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[Leon]: “It’s all my fault…I- I should’ve pulled her up. Then she…She-“

“Leon couldn’t help but sob, tears were soaking Claire’s shirt as he buried his head on her shoulder whilst she hugged him. Ada was gone, she died, fell to her death. Nobody would be able to survive a fall like that from the NEST base. First Marvin, then Ben, then Kendo with his daughter, now Ada…So many people Leon couldn’t save or couldn’t help at all. X was there resting his hands on the rookie’s shoulders, soothing him so that he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed with guilt and grief. But he’s not the only one who’s hurt about all this. A bit Kronos’ mind immediately jumps to everything ‘he’ did wrong, everything he could have done different, every reason that his fault.”

“He should have made his decision to hand over the sample sooner…Maybe then they wouldn’t have still been standing on the bridge as it collapsed. But he didn’t. He didn’t do those things. And it was the fucking worst mistake he’s done. Kronos turns to look at his team, his friends, X even. Seeing on how far they’ve come from this nightmare, there’s no going back…What’s done is done and they need to keep going.”

[Kronos]: “I’m sorry, I should’ve done more for you both. Ada may have betrayed us, but we would’ve been no better if one of us had shot her…For her, We’ll keep going, Leon…Ada death won’t be for nothing, and I can promise that.”

[Leon]: *Sniffles* “…Right, you’re right…I- I just need to keep it together.”

[Claire]: “We’ll be able to progress everything as soon as we’re out of here…Are we almost at the bottom floor?”

[Kronos]: “Just about.”

“Kronos stood corrected as they entered into a monitor room, but they didn’t want to waste any time since there was a countdown. As the whole group hurries through the facility toward the fabled train platform spoken of by the automated voice, the urgency of the situation becomes frighteningly clear. Occasionally some mechanism will explode into a ball of fiery light in the distance. The ground continues to shake beneath everyone’s feet, periodically accented by a much more violent tremor. Debris continues to fall from above.”

“As a service elevator lowers him down a level, Claire groans internally at the sight of an ivy creature sprawled deceptively across the floor, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. She fires another shot from her Anti-B.O.W gun, she knows that they don’t have time for this, and they can’t afford to get attacked again.”

“They don’t wait for the ivy creature to get up, as it immediately starts to writhe around on the ground, it gives X a few seconds to crush it under his foot. The commotion wakes up several more ivies scattered around the walkway, at least if the awful guttural clicking now echoing through the room is anything to go by. Claire continues to douse them in gun blasts in order to have everyone slip past them unharmed. Kronos doesn’t know how they even got here from the east wing, but he doesn’t have time to contemplate the origin of the inconvenience. The last ivy almost grabs him, but Angel slices it in half, causing it to loose its grip and fall to the ground.”

“Taking their time down the ladder wouldn’t work as Dema was still carrying Sherry in her arms, but in a quick moment, X manages to grab and hold onto every single one of the team and jumps from the ladder to the ground since that is faster than taking every last rung. Every second counts. Landing on the ground was thankfully wasn’t too bad, and everyone was still in one piece.”

[Joshua]: *Laughs* “Thanks, X! Onward!”

“X runs along the walkway surprisingly unimpeded and darts into a maintenance hall with everyone still holding onto his trenchcoat or being carefully held in his arms. Almost immediately something explodes to his right, and he raises his elbows to block the resulting debris. The entire hall is on fire, but the Tyrant pushes his way through the heat of the flames, completely ignoring the zombified researcher that attempts to grab his leg, as a way to grab a bite on his human friends, the adrenaline starting to take complete control.”

[Computer]: “Eight minutes until detonation.”

“Shit.”

“More doors, more flaming walkways and maintenance halls. As they continue onward toward another door, Kronos, Claire, Dema (still carrying Sherry), Steven, and Coana jumped off X and made it to the exit door, but for Leon, Joshua and Angel, a large pipe explodes and covers the walkway with flames, blocking their exit. Causing the others to turn around and call out to their friends.”

[Dema]: *Off-Screen* “Guys, hurry!!”

[Angel]: “Damn it, the fire’s too dangerous!”

[Kronos]: *Off-Screen* “Find another way around, there will be tunnels leading to where we’ll go!”

“As the others keep going, our three heroes skid to a halt and look around frantically for another way past. Leon’s almost tempted just to run through the flames and hope he doesn’t catch fire, and if he does, maybe he can stop-drop-and-roll on the other side.”

“He doesn’t have time to decide on a course of action, however, because another explosion from another pipe causes the walkway to suddenly give out entirely. The three of them are overwhelmed by a free fall that is now very real, but it is quickly cut off by the hard impact of their side against the concrete floor below. Joshua yelps in pain as Angel tumbles onto her front side, Leon groans and tries to push himself back up through the pain, determined to keep going. He helps Angel and Joshua up but the Fighter hisses in even more pain.”

[Joshua]: “Fuck, fuck!! I- I think my arm’s broke…!”

