RADICALISATION, resident evil [1] ✓

⤿ xvii. feel it coming in the air

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𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑤𝑜: 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛: 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛
𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑖𝑟

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The Sewers, Raccoon City — September 30th, 1998

     With the emails to Umbrella HQ on the computer in the control room shedding a little more light onto things, and a hidden — albeit broken — lift that sends them down to what looks to be a security room of sorts, Mason feels his unease continuing to grow. He knows that they're getting closer to the point where he'll no longer be able to fight back the infection, and to the point where it will become clear to Leon just who — what — Mason is; what he has been forced to become.

     There's a tremendous roar and Mason's hand tightens around the hilt of his machete, mismatched eyes flying around to find the source of the sound — only to spot Ada through the window overlooking what looks to be a garbage dump. She looks a little worse for wear, her red dress filthy and something not pleasant sticking out of her leg, but otherwise ultimately unharmed, and he's thankful. While he doesn't trust her in the slightest, it doesn't mean that he dislikes her, because she is rather amusing.

     "Oi, pretty boy. I found your girlfriend." Mason jerks his chin towards the window, watching as Leon scrambles, the blond relieved at the sight of the self-proclaimed FBI agent. "She's not exactly in any danger, but we shouldn't leave her too long."

     "We're coming, Ada," the rookie breathes, nodding reassuringly to himself. "Let's see what we have to do now."

     Mason finds a rather odd pamphlet from a sewers company of all things, strangely called Knights Construction Company — and the mention of several chess pieces in the pamphlet has him swearing in Russian. The Rook piece that they found in the wall earlier now seems like it's going to play a lovely part in a puzzle, and he wants to scream. It seems that there will be no end to the puzzles in this godforsaken city, at least not until they're out of here, and he is so tired of them.

     Turning to make a joke to Leon about having yet another puzzle to complete, Mason goes still as Leon slips the tape he found into the VCR player nearby. He harshly flinches at the loud sounds that erupt once the tape has whirred to life, mismatched eyes unable to look away from the static riddled recording on the television. It's boring at first, a line of black clad soldiers infiltrating the sewers, guns primed, but then Mason makes note of the white print on the recording.