can be treated by a well qualified psychiatrist…”
There was silence for a moment and the response was quick, “Ashley Graham is going to be transferred shortly, it has already been arranged.” the voice on the other end seemed to change for an instant, into more of a natural tone of voice-- as if they could tell his relief from the instant sag of his shoulders-- “and otherwise-- You did a damn good job Agent. You’ve been rewarded well for this assignment. You’ll be meeting the President upon your release. You try to hang in there, Kennedy. We’ll be extracting the girl shortly.”
And like that, the sound of the voice reverberated for a moment and everything was silent. He couldn’t quite understand if he was relieved, or worried at this point. She was being moved somewhere where he’d have no control over what happened to her at all-- or did he ever? He was sure he was relieved… he would be much better off-- less conflicted then he was now.
He looked over at her sleeping form, on leg bent and sprawled against the other as her hands curled sweetly under her face, her chest rising and falling with the gentleness of repose. He was so strongly attracted to her that it would do him good to get her out of here-- he certainly couldn’t spend all this time with her again. Plus he needed to get out of here so he could handle some of his own, more personal matters-- without having to worry about the girl.
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He had been told that he was leaving within the hour and civilian clothing was placed in his chamber via chute that appeared from the wall-- the same place where they sent him his food. It was wonderful to be able to wear a pair of jeans again, and he never thought that he’d like that. He was going to leave as a free man-- and go straight to the apartment he hadn‘t seen in months. He was actually eager for a break… some time to rest would be wonderful at this point-- time to think about what his next step would be to discovering what Ada was doing-- and who she was working for.
‘And some real food would be nice…’ he thought as he envisioned the site of a sloppy steak, slathered in A-1 sauce and tobacco-- just cooked enough to be hot on the inside and still medium rare with a side of baked potato with melted butter, bacon bits and cheese. Thinking about it made his stomach crave the salt he’d been denied the past few months. What would he do first-- change into fresh clothing that was actually his from his apartment-- or eat?
He heard the door slide open to his right. Despite everything he felt an itch as the corners of his mouth lightly tipped upwards into what could have been a smile but turned into a happy smirk. He’d done a lot of time thinking about everything that had happened-- about Ashley… and about Ada. He was going to find out what her intent with the virus was. He was going to find her and demand answers if he could do it-- and maybe he‘d try to say goodbye to Ashley…
He walked towards the door, and just as he crossed the threshold he turn to look back at the room. He could still see Ashley on the floor, screaming in horror, and he briefly wondered if she was thinking about him. Did she still dream? If she still had nightmares and if she thought about what had happened to them-- did she think about him? He wasn’t sure how he felt about the girl, but it was time for both of them to be getting past what had happened to them, and moving on into the future.
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“Dr. Midori, have you any updates about Leon?” the blond girl asked, her legs folded in the plush leather couch, her hair, which had grown quite longer then in the past months, was pinned partially back away from her face-- her eyes brighter then they had been in months and the dark circles under her eyes had faded. She was far cry from the poor girl who‘d freaked out over a cardiac monitor when they met.
She was visiting the doctor again, a psychiatrist she found out, and had been in each day to visit her for the last three months since she had been brought to the hospital. She stayed for three hours each time and while it seemed long-- but the time seemed to pass faster then any other time did. They spent the whole time talking and although she was supposed to be a head doctor-- she didn’t do very much to impress upon Hollywood’s version of “How do you feel about that?”.
“You ask the same question everyday Ashley and my answer is always the same-- I am not allowed to say anything regarding his quarantine, you know this…” she said, narrowing her eyes playfully at her from the bottom of her thick rimmed glasses. She too looked different from when they first met too. She’d been staying in the hospital with Ashley the whole time and was ready to go home to her own office.
She watched the girl smile sheepishly and try to look like she had no idea what she was talking about. She always asked the same thing every single day she saw her. She spent so much time in this room that she was more then willing to talk but she’d mostly wanted to talk about Leon. Which made the doctor wonder exactly what relationship they had even though it was obvious the girl was infatuated with him.
“It’s always worth a try. I’m not one to give up on anything, surely you know this by now!” she said with a laugh, lightening the mood as best as she could. They had become a kind of friend since they’d been visiting. She was supposed to help her through her nightmares and to help her with the memories of what had happened in Spain- but they had rarely talked about it.
Fortunately for Ashley, she hadn’t been pressed to talk too much about it, which was a surprising relief. She’d expected an interrogation-- but she assumed that had been reserved for Leon. She’d mostly talked about what she wanted to do after she was released from the hospital. Get back into college, get a job… take some self defense courses-- and buy a gun.
“So Ashley, I want to talk today about your hope to buy a gun. We’ve discussed it a bit but it’s something that you have to think seriously about-- they are powerful tools and there are lots of men that are designed to protect you that have guns and know how to use them. Why do you want to have one of your own so bad? How does the sound of gunfire feel to you now?” she asked, sitting on her old Victorian chair where she always did and placing both hands on top of her politely folded legs.