[Angel]: “Here, I’ll help you up. Leon, find us another way!”

“His eyes dart upward at the sound of a loud creaking only to find the collapsed panel of the walkway swinging precariously above them. The bolts holding it together snap out of place, and Leon quickly moves all three of them to the side of the wall as the heavy metal platform falls down and slams into the ground right where their heads were just seconds prior.”

[Computer]: “Seven minutes until detonation.”

“Leon looks and stares at the fiery ceiling for a few seconds. It almost feels like they’re supposed to die at this point, like the universe is trying to tell them to give up already. But the universe already did that to Raccoon City and the people so it can go fuck itself in Leon’s own words.”

“Leon leads Angel and Joshua through the nearest door, hoping that they can still find a way to the train platform in the next seven minutes. He enters a large room that at first appears to be a dead end, and his stomach drops. But then he notes a terminal near the far railing, and he realises that this platform is a massive elevator that will take them even lower into the facility, closer to the train. Or, at least, he can hope so.”

|———————————|
…MEANWHILE…
|———————————|

“X shoves his way through the next door and is met by a long balcony in a massive room. If his mental map is still accurate of this lab, the next door should lead to the train control platform. Kronos goes ahead and checks to see if there’s anything to get them out of here. Sure enough, the next door reveals a large chamber with the main train car. His mind is soothed by a sudden relief. This is exactly where he needs to be. Leon, Angel and Joshua will board the train to escape, whether here or at the other boarding platform deeper in the facility. Claire, Dema (Still holding Sherry), Steven, X and Coana enter the room behind him. With the young bandicoot pointing at the train.”

[Coana]: *Points at the train* “Kronos, can we use that?!”

[Kronos]: “Worth a try.”

“Once the door fully opens, they waste no more time and step up into the train car. Dema carefully lays Sherry down on the floor as Steven prepares the medicine. They were lucky to still have it as Joshua gave the samples to the Healer in case something went wrong.”

[Steven]: “Kronos, we need one of the samples. Sherry’s life is on the line.”

“As Kronos pulls out the second G-Virus sample, he rechecks his pocket and feels as if his heart has stopped. The first sample is missing. The sample is missing. THE FIRST SAMPLE OF THE G-VIRUS THEY NEED TO EXPOSE UMBRELLA’S WORK IS MISSING.”

[Kronos]: “Oh no…NO NO NO NO!!”

[Claire]: “What’s wrong?”

[Kronos]: “We’ve only got one sample to save Sherry, I must have dropped the other sample where we were at the bridge, FUCK!!”

“X looks to the door at the sound of the stairs lowering into the floor. Several lights have turned on outside. After a few more seconds, he feels and hears a subtle rumbling as the train platform begins to lower itself to the bottom level of the facility. It looks like the rest of their friends won’t be able to board the train here at this point. X just hopes Leon and his friends goes to the other platform instead. The minutes they have until the place explodes isn’t very long. As the platform slowly lowers, a horrendous screech echoes from somewhere above the chamber, and X tenses. What could that-“

“THUD!”

“The entire train car shakes as something incredibly heavy falls on top of it. Causing everyone to nearly fall over. The sample falls out of Kronos’ hand and just by luck, Dema catches it, giving it to Steven for him to start the vaccine.”

[Dema]: “Whatever’s out there, you take care of it. We’ll save Sherry.”

“Kronos nods and heads out with Claire to investigate the noises, this is followed by the sound of extremely rapid gunshots and more inhuman shrieking.”

“Why can’t you just die!?’ X hears Claire shouting angrily from outside.”

“This sounds like a serious problem, and X feels like he should do something about it. But if chances are anything to go by, X wouldn’t be surprised if the perpetrator of the chaos is that awful G-virus monstrosity that attacked Kronos, Claire and Leon in the west wing, the one called "William". X would be outmatched even in weak health, there’s no way he’ll survive a fight with that thing in the exhausted condition X is in. He’ll just have to hope that the two of them can handle it on their own, and if not…Well, he’ll make sure the monster pays for their deaths, even if it costs X his own life.”

[Steven] *Off-Screen* “Coana, don’t!”

“X panics momentarily as Coana was trying to go out of the train to help his friends. The look on the boy’s face is one of absolute worry for his two friends. X reaches the doorway and bends over to reach for Coana. He looks over his shoulder at him, and tries to leave, but X grabs the young bandicoot before he can dart away.”

[Coana]: “Claire, Kronos, no!!”

“X ignores the protesting and lifts Coana up into the car where he’ll be safer. He squirms in X’s grasp, but he’s so small and weak in comparison to the big guy that he hardly even notices. X of course steps back, and once the door slides shut again, he retreats to his corner at the far end of the car.”

[Dema]: *Off-Screen* “Thank you, X. Coana, please stay with us.”

[Coana]: “No! Kronos needs us to help him and Claire!”

“X sits himself down on the ground, the worried child still in his arms. He’s so shaken by everything going on outside and the giant