Chapter Text
Nearly a year has passed since you started with the FBI. Though you’d worked with them before on task forces, this permanent research role came at the President’s request. Your expertise made you a regular fixture across government agencies, assigned wherever needed. Previously stationed at the BSAA, you assisted Chris Redfield’s team with megamycete research, focusing on the long-term effects on a young girl and her mother. The case would continue, so for now you would consult remotely as needed. Your return to the US was prompted by the deaths of Raccoon City survivors from a mysterious disease. The President had stationed you with the FBI to investigate. Aside from RC syndrome and a Wrenwood outbreak, thousands had been dying quietly—especially on the west coast. Something big was happening, and you had discovered what.
“Dr Y/LN, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please come in and shut the door.” Your interactions with Director Voss were mostly limited to brief pleasantries at banquets and board meetings but you also had a long history. He was a good man. As a researcher focused on virology and outbreaks, you were used to harsh laboratory lighting, making the director's office a welcome change. “Director Voss, always a pleasure”, you say, extending a hand to shake. “I think I know what this is about; I just spent the last hour on a video conference briefing Cain and the Pentagon.” He flashed you a small smile and chuckled softly. “Yes, now it’s my turn; please, have a seat.” You took the left chair and set your bag on the floor. Lately, it was heavier than usual.
“Your work with the Bureau and neighbouring intelligence organisations has made you a highly respected name, Dr Y/LN.” He had that same look he often did, simultaneously calm yet deep in thought. You found the expression oddly frustrating. Spending most of your time buried in academic journals and lab equipment, you knew your social skills had taken a bit of a hit. You were never great at deciphering microexpressions, not that you ever really needed to, of course. But times like these, you really wished you could. You felt a pit in your stomach, wondering where this was going. “I called you in today to discuss your work related to the series of suspicious deaths along the west coast; it’s my understanding that you’ve discovered a biological link between the victims?” Your mind raced, filled with crime scene photos, reports, and field agent testimony. You had spent months on the cases; what began as isolated reports from coroners grew into piles of case files. You took a deep breath, regaining your composure.
“Yes, Sir, viral actually. It started around 5 months ago. The region's coroners and morgues had a significant backlog of bodies, all found to have suffered from sudden multiple organ failure. There was no identifying link between the victims that local detectives could find, no matching injuries on examination, no consistent illnesses or conditions, no geographic connection. These bodies are coming in fast; some have washed up along the coast, but others were found at home, in the street, dying in hospital. There was no connection, just a substantial influx of bodies”.
Director Voss took a second to lean back in his chair, slightly pinching the bridge of his nose; a heavy sigh left him as he asked for an estimated count. You rested your elbow on the table and rubbed your forehead with an exasperated sigh. “The truth is we can’t be certain; the current estimate is at least 1400, and that’s just the victims I've been able to group using autopsy reports and my own examinations. There could be hundreds or even thousands of other victims out there that weren’t reported or flagged as suspicious and worth further investigation”. You sat in charged silence for several minutes. The crime scene and autopsy photos weighed on you in a way you’d never experienced. After months of investigating and staring at case files, one in particular was seared into your memory: a young woman, 18, found deceased in her dorm room after a long weekend. She was the youngest in the group so far. You remembered collecting tissue samples from her cold body in the morgue, another life reduced to evidence. The toll of this work was growing heavier.
“How did you connect them?”
The voice came from behind, cutting the silence and making you jump. You whipped around to see a gruff-looking man leaning against the wall, arms crossed and sporting a dark, brooding expression. “Shit- when did you-? How long-?” Your startled rambles were interrupted by Director Voss. “Dr Y/LN, I'd like you to meet Special Agent Kennedy of the DSO”. The man walked over and extended a hand, “Leon Kennedy, sorry I startled you”. You stood from the chair to shake his hand and felt your stomach drop a little. The man was gorgeous. You tried to take in as much of his face as you could without staring, so the greeting wouldn't be awkward. He held a stern expression framed with pieces of hair you couldn’t quite identify the colour of- a dark blonde but definitely not brown. Nearly Indiscernible streaks of grey blended in. “… Dr Y/LN?” You shook your head quickly, suddenly feeling flustered. “Uh... sorry, I got distracted.” You leaned in ever so slightly, trying to identify the mysterious blend, noting the warm smell of the man. A mix of musky amber, leather, and maybe metal?“Your hair is such an indiscernible shade”, you answered honestly with a hint of confusion in your voice. The man seemed a little taken aback by your directness before he chuckled slightly and took a seat next to you, clearly amused by your curiosity and honesty.