“There are many reasons why I want a gun,” she said, her eyes shining with emotion as she explained herself, “the men that were supposed to protect me weren’t able to help me and they died trying to do so. I don’t like the idea of another human beings life depending on their ability to protect me and themselves. I want…”
That’s right. All three men had died when she was taken, even though she didn’t remember much of the incident. At the time she thought it was a little ridiculous to have three different bodyguards protecting her and driving her wherever she wanted. They had been picking her up from school when everything had happened so fast. She was so… frightened when she’d been taken and she hated seeing people dead-- and all because of her.
It was only Leon who had been able to survive being around her. She felt like she was a walking death trap for any poor fool who was supposed to protect her. She didn’t want another death on her conscious because she was a helpless girl. Being in Spain with Leon had changed her for sure, and buying a gun and learning how to shoot was going to be one of her first priorities as soon as she got out…
Strike that-- buy two guns-- and extra bullets.
“I want to be able to protect myself. Leon was so strong… but there aren’t many men like him-- he’s special…” she trailed off, remembering fondly the way he had steadied her, guarded her, made her feel safe. Even in this private hospital she’d been unable to feel as safe as she did when she had been with him in Spain. It was something she was going to have to get used to-- feeling unsafe.
Leon made her feel safe, even if it was just a look from his eyes telling her whatever unspeakable things they could. He’d made her feel wanted, and helpful. She hadn’t ever felt that way, even before she had been kidnapped. She never needed anything as she had him-- she’d had a life of privilege and a life of as much happiness as thousands of American dollars could make.
She just wasn’t the same. He made her want for him with the almost feral devotion he’d had towards her safety. And sometimes in the nights when they would be hiding out, trying to snag a bit of rest in between their struggle to escape, and she’d have nightmares-- she would wake up in the safety of his arms. She could feel his heart beating against her face where he always nestled her against him.
‘He had to have held some sort of feelings for me…’ she thought, her brow furring and her mind working on the thought of his protection, ‘Surely a man on a mission isn’t focused only on objectives and entry points. He had a heart-- I felt it beat-- removed a monster from it-- and I still find myself pining after him. If only I wasn‘t such a weak child-- if I was more like the other woman…
‘Maybe if I had known more about guns then… I could have been more useful to him and not so scared all the time. Maybe if I had any bit of allure and wasn’t such a rapid talking brat he might have had to lean in close when I spoke to him as he did with the Ada woman.’ She thought that if she was more demure and… sexy… and strong, he might have tried to stay with her. Maybe he might have accepted her offer… Maybe they wouldn’t have been separated like this…
“Ashley?”
She jolted, realizing that she had stopped talking to the doctor and that she had been trying to get her attention for a while. She’d been consumed with thoughts of Leon, much the same way she spent all of her time while she sat in the hospital. She’d sit and think about him all day, reliving their time together in Spain and seeing her father on the rare occasions too. It had made her die inside each time for the door to open-- hoping and praying with every inch of her being that Leon would be the one walking through the door.
“I’m sorry…” she started, feeling her face heat as she found herself again getting caught in her thoughts, “I was just thinking…” she reached up and rubbed at her temple. Her head was throbbing slowly and she tried to ease the pain by pressing on her temples. She tried to remember what they had been talking about but try as she might she couldn’t remember. She had become very spacey too it seemed since her return.
“About what?” the doctor asked, her tone oddly normal and talkative. She seemed just like a nervous intern and she would have said so jokingly if it wouldn‘t have been an insult on her profession. She really didn’t seem much like a psychiatrist but it was obvious that she had zero real experience with that kind of doctor. She’d never been to one and this was her first time every having her head examined.
“Leon. He… well… what were we talking about again?“ she asked wincing at her idiocy and cringing at the slightly patronizing look Midori gave her. She frowned and re-crossed her legs slowly before answering her slowly.
“Guns“ she said quietly.
“Oh that’s right… “ she trailed off, not really remembering what they had been talking about. Trying to pick up any angle she said the first thing that came to mind, “Well… I did fire Leon’s gun and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It actually made me feel better and I didn’t even miss-- I was dead on target.” she said with a firm nod of her head. She was proud of it.
Midori looked at her quizzically, never in a million years imagining that this little scrap of a girl could possibly shoot and a gun and not miss. But it was obvious that she had been under a lot of stress over the concept and it was comforting to know that she wasn’t fearful of guns. It was harder for her to try and take what she was saying in terms of her dreams. Obviously she wasn’t fearful of guns.
“And that made you feel good I’d imagine. I’m sure Leon was pretty proud of you too…” she said, trailing off and trying to keep her voice soft and even. She was trying to get information about Spain out of the girl and she had been otherwise unwilling to talk about anything. She was particularly interested in how being infected with the Las Plagas had affected her.
“Well, I dunno about that…“ she mumbled, scratching at her head and blushing, “I know that I probably could do it again, even without the adrenaline pumping me up, you know? I think if I was more… assertive I would be a better kind of person and a stronger one too. You know, take charge of my own destiny?” she said, laughing nervously.
