Mechanical Animals: Resident Evil 4

16

Ada descended the cliffside. If anyone had been able to see her, they would have seen her usual cold, stoic face. She was unbothered by death, human or monster. It has been a part of her life since 1990. Death was inevitable to everyone, even those who thought themselves Gods would succumb one day. The fog became less dense the further down she went, and Rose's body lay broken at the rocky edge of the ocean. Every bone in her body was shattered, and there was a pool of dark blood staining her hair and the rock beneath her, trickling into the ocean. She'd need to move the body before a shark, or something less savory picked up the scent.

But before she did, she pulled out her communicator instead of pressing on her earpiece. It rang only once before Wesker picked up. "Ms. Wong," he greeted coolly.

Ada inhaled deeply, her eyes flashing in the moonlight as she prepared to tell him the news. "Agent Kidman is dead."

There was a pause on Wesker's end, but other than that, he didn't show anything on his face. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I see. Have you confirmed the body?"

Instead of answering verbally, she turned the screen and showed him Rose's very dead, very broken body. Her eyes were closed to look as if she were sleeping, but her neck was protruding sharply and her ribs were sticking out at the wrong angles. The bones in her arms had broken the skin, leaving a gory mess out of her figure. She turned the screen back to herself to gauge Wesker's reaction, but he had only crossed his ankle over his knee. "You don't seem very upset," Ada said. She'd expected at least his wrath.

"No, I do not, do I?" He smirked, uncrossing his leg and leaning forward to the screen. His eyes had started to glow bright enough that the shades he wore couldn't hide it. "Move her to the island and conceal her for now. Continue your mission as planned, Ms. Wong."

"But why-?"

Wesker ended the transmission and Ada stared at Rose's body for a moment, the gears in her head turning. She knelt down and pressed her fingers to Rose's pulse. She was definitely dead, so why did Wesker care about the body? Did he plan to retrieve it? Her eyes widened when she heard a snap and jerked when she saw Rose's arm straighten back to the way it was supposed to be, the skin where the bone had torn through stitched itself back together.

Ada smiled, smoothing back the girl's bloody hair from where it had fallen from her ponytail. "Well, aren't you full of surprises, Rose Kidman. Good luck with your daddy, kiddo," she sighed, scooping up Rose into her arms and using her hook shot.

~~//~~

Leon squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to summon any trace of her, any memory that could anchor him to this moment. He remembered her laughter, bright and infectious, a melody that chased away even his anxiety. He remembered the way her eyes sparkled when she shared a moment with either he or Ashley, her passion igniting the mundane. And now... now all he had was silence, thick and suffocating, blocking out even the frantic yells of the Spanish cultists that continued to try and kill him.

With shaky hands, he pushed himself up, having needed to take a break after almost getting himself killed. He was bleeding where an arrow had pierced his pectoral muscle, and his hands had been clumsy when fixing himself up. He barely felt the pain, though. He forced himself to continue up the ladder, walking across rotting wood planks and was surprised to see the merchant standing outside the tower doors. He wasn't in the mood to be nice.

"You have the stench of death," said the merchant.

"Rose is gone," he said thickly. The merchant's eyes widened a moment before they narrowed and he nodded. "I need ammo, and first aid."

"You've come to the right place, stranger."

Leon didn't respond, purchasing the replacements for everything he'd lost, except what mattered the most. He also picked up a couple of hand grenades, because he felt like blowing some shit up. The merchant cackled when he handed the money over, thanking him with an amusement that Leon was sure he would never feel for himself, ever again. It was melodramatic of him, but this whole ordeal felt like it was sucking his soul out of him. It was just as bad as Raccoon City. He wasn't sure how much he had left to give.