No more tears - Leon Kennedy

Chapter 14

As I observed the civilians beginning to panic, run, and scream at every sudden movement the plane induced, I took a moment to inhale a deep breath of oxygen, then turned to Leon.

"You'd better check the cockpit. I'll see what I can do here." I suggested with a clear tone, referring to the other passengers as Leon and Helena exchanged a glance. After a few moments of consideration, Leon sought my gaze, and as our eyes locked, we managed to reach a silent agreement.

"Okay. Take care of yourself." he replied as he began to move, causing the beginnings of a smile from me due to the tone of his voice.

As I found myself alone with the civilians in the compartment, my smile quickly turned into an expression betraying the doubt and apprehension emerging from the depths of my mind. I repeatedly wondered if attempting to calm them down while the plane was likely to crash was futile.

When multiple gunshots echoed from the cockpit, the situation began to deteriorate further. I rearranged my thoughts: I needed to get to safety.

I decided to make my way through the plane, hoping to find a place that would be more sheltered from falling objects and potential edges that could knock me out again.

"Lucy, do you copy?!" I heard Helena shout over the radio as I grabbed my walkie-talkie, quickly taking cover against one of the walls as the plane made a sharp turn.

"Affirmative, Helena. What's happening?" I asked, my breath slightly uneven due to the turbulence.

"The pilot, he..." She began to stammer, a bit confused.

As I stood in front of the restroom door and saw a blue mist emanating, I quickly understood the extent of the danger we were facing.

One of those monsters in an enclosed space... We were doomed.

"We're going to check the cargo hold. Try to stay away from the vents." Leon suggested as I sighed, my hand nervously gripping the walkie-talkie as I analyzed the surroundings once again.

"Okay... I'll try. See you in a bit." I replied as I hung up my walkie-talkie on my belt, starting to backtrack while staring at the ceiling to follow the ducts with my eyes. The blue smoke began to slowly seep through, which was a terrible sign.

When I crossed paths with Leon and Helena, who were obviously sprinting toward the cargo hold, I simply opened the way for them, and then continued on my way.

When I saw that the ventilation stopped just before the cockpit, I decided to go up, calmly examining the surroundings until I noticed a strange monitor. Not understanding a thing, I grabbed my radio, took a seat on one of the pilot's chairs, and turned to face the stairs.

You better use that time wisely.

"Hunnigan, it's Lucy. Do you copy?" I formulated, then left room for a strange silence.

I pouted, strangely fearing that she might ignore me willingly since I had ignored her for seven years.

"I hear you, Lucy. What can I do for you?" She responded, causing me to almost let out a cry of happiness. I cleared my throat, not wanting to let my emotions betray me.

"I wanted to know... Is Simmons aware that I'm here?"

She remained silent for a few moments, making me sigh silently.

"Actually... No. I didn't even think you'd follow these two to China, to be honest."

I blinked repeatedly, surprised by the turn of her phrase.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked in return after a few moments of hesitation.

"Well... After seven years of radio silence, I find it rather surprising that you decided to resurface. Especially when Leon is one of the main players." she replied, strangely calm compared to the words she had just spoken.

I played with a strand of my hair, wondering if it was a reproach or just her way of conveying confusion.

"It's more of a coincidence than anything else... Simmons didn't show up in Tall Oaks, and Helena was the only lead I had at the time."

I heard her sigh.

"If you say so. In the meantime, we still don't have evidence that Simmons is guilty, and the heads of Leon and Helena are on the line. I don't know what you want, but..."

I smiled softly, surprised by her response, which was somehow personal. She also didn't know whether she could trust me or not but hoped that she could.

"I will do my best to help them."

I concluded as I turned off my radio, feeling a slight wave of energy take over my body, urging me to stand up and stretch my legs a bit. As I stretched for a few seconds, I couldn't help but wonder where Leon and Helena were in their journey.

Leon and Helena eventually reappeared in the cockpit, and, judging by their dismayed expressions and Hunnigan's comments, it wasn't a time for reunions. Someone apparently had to fly the plane.

Knowing that I came from a part of the world where the most technologically advanced thing I could experience was driving a motorboat, it was obvious it was up to Leon to take the commands.

"Fine, I'll fly. You two do something about those infected!" Leon ordered as he quickly took a seat on one of the pilot's chairs, curiously inspecting the control panel. I cast him a worried glance, still haunted by the bad memories of the last time he took the wheel.

It can't be that bad... Right?

After taking my place next to Helena, I opened fire on the infected who began to gather in our direction, making sure to wait until they were out of the stairs to avoid wasting my bullets unnecessarily.

"Leon, pull the throttle! Pull up!" Hunnigan shouted through the communication as he pulled on the control stick, leaving me wide-eyed as I had to hold onto the back of his seat to avoid falling.

Despite Leon's efforts, the plane continued to descend dangerously, and it was now undeniable that we were going to crash.

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"Damn... I can't believe I went out with such a reckless driver!" I complained as I made my way, as best as I could, through the flaming wreckage of the plane.

Leon and Helena had gone ahead, allowing me to take a moment to catch my breath after this enormous crash, my hand attempting to protect my arm from the immense pain I had just acquired when I hit the dashboard as the plane reached solid ground.

And as a voice I didn't recognize called Leon, I quickened my pace to join them.

"Sherry? What are you doing here?" Leon asked in return as an odd duo, consisting of a small blonde with a cherubic face and a bald guy with some mafioso vibes, appeared.

I couldn't help but wonder who they were, the name Sherry strangely ringing a bell although she looked like an adult child.

"I'm on protective detail." she replied in return as a play of glances occurred between the young man and Leon. As I stationed myself not far from Leon and Helena, I inspected them once again with a strange premonition.

"Yeah... I heard you became an agent." he commented in return.

"Why are you here?" She finally formulated, her voice slightly hesitant, while Leon, Helena, and I exchanged a glance.

"We're tracking the man behind all this. Chief Security Advisor Simmons," Leon responded instantly, his frankness leaving me stunned.

"What?! There must be some sort of mistake. I report to Simmons!" She reacted finally as I immediately pointed my gun in her direction, a purely natural reflex.

As Leon placed his hand on the barrel of my gun, earning him a reproachful look from me, he turned to the two "strangers."

"He's your supervisor?" Leon asked quickly in return, a slight agitation in his voice.

"We're on our way to meet with him right now!" She continued to explain as I removed Leon's hand, quickly disengaging the safety of my gun.

"Where is he?" I finally asked as Sherry froze, confused. And as Leon approached, probably trying to shake her, the young man pushed him aside with a sharp motion, yelling at him like a chihuahua whose favorite bone had been attempted to be stolen.

We were off to a good start.