The doctor just stared at her, her expression barely fazed. She seemed to be considering that option and not favorably either. She looked more like a woman who was listening with half an ear because she knew damn well in the end that she was having a pipe dream. Ashley didn’t appreciate the look but she continued, trying to make more sense of what she said to her. If she could make her understand what she meant, maybe she would understand how she was feeling.
“Well, I’d like to be able to take care of myself-- believe it or not before all this happened to me I was really able to handle my own things. I’m even a pretty good chef!“ she said as the two woman laughed. “Plus… I had my own apartment and I was feeling pretty independent going to college even if I didn’t have any roommates. Thinking about my life before Spain makes me wish I was back at home again-- living my life like I was and feeling in control…“
‘Feeling in control is really just a delusion though, I know it‘s not something I could really do even if I tried. I can‘t control my life until I can protect myself...’ she imagined being able to actually leave this hospital and drive herself to the store. As soon as she could do that-- she was going to prepare a feast. Eating hospital foods had turned her stomach to the entire concept of food. She wished with all her being she could control her own life again.
“Well that’s a good attitude to have for sure. You’ve grown a lot since we brought you here. I know we haven’t talked about Spain that much but it’s important for you to feel safe and comfortable with me. Whenever you’re willing to talk about it I will always be here. I know that it’s hard to trust people but I’d like to think we are a kind of friend at this point…”
“Well of course we are Midori! It’s hard for me to talk about Spain… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk about it. It’s hard to describe what happened and so I just choose not too. I’m not ready to relive it yet-- but one day I know I’ll be able too. Until then I’ll take my sleeping pills and sleep with assistance-- and of course-- I’ll keep a journal as you requested.” she said, her fingers curling on the fabric of her pale blue blouse.
“Of course! And when you leave we’ll set you up with daily visits to see me so we can talk about it. Once you leave your father’s private facility you’ll be meeting me in my personal office-- I have my very own compound, big enough for a small army to be housed there-- and we’ll look into some more aggressive ways to treat you night terrors. There are tons of options that don’t involve medication-- we can do so many things even hypnosis should it come to that.”
“Hypnosis? No kidding, I don’t believe that really works, Midori-- or does it?” she asked, laughing again. The idea was absurd and thinking about it was almost humerous. She couldn’t help but thinking of the ancient Hollywood movies: “your getting sleepy, very, very sleepy.” Ironically enough, she had absolutely no belief in wacko voodoo crap like that but if Midori, a highly trained professional believe in that, there might just be a tiny little valid truth to that.
“Why yes it does, and it’s perfectly harmless considering that you don’t even have to remember a thing if you don’t wan t to. We just might consider that to treat you but that’s not something you should worry about now. Plus it seems you’ve got more then enough things to think about it seems…” she trailed off, noticing that Ashley was again in her own thoughts.
“Doctor…?” she suddenly asked, looking up at the woman with dazed eyes, “Do you know when if I will ever see Leon again?” She was looking up into Midori’s eyes, her eagerness to see him again clearly reflected in her chocolate eyes. Midori couldn’t tell what exactly had happened between the two, but she knew that there was a distinct bond between the two people that had formed from their ordeal. Ashley had obviously developed an attachment for the man while enduring her own personal struggles.
‘It’s no wonder,’ she thought, eyeing the girl’s bright eyes, ‘that she seems to love him so. It’s almost unfair to have separated them. From the little she’s said… the agent must have grown some sort of attachment towards the young adult despite his mission or his goal. It was just as well… I’d fall in love with him if I was in her position-- and she wasn‘t sure whether or not they‘d ever be allowed to see each other again-- or if it would be even more convenient to have them together…’
She smiled… well aware of how she felt about the man. She deserved to indulge in a love born from utter trust and protectiveness. She wanted to smile, wanted to tell her things would work out between them and that she had nothing to fear but she knew better. But she’d only be informed as the information came available and unfortunately she had been kept mostly in the dark.
This girl, despite her hope to be independent, was far from it. Even her own forms of protection weren’t her choice, her home, or her privacy. She wasn’t going to get an ounce of privacy and she had so little-- that it was almost hard to smile in her face knowing damn well just how stripped bare her privacy was.
“I don’t know about Leon but I do have some wonderful news for you Ashley… it’s been decided that the best way for you to return to normalcy is for you to move back into the world as you said! Your father has arranged for you to have an apartment near your school and near the police station. The secret service has arranged private protection for you and there will always be an agent keeping surveillance of your home.”
Ashley’s gigantic eyes seemed to catch fire with excitement. She was so ready to leave-- she was ready to leave yesterday-- a month ago. She was nervous about being on her own, but having a home of her own would be nice. The hospital was beautiful and she wasn’t denied any visitors but the one she wanted to see the most wasn’t able to come… or wouldn’t.
Leaving the hospital would give her the chance to try and forget him. It would give her the chance to stand on her own feet, however frightening that could be for her. She wasn’t well-- she knew that. She still dreamed, still woke from her sleep, her heart pounding against her chest and her body trembling with a cold sweat. She remembered each moment when she closed her eyes-- saw blood, gore.