“So, at least 1400 bodies, all dead from sudden multiple organ failure… what do you think is causing this, Doc?” The Agent asked, examining you. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt drawn to you, not necessarily because of physical attraction, although he noted you were strikingly beautiful. The way you were so intelligent and professional a moment prior, then easily distracted, felt so genuine and soft. His train of thought was distracted quickly, though, as Director Voss leaned in, waiting for your reply. “We need as much information as you can provide, Dr. If this is a biological contaminant deliberately making its way into the public, we need to act fast. All the heads of the Intelligence agencies are scrambling, trying to figure out whose problem cleaning this up is.“ Leon struggled not to roll his eyes at that comment. There were upwards of 1400 mysterious deaths, and of course the government was more concerned with keeping a lid on it.
You leaned over, grabbing a thick file from your bag, humming slightly under your breath as you hastily flicked through dozens of pages of notes, stopping at a handful of annotated pictures. You spread them out on the desk between Director Voss and Agent Kennedy, standing slightly so you could see your own notes. “These are a handful of microscopic images taken from the victim's spinal fluid,” you began, peering down, searching for a specific page amongst the small pile. “Here, you see these splotches of black? All of the victims I’ve examined have this present, and all the blood work reports I’ve been able to access note elevated white blood cells to a degree I’ve never seen before.” You sat back down, moving around some pages, pulling one from the pile and setting it on top. “These are all known viral infections that could be the explanation, but nothing fits. The medical histories I have access to don’t recount fevers, stiff necks, headaches, anything like that that would suggest meningitis or inflammation. Just these splotches of black that I wasn’t able to identify, until..”
You flipped through the file even further before turning it to face the two men. The agent pulled the file towards him with a faint look of what might have been fear. “This is T-Virus… modified heavily. But I'd recognise it anywhere.” He felt defeated. Having just cured his own disease a few months ago using Elpis, he felt so certain that chapter of his life could finally close. “I compared it to the reports from the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre incident and Raccoon City Syndrome, and I concur, there are similarities to confirm this is T-Virus in origin, but this is different. Significantly more discreet in its impact on the victim. From what I’ve learned, there are no early signs of infection; the victims lived their lives with no impairment or sign of illness. They all appeared relatively healthy until several hours prior to their passing.”
Leon looked between you and the Director, “How do you know about Raccoon City Syndrome? That’s heavily classified and part of a DSO investigation?” You looked at Leon, noting the confusion on his face. The majority of the cases and projects you were assigned to come from the top of government and organisations. You thought back to how many times you'd had this conversation, given you had ties with so many agencies; people tended to be distrustful of you and your intentions. But that didn't look like the case here; Leon's confusion had no malice or suspicion behind it that you could see. If anything, it was more of a surprise. You hated when conversations ended up in this area; you had to be two steps ahead when thinking of your answers. Cases and information you worked on tended to be heavily redacted and classified. A few projects you'd worked on were considered “off the books” and resulted in you having to burn documents after committing data to memory. Being vague was often part of the work you did, but it still left you feeling dirty. But if Agent Kennedy was already involved with the T-Virus, it didn't seem you needed to worry about clearance.
You exhaled slowly and adjusted your posture, "The first initial victim of RCS was flagged by the CDC, given the mysterious markers I was called in”. Again, you had to catch yourself and think carefully about your words. You were certain Leon had access to this information. Man, these types of conversations sucked. “I was initially brought in off the books as a researcher, focused on understanding the disease but things moved quickly with that case as I'm sure you're aware; that's all I can say”.
Director Voss turned to Leon. “Dr Y/LN is stationed here at the FBI in more of a home base sense; we provide her with a lab and funding, but she acts on orders of the President in a similar fashion to yourself. Also, as one of the world's most prolific scientists, she has access to knowledge and databases from every department and organisation that deals with biological and viral weapons and attacks. I'm not at liberty to know half the stuff she works on; hell, her clearance is definitely higher than mine.” He said with a small chuckle.
Leon let out a slow whistle and leaned back in his chair slightly. You looked between the Agent and Director, confused, “Why was this meeting called, Director Voss? Am I being deployed with another agency for this investigation?” Voss stood from his chair, stretching slightly and walked to a file cabinet in the corner. Returning with a file of his own, he set it between you and Leon. You both leaned in to read it, slightly bumping your shoulders in the process. Leon was like a furnace. Even with his jacket on, you could feel the warmth from his body where your arms brushed. In turn, he noted the smell of your perfume, something sweet yet sophisticated, definitely powdery and warm but maybe slightly floral? The smell was instantly intoxicating. He looked to his left slightly to get another look at you; he noticed the way you bit your lip ever so slightly while you read, your hair falling down the side of your face, framing it. He found himself analysing the colour the same way you had his earlier.
He struggled to look away and regain focus, skimming the file. Voss broke the silence moments later. “The President had requested the pairing of you both to investigate this deeper; the number of victims is increasing at an accelerated rate. We need to find where this modified virus is coming from and contain it before the damage becomes catastrophic. You’re both the best in your respective fields, so I have every confidence in your success. On orders from the POTUS, you'll have whatever you need for this.” You and Leon shared a look; a small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth, and you returned one of your own.