Raccoon City 1998

Chapter 11: Welcome to NEST

Traveling downward towards NEST, Leon waited for them to arrive as Annabelle kept her eyes closed and tries her best to focus her thought away from the dark memories that the dark cable car was triggering. "You know what I was thinking." Leon calls out, "I can't wait for the FBI to raid Umbrella headquarters and take those bastards to justice." he states and turns to her.

But immediately his guard was up as he saw Annabelle slump over and covered her ears trying to block everything out. "Annabelle?" he calls out and ran up to her. He immediately sat next to her and grips her arms. "Annabelle, what's wrong?" he asks her, but she shook her head leaning back into the wall. "I can't... the darkroom... I can't," she mutters.

Trying her best to closes her eyes and block out the sounds. "Annabelle, hey, hey... hey," he mutters, gently pulling her hands away, trying her away from her dark thoughts and she opens her eyes to him, pressing her back against the wall, her eyes flick around at the cable car she was in, it immediately clicks as he looks down at her. "You're claustrophobic and Nyctophobic, aren't you?" he asks her, she just looks at him "You're scared of tight and small spaces and afraid of the dark places," he informs her.

She scoffs and looks away, a bitter smile on her face. "Pathetic huh? A former agent like myself, scared of dark and small spaces," she tells him. He shook his head at her. "Everyone is scared of something. Being scared is normal," he informs her. She then turns her head back to him. "I'm just saying," he states. She nods her head at him. "Do you have any fears?" she asks him, he nods at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I hate clowns." he states and she looks at him in surprise. "Really?" she asks, "I hate them, I absolutely hate them," he informs her. "But aren't clowns kid-friendly?" she asks him, Leon shook his head "That's what they want you to think, but they're evil. Right down to their overgrown shoes and the mask paint and their red nose," he states.

Annabelle was still confused, "You've fought off zombies, undead dogs, a G-virus monster, a tyrant, and an over-sized alligator. But clowns freak you out?" she asks him. He shook his head at her. "Hate them, creepy happy killers," he informs her. Annabelle shook her head as she looks away.

Then they sat in momentarily silence, "What will happen to the G-virus once we have it?" he asks her, Annabelle just frowns at him. "Ada will try to take it back to her bosses and get a reward for it." she answers and he looks at her, "Why would the FBI award her?" he asks and Annabelle turns her head to him. "Because it's not the FBI she works her. It's Umbrella. She was sent here to retrieve the G-virus so they can continue their work." she informs him.

He just looks at her, "So... she's not an FBI agent?" he asks, she looks at him and nods, "A mercenary, actually. And I lied earlier, this isn't the first time I've seen her." she answers. He blinks and leans back, looking at her. "I see her once every few years. We would cross paths and work together, knowing we had the same mission." she admits to him "If you had an idea she was going to be here, what does that make you?" he asks her, she flicks her eyes back towards him. "The cold-blooded killer, the Bloodhound of Umbrella. Who they raised," she answers and he looks at her in surprise. "What?" he said in surprise.

But she just sighs, "I was taken at an early age, they trained me, tortured me, beat me until I drop. Starved me like an animal. And somewhere along the way... I buried my emotions, and I was just numb." she states as tears well up in her eyes. "I have done horrible things, I've slaughtered countless men without a second thought. And I have been stabbed in the back more times than I can count. So I killed every last one of them, all for Umbrella." she states, turning away as hot tears just flowed down her cheek.

Leon just looks at her, "You said former, that means..." he asks, she nods her head, "Free agent now, cut ties with them. I've had enough." she answers, tears cascades faster down her cheeks. "But clearly you're showing signs of emotions now," he states. Wondering where it all happened.