And who was she kidding… She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to see a gun-- or hear one go off without crumbling to her knees in terror again but she knew if she didn‘t try she‘d never move on. If she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror after all of this then she knew she would fail. But if she could see how much she’d changed and grow stronger-- she might make it.
“Somebody will always be there if I need them, right?” she asked, a bit of her fear showing as her voice seemed to waver on the idea of leaving. She was ready to get into familiar surroundings-- but was she ready for a life without the promise of Leon’s constant protection? Her time with him had been enough to warp her entire way of thinking into something dependant despite knowing better.
The doctor nodded, and began to explain more about the parameters of what would happen “on the outside”. She told her an agent would be up to inform her about what things she could and couldn’t say or do and that her time in school was going to be delayed. Ashley listened intently to what she said eager for the ability to leave. She was so excited about it!
But for all the excitement that she was expecting, she still felt a dark cloud on the idea. The fact that she wasn’t going to be seeing Leon weighed heavy on her heart. She’d bet her own ass that she’d finagle his whereabouts from the agent that came to debrief her. With any luck he’d be just as good as Leon, if he could be as good-- it was not possible, on second thought.
“So, you ready to pack your bags and go home?” the doctor asked, a smile on her face as she watched Ashley’s eyes reflect confusion and excitement, fear and something else the doctor hadn’t seen in girls eyes- honest to god, genuine happiness.
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I hope you liked this chapter. I just LOVE the way things are shaping up for this story. I don’t even know what chapter I am on when I am writing this but I do know that it was is going to be an awesome trip for us with this story. I hope to continue just as much as I have been. I love this story and the direction it’s been heading in-- and I think you will too. I do wish my alert-listed people would leave me a review since I’ve never heard from them. But I do want to thank you personally for everything you guys have done for me!
I did get TEN reviews! Awesome! More are always welcome and I look forward to hearing from my author alert readers that I never hear from!
Edit: 7/5/2008
-Luky
It’s nice… I’ve got a steady average of around 5k a chapter so that’s good but what I am really focusing on is setting up for so many things in the future. Things you won’t even realize are important… are SO going to make you have an “ah ha” moment. Enjoy this chapter!
-Luky
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Chapter Five:
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Released
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“Well, sitting in this shit hole isn’t making my mood any better that’s for damn sure.” he said to himself, pacing in his cell from the toilet to the door. Nothing was more annoying then having your bathroom attached to your daily living area. He hated feeling like a caged animal, unaware of what the hell was going on the outside and having to live with his waste removal contraption only a few feet from where he showered and slept.
He’d been in the same room for nearly three months and he was getting tired of the same four walls-- thank God he was leaving today. His bed, his toilet and his shower were all linked into the same four walls without any means of a privacy screen or a shower curtain. He took a shower with careful eyes watching and monitoring every move he made-- he shit and had to stay in the same room with it, and although none of these things were bothering him yet, he was eager for a damn shower curtain at least. Eventually he’d ripped the bed sheet off of his bed and bathed with that, but he’d gotten in trouble for it.
‘Whatever…’ he thought, remembering the deep voice that had calmly told him to replace the sheet on the bed. There truly was noting like having your “man junk” for the whole world to see.
The walls were made up of pristine white tiles that were stacked perfectly on all sides around every crack and crevice. They were specially coated with anti acid coatings as well as other coatings to help prevent any form of chemicals to break down the tiles, not like he had any chemicals that were spewing from his orifices, and they used machines to open up holes in the wall-- a slab of tiles pushing forward to reveal an air sealed box where he received all his supplies.
The room was designed so that any contaminates that he had on him, or in him, would have one hell of a time getting out of the room. Not like that would stop anything he’d been in contact with but he was sure there wasn‘t anything wrong with him at this point. The floor was high enough up that the camera’s that were constantly watching him were out of his reach, not like it matter much now-- he was getting out today.
He’d been fed basic rations that he’d survived on back in the earlier days-- military dishes that were devoid of flavor to help the combatants on the ground levels not to have an adverse reaction to the foods and hinder their ability to think clearly. Supposedly euphoria over a little salt was too damning for a man risking his life on the field-- but he didn’t care about that either really, his mind was occupied on what had happened in the last few month since he’d been here.
He hated, absolutely hated, not knowing what was going on. Even when he was in Spain he could feel the bureaucratic hands turning, trying to manipulate the situation and now that he sat here in this stupid cell for so long, he knew damn well that they were most likely plotting away. Inspecting the wall he briefly wondered if it would hurt to take his frustration out on it.
Thinking back on his briefing he wondered if he’d done a good thing by omitting a few pieces of information as he had done. He had hidden some details-- details about him and Ashley that were best kept secret if it all possible. They didn’t need to know any of that information, it wasn’t crucial to what was going on in Spain and it certainly didn’t have anything to do with his mission.
He’d also put aside some of the information regarding other things as well-- a few little details about Ada… Things he knew they didn’t need to know were specifically cut. She didn’t need to be on the wanted list of the entire United States and if there was one thing he could do for her, it would be to lie on her behalf despite everything that had happened between them…
…
“…We were retrieved on the shoreline by five agents and were taken directly here at which time we proceeded, each of us, to our quarantine rooms to be sanitized. Mission objective completed at approximately 1130 hundred hours when subject Ashley Graham was delivered to quarantine facility. That concludes the report. Do you have any questions?” he stopped, taking a shallow breath.
