Chapter Text
Grace jolts as the mechanical Umbrella interface shoots up, displaying a series of golden, glistening injectors.
"Grace..." Leon grunts, takes a breath. "...what are you doing?" It isn't an accusation, but he wearily eyes the vial in Grace's hand. She quickly turns towards him. "Spencer wanted atonement, he never-"
She's shoved away from the console by Zeno who looms over it with a grin. "Well done, Grace." Plucking one of the vials himself, the clone glances over to the DSO agent. Grace stammers.
"Y-you promised!"
"Yes...I promised." Zeno drags out, slowly pacing over to the downed agent; the clone stabs his own neck with the vial, however. "..I let him live, so that he may be witness to my new power."
"I-I don't think that's what Elpis is." Grace tries to interject, glancing to her own injector, then to Leon's shuddering form on the platform. Zeno pauses as he feels the effects of the injection start to take place, the thick, dark lines of his face peeling away, gradually.
"I'm perfectly normal- I'm n-no key!" She insists.
"But you released Elpis." Zeno hisses, and bent over with a grunt. "My powers...!"
Grace takes this moment to immediately go over to Leon, laying a hand on his shoulder as another cough wretches his body. "Leon!"
"'m fine." Leon grunts, coughs. "Don' worry 'bout me."
Before they can regroup, however, an unfortunately familiar tone rumbles throughout the vast, golden chamber. "Magnificent." Grace, Leon, and Zeno glance over to one Victor Gideon. He takes in the massive arch of machinery, shakes his head in reverence, and bears a horrific smile. "I truly marvel at my master's genius."
The veins in Zeno's face flex in anger as he bellows, stepping toward the other man. "Your research was wrong, Gideon! Elpis wasn't a weapon-"
"Spencer's research was obviously incomplete. There was no link between Grace and Emily-"
As the two descend into bickering, Grace leans down to Leon. "Leon...I think this is an antiviral," she whispers.
The older man meets her gaze for a few moments, then closes his eyes. "I trust you," he reaffirms. Grace nods a few times and takes his arm. Leon tenses at the contact, but he doesn't stop her as she injects the Elpis serum. They both look back to Gideon after hearing Gideon's bellow, and an audible thunk. Grace's stomach turns as Zeno's head, decapitated by the enraged doctor, rolls along the metal grating. Grace hears a deep inhale, then sees a blur.
Gideon snarls as a Requiem's over-powered shot blasts off his shoulder. Palming it, his grin contorts into an enraged frown. "Ahhhhhh, it seems like you're making a fine comeback, Mr. Kennedy."
Leon straightens up fully, in front of Grace, and shoots two more shots into the doctor's torso and hip. He impassively empties the barrel, loads it again, and snaps it shut. His voice resonates with conviction. "This time, you're staying down."
Gideon's expression deteriorates even as his skin regenerates. "I have no need for you anymore." He drones, sounding bored. "You've been such a nuisance." Grace stiffens as his golden irises land on her; they narrow as Leon immediately obscures his vision. The agent keeps his aim steady as Gideon's arm tentacles lash out towards them- trying to curve around to Grace. She ducks down as Leon turns and methodically shoots each fleshy branch as it spawns from its destroyed sibling. Six shots later, nothing remains.
Leon glances back to check on Grace, and jolts at a prick in his chest "What?" He yanks out a small glass needle, but doubles over regardless. "Shit-"
Grace quickly bends down next to him as Leon snarls in pain. "Leon, what's wrong?"
"Virus...infect..ed," Leon gasps out, curling inwards. He collapses back onto the metal grating. A shiver of terror runs up Grace's spine at the flash of gold in the DSO agent's eyes. Gideon nonchalantly plucks a vial from the console, and looks over at the humans with a smile. The blonde quickly pats Leon's vest, yanks out the gun, and aims the Requiem straight at Gideon's head. A dreadful chuckles leaves him.
"Now, now Grace," he nods at Leon's scream of pain, causing Grace to look over. Already, black veins were coursing through his body as he thrashed on the ground. "I suggest you focus on your knight's plight instead of me." He pockets the vial and turns to leave. "But I'll be kind today and spare you a similar fate. Have fun."
Grace keeps the Requiem trained on the retreating doctor until he completely disappears, then quickly goes over to the console. "H-hold on, Leon, I'll get another vial!"
There's no response. Grace grabs another injector, goes back over to the crouched agent, and stabs his arm. The knot in her shoulders unravels as the cure begins sinking into the older man's arm.
Leon then snarls, smacking away the vial and causing it to shatter on the floor. Grace jumps up in surprise as Leon stumbles away. "Oh, fuck," she swears. Quickly stowing away the Requiem, she tries for the console again. However, when she turns back around with a new dosage, Grace yelps. Leon had gotten up, now right behind her. She nearly sighs in relief, but it catches. Looming over her, the agent's eyes shine an unnatural golden through his brunette bangs, his skin pallor two shades too white.
"Grace..." he rasps. "...get...away.."
He grunts, the sounds descending into a growl as he reaches towards her. Grace shouts and jumps, a new vial still in hand. Leon's movements are jerky, uneven. "L-Leon?" She tries, stepping backwards towards the entrance of the chamber. "Just- Just try to stay in control!"
Leon looks up, dazed, and notices the distance between them. He severely frowns. Despite being on death's door twenty minutes ago, the agent has no problem straightening to his full height and pacing towards Grace. Alarmed, Grace shakes her head and holds up the Requiem. "D-don't move!"
Surprisingly, Leon obeys. A flash of confusion crosses the older man's face, before he listlessly reaches up to pat his tactical vest. Grace continues walking backward until the back of her boot hits the chamber doors. Pocketing the vial into her front pants, Grace blindly fumbles behind her.
Leon's eyes narrow as the doors behind Grace hiss open, his body seeming to coil in tension. Grace nearly falls as she crosses the threshold. Her gaze doesn't leave Leon's intense irises right until the doors snap shut, temporarily separating them.
She turns and runs.