He’d stood up for the briefing and it had taken a little more then what seemed like an hour. He had a great sense of time when he could see the horizon… but he had a good idea based on all the information how much time had passed since he‘d gone to Spain. It was rare that he never had a watch with him, or wasn’t aware of the time… or his surroundings. In a place like this, time was endless.
“One more question, Agent Kennedy. Use of the helicopter from agent Hunnigan was not recovered, were you able to get the pilot logs from the unit and destroy them?” the voice asked.
“No, but it was destroyed before the island was self destructed-- pilot Mike was unable to be saved as the enemy destroyed the helicopter. Upon escaping the island, charges that had been set by the third party were detonated. I was unable to ascertain whether or not any Las Plagas infested was alive after the explosion and I was unable to bring back a sample for testing purposes. All vestiges of invasion on Graham and me have been completed destroyed…” he stopped, remembering the way Ada had held a gun to his head and took the sample from him.
She didn’t want to kill him, he’d known that then even as she had placed the cold barrel against his pounding head, he felt certain of that fact. She was a damn spy. She was one hell of an infuriating woman-- playing his weakness and on his feelings for her- using him to get exactly what she wanted. It was so controlling that it almost made her seem more allusive… It was the only thing he couldn’t have completed on his mission. Not when it meant battling Ada as well-- he couldn’t have killed her for it.
“Very well. Again, good work. Your next orders are to complete the quarantine here at this facility for the reminder of the three month period. At the time of your release you will be allowed a short break where you can go at your leisure. Nothing is to be said about the events that transpired in Spain. You will report to the White House directly for your next briefing from the President of the United States when we summon you…”
He nodded, wondering distantly just how short of a break he’d be getting. Vacation time in his line of work was practically none existent. If your employer was killed while you were on vacation, you’d return home and have no job. There was no other way to work for someone as elusive as the president and still have life-- you lived in your job. It seemed just as well that as a man you’d live your life protecting a woman seeing how it was a necessary evil.
Being in this room with her for the past few hours had been suffocating, he was unwilling to let his resolve weaken while around her… but it hurt him almost physically to deny himself the ability to reach over and touch her-- assure himself that she was still there and okay. It had taken all his resolve not to go over and hold her while she slept-- but they were watching every second of their encounter and he knew that. Letting them see the way he‘d held her had been a mistake. He could very well lose his job. Luckily enough they hadn‘t asked him about his encounter with Ashley directly.
He’d lost her so many times and the frustration was something he didn’t like-- but also the gnawing fear that she’d die the next time she disappeared was strong enough to make him shake with worry. He hated the sound of her dreams; he hated it so much that simply couldn’t wait until he was able to be away from her. She was too much of a temptation for him, despite her being fast asleep.
Without thinking he interrupted the voice, “When is Ms. Graham to be transferred from this room? The President‘s daughter is not someone who should sit in quarantine and as you can see she is already in a fragile mental state and she could be irreparably damaged from the event. She needs to be in a facility where she is familiar and where she can be treated by a well qualified psychiatrist…”
There was silence for a moment and the response was quick, “Ashley Graham is going to be transferred shortly, it has already been arranged.” the voice on the other end seemed to change for an instant, into more of a natural tone of voice-- as if they could tell his relief from the instant sag of his shoulders-- “and otherwise-- You did a damn good job Agent. You’ve been rewarded well for this assignment. You’ll be meeting the President upon your release. You try to hang in there, Kennedy. We’ll be extracting the girl shortly.”
And like that, the sound of the voice reverberated for a moment and everything was silent. He couldn’t quite understand if he was relieved, or worried at this point. She was being moved somewhere where he’d have no control over what happened to her at all-- or did he ever? He was sure he was relieved… he would be much better off-- less conflicted then he was now.
He looked over at her sleeping form, on leg bent and sprawled against the other as her hands curled sweetly under her face, her chest rising and falling with the gentleness of repose. He was so strongly attracted to her that it would do him good to get her out of here-- he certainly couldn’t spend all this time with her again. Plus he needed to get out of here so he could handle some of his own, more personal matters-- without having to worry about the girl.
…
He had been told that he was leaving within the hour and civilian clothing was placed in his chamber via chute that appeared from the wall-- the same place where they sent him his food. It was wonderful to be able to wear a pair of jeans again, and he never thought that he’d like that. He was going to leave as a free man-- and go straight to the apartment he hadn‘t seen in months. He was actually eager for a break… some time to rest would be wonderful at this point-- time to think about what his next step would be to discovering what Ada was doing-- and who she was working for.
‘And some real food would be nice…’ he thought as he envisioned the site of a sloppy steak, slathered in A-1 sauce and tobacco-- just cooked enough to be hot on the inside and still medium rare with a side of baked potato with melted butter, bacon bits and cheese. Thinking about it made his stomach crave the salt he’d been denied the past few months. What would he do first-- change into fresh clothing that was actually his from his apartment-- or eat?
He heard the door slide open to his right. Despite everything he felt an itch as the corners of his mouth lightly tipped upwards into what could have been a smile but turned into a happy smirk. He’d done a lot of time thinking about everything that had happened-- about Ashley… and about Ada. He was going to find out what her intent with the virus was. He was going to find her and demand answers if he could do it-- and maybe he‘d try to say goodbye to Ashley…
He walked towards the door, and just as he crossed the threshold he turn to look back at the room. He could still see Ashley on the floor, screaming in horror, and he briefly wondered if she was thinking about him. Did she still dream? If she still had nightmares and if she thought about what had happened to them-- did she think about him? He wasn’t sure how he felt about the girl, but it was time for both of them to be getting past what had happened to them, and moving on into the future.
…
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…
“Dr. Midori, have you any updates about Leon?” the blond girl asked, her legs folded in the plush leather couch, her hair, which had grown quite longer then in the past months, was pinned partially back away from her face-- her eyes brighter then they had been in months and the dark circles under her eyes had faded. She was far cry from the poor girl who‘d freaked out over a cardiac monitor when they met.
She was visiting the doctor again, a psychiatrist she found out, and had been in each day to visit her for the last three months since she had been brought to the hospital. She stayed for three hours each time and while it seemed long-- but the time seemed to pass faster then any other time did. They spent the whole time talking and although she was supposed to be a head doctor-- she didn’t do very much to impress upon Hollywood’s version of “How do you feel about that?”.
“You ask the same question everyday Ashley and my answer is always the same-- I am not allowed to say anything regarding his quarantine, you know this…” she said, narrowing her eyes playfully at her from the bottom of her thick rimmed glasses. She too looked different from when they first met too. She’d been staying in the hospital with Ashley the whole time and was ready to go home to her own office.
She watched the girl smile sheepishly and try to look like she had no idea what she was talking about. She always asked the same thing every single day she saw her. She spent so much time in this room that she was more then willing to talk but she’d mostly wanted to talk about Leon. Which made the doctor wonder exactly what relationship they had even though it was obvious the girl was infatuated with him.
“It’s always worth a try. I’m not one to give up on anything, surely you know this by now!” she said with a laugh, lightening the mood as best as she could. They had become a kind of friend since they’d been visiting. She was supposed to help her through her nightmares and to help her with the memories of what had happened in Spain- but they had rarely talked about it.
Fortunately for Ashley, she hadn’t been pressed to talk too much about it, which was a surprising relief. She’d expected an interrogation-- but she assumed that had been reserved for Leon. She’d mostly talked about what she wanted to do after she was released from the hospital. Get back into college, get a job… take some self defense courses-- and buy a gun.
“So Ashley, I want to talk today about your hope to buy a gun. We’ve discussed it a bit but it’s something that you have to think seriously about-- they are powerful tools and there are lots of men that are designed to protect you that have guns and know how to use them. Why do you want to have one of your own so bad? How does the sound of gunfire feel to you now?” she asked, sitting on her old Victorian chair where she always did and placing both hands on top of her politely folded legs.
“There are many reasons why I want a gun,” she said, her eyes shining with emotion as she explained herself, “the men that were supposed to protect me weren’t able to help me and they died trying to do so. I don’t like the idea of another human beings life depending on their ability to protect me and themselves. I want…”
That’s right. All three men had died when she was taken, even though she didn’t remember much of the incident. At the time she thought it was a little ridiculous to have three different bodyguards protecting her and driving her wherever she wanted. They had been picking her up from school when everything had happened so fast. She was so… frightened when she’d been taken and she hated seeing people dead-- and all because of her.
It was only Leon who had been able to survive being around her. She felt like she was a walking death trap for any poor fool who was supposed to protect her. She didn’t want another death on her conscious because she was a helpless girl. Being in Spain with Leon had changed her for sure, and buying a gun and learning how to shoot was going to be one of her first priorities as soon as she got out…
Strike that-- buy two guns-- and extra bullets.
“I want to be able to protect myself. Leon was so strong… but there aren’t many men like him-- he’s special…” she trailed off, remembering fondly the way he had steadied her, guarded her, made her feel safe. Even in this private hospital she’d been unable to feel as safe as she did when she had been with him in Spain. It was something she was going to have to get used to-- feeling unsafe.
Leon made her feel safe, even if it was just a look from his eyes telling her whatever unspeakable things they could. He’d made her feel wanted, and helpful. She hadn’t ever felt that way, even before she had been kidnapped. She never needed anything as she had him-- she’d had a life of privilege and a life of as much happiness as thousands of American dollars could make.
She just wasn’t the same. He made her want for him with the almost feral devotion he’d had towards her safety. And sometimes in the nights when they would be hiding out, trying to snag a bit of rest in between their struggle to escape, and she’d have nightmares-- she would wake up in the safety of his arms. She could feel his heart beating against her face where he always nestled her against him.
‘He had to have held some sort of feelings for me…’ she thought, her brow furring and her mind working on the thought of his protection, ‘Surely a man on a mission isn’t focused only on objectives and entry points. He had a heart-- I felt it beat-- removed a monster from it-- and I still find myself pining after him. If only I wasn‘t such a weak child-- if I was more like the other woman…
‘Maybe if I had known more about guns then… I could have been more useful to him and not so scared all the time. Maybe if I had any bit of allure and wasn’t such a rapid talking brat he might have had to lean in close when I spoke to him as he did with the Ada woman.’ She thought that if she was more demure and… sexy… and strong, he might have tried to stay with her. Maybe he might have accepted her offer… Maybe they wouldn’t have been separated like this…
“Ashley?”
She jolted, realizing that she had stopped talking to the doctor and that she had been trying to get her attention for a while. She’d been consumed with thoughts of Leon, much the same way she spent all of her time while she sat in the hospital. She’d sit and think about him all day, reliving their time together in Spain and seeing her father on the rare occasions too. It had made her die inside each time for the door to open-- hoping and praying with every inch of her being that Leon would be the one walking through the door.
“I’m sorry…” she started, feeling her face heat as she found herself again getting caught in her thoughts, “I was just thinking…” she reached up and rubbed at her temple. Her head was throbbing slowly and she tried to ease the pain by pressing on her temples. She tried to remember what they had been talking about but try as she might she couldn’t remember. She had become very spacey too it seemed since her return.
“About what?” the doctor asked, her tone oddly normal and talkative. She seemed just like a nervous intern and she would have said so jokingly if it wouldn‘t have been an insult on her profession. She really didn’t seem much like a psychiatrist but it was obvious that she had zero real experience with that kind of doctor. She’d never been to one and this was her first time every having her head examined.
“Leon. He… well… what were we talking about again?“ she asked wincing at her idiocy and cringing at the slightly patronizing look Midori gave her. She frowned and re-crossed her legs slowly before answering her slowly.
“Guns“ she said quietly.
“Oh that’s right… “ she trailed off, not really remembering what they had been talking about. Trying to pick up any angle she said the first thing that came to mind, “Well… I did fire Leon’s gun and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It actually made me feel better and I didn’t even miss-- I was dead on target.” she said with a firm nod of her head. She was proud of it.
Midori looked at her quizzically, never in a million years imagining that this little scrap of a girl could possibly shoot and a gun and not miss. But it was obvious that she had been under a lot of stress over the concept and it was comforting to know that she wasn’t fearful of guns. It was harder for her to try and take what she was saying in terms of her dreams. Obviously she wasn’t fearful of guns.
“And that made you feel good I’d imagine. I’m sure Leon was pretty proud of you too…” she said, trailing off and trying to keep her voice soft and even. She was trying to get information about Spain out of the girl and she had been otherwise unwilling to talk about anything. She was particularly interested in how being infected with the Las Plagas had affected her.
“Well, I dunno about that…“ she mumbled, scratching at her head and blushing, “I know that I probably could do it again, even without the adrenaline pumping me up, you know? I think if I was more… assertive I would be a better kind of person and a stronger one too. You know, take charge of my own destiny?” she said, laughing nervously.
The doctor just stared at her, her expression barely fazed. She seemed to be considering that option and not favorably either. She looked more like a woman who was listening with half an ear because she knew damn well in the end that she was having a pipe dream. Ashley didn’t appreciate the look but she continued, trying to make more sense of what she said to her. If she could make her understand what she meant, maybe she would understand how she was feeling.
“Well, I’d like to be able to take care of myself-- believe it or not before all this happened to me I was really able to handle my own things. I’m even a pretty good chef!“ she said as the two woman laughed. “Plus… I had my own apartment and I was feeling pretty independent going to college even if I didn’t have any roommates. Thinking about my life before Spain makes me wish I was back at home again-- living my life like I was and feeling in control…“
‘Feeling in control is really just a delusion though, I know it‘s not something I could really do even if I tried. I can‘t control my life until I can protect myself...’ she imagined being able to actually leave this hospital and drive herself to the store. As soon as she could do that-- she was going to prepare a feast. Eating hospital foods had turned her stomach to the entire concept of food. She wished with all her being she could control her own life again.
“Well that’s a good attitude to have for sure. You’ve grown a lot since we brought you here. I know we haven’t talked about Spain that much but it’s important for you to feel safe and comfortable with me. Whenever you’re willing to talk about it I will always be here. I know that it’s hard to trust people but I’d like to think we are a kind of friend at this point…”
“Well of course we are Midori! It’s hard for me to talk about Spain… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to talk about it. It’s hard to describe what happened and so I just choose not too. I’m not ready to relive it yet-- but one day I know I’ll be able too. Until then I’ll take my sleeping pills and sleep with assistance-- and of course-- I’ll keep a journal as you requested.” she said, her fingers curling on the fabric of her pale blue blouse.
“Of course! And when you leave we’ll set you up with daily visits to see me so we can talk about it. Once you leave your father’s private facility you’ll be meeting me in my personal office-- I have my very own compound, big enough for a small army to be housed there-- and we’ll look into some more aggressive ways to treat you night terrors. There are tons of options that don’t involve medication-- we can do so many things even hypnosis should it come to that.”
“Hypnosis? No kidding, I don’t believe that really works, Midori-- or does it?” she asked, laughing again. The idea was absurd and thinking about it was almost humerous. She couldn’t help but thinking of the ancient Hollywood movies: “your getting sleepy, very, very sleepy.” Ironically enough, she had absolutely no belief in wacko voodoo crap like that but if Midori, a highly trained professional believe in that, there might just be a tiny little valid truth to that.
“Why yes it does, and it’s perfectly harmless considering that you don’t even have to remember a thing if you don’t wan t to. We just might consider that to treat you but that’s not something you should worry about now. Plus it seems you’ve got more then enough things to think about it seems…” she trailed off, noticing that Ashley was again in her own thoughts.
“Doctor…?” she suddenly asked, looking up at the woman with dazed eyes, “Do you know when if I will ever see Leon again?” She was looking up into Midori’s eyes, her eagerness to see him again clearly reflected in her chocolate eyes. Midori couldn’t tell what exactly had happened between the two, but she knew that there was a distinct bond between the two people that had formed from their ordeal. Ashley had obviously developed an attachment for the man while enduring her own personal struggles.
‘It’s no wonder,’ she thought, eyeing the girl’s bright eyes, ‘that she seems to love him so. It’s almost unfair to have separated them. From the little she’s said… the agent must have grown some sort of attachment towards the young adult despite his mission or his goal. It was just as well… I’d fall in love with him if I was in her position-- and she wasn‘t sure whether or not they‘d ever be allowed to see each other again-- or if it would be even more convenient to have them together…’
She smiled… well aware of how she felt about the man. She deserved to indulge in a love born from utter trust and protectiveness. She wanted to smile, wanted to tell her things would work out between them and that she had nothing to fear but she knew better. But she’d only be informed as the information came available and unfortunately she had been kept mostly in the dark.
This girl, despite her hope to be independent, was far from it. Even her own forms of protection weren’t her choice, her home, or her privacy. She wasn’t going to get an ounce of privacy and she had so little-- that it was almost hard to smile in her face knowing damn well just how stripped bare her privacy was.
“I don’t know about Leon but I do have some wonderful news for you Ashley… it’s been decided that the best way for you to return to normalcy is for you to move back into the world as you said! Your father has arranged for you to have an apartment near your school and near the police station. The secret service has arranged private protection for you and there will always be an agent keeping surveillance of your home.”
Ashley’s gigantic eyes seemed to catch fire with excitement. She was so ready to leave-- she was ready to leave yesterday-- a month ago. She was nervous about being on her own, but having a home of her own would be nice. The hospital was beautiful and she wasn’t denied any visitors but the one she wanted to see the most wasn’t able to come… or wouldn’t.
Leaving the hospital would give her the chance to try and forget him. It would give her the chance to stand on her own feet, however frightening that could be for her. She wasn’t well-- she knew that. She still dreamed, still woke from her sleep, her heart pounding against her chest and her body trembling with a cold sweat. She remembered each moment when she closed her eyes-- saw blood, gore.
And who was she kidding… She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to see a gun-- or hear one go off without crumbling to her knees in terror again but she knew if she didn‘t try she‘d never move on. If she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror after all of this then she knew she would fail. But if she could see how much she’d changed and grow stronger-- she might make it.
“Somebody will always be there if I need them, right?” she asked, a bit of her fear showing as her voice seemed to waver on the idea of leaving. She was ready to get into familiar surroundings-- but was she ready for a life without the promise of Leon’s constant protection? Her time with him had been enough to warp her entire way of thinking into something dependant despite knowing better.
The doctor nodded, and began to explain more about the parameters of what would happen “on the outside”. She told her an agent would be up to inform her about what things she could and couldn’t say or do and that her time in school was going to be delayed. Ashley listened intently to what she said eager for the ability to leave. She was so excited about it!
But for all the excitement that she was expecting, she still felt a dark cloud on the idea. The fact that she wasn’t going to be seeing Leon weighed heavy on her heart. She’d bet her own ass that she’d finagle his whereabouts from the agent that came to debrief her. With any luck he’d be just as good as Leon, if he could be as good-- it was not possible, on second thought.
“So, you ready to pack your bags and go home?” the doctor asked, a smile on her face as she watched Ashley’s eyes reflect confusion and excitement, fear and something else the doctor hadn’t seen in girls eyes- honest to god, genuine happiness.
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I hope you liked this chapter. I just LOVE the way things are shaping up for this story. I don’t even know what chapter I am on when I am writing this but I do know that it was is going to be an awesome trip for us with this story. I hope to continue just as much as I have been. I love this story and the direction it’s been heading in-- and I think you will too. I do wish my alert-listed people would leave me a review since I’ve never heard from them. But I do want to thank you personally for everything you guys have done for me!
I did get TEN reviews! Awesome! More are always welcome and I look forward to hearing from my author alert readers that I never hear from!
Edit: 7/5/2008
-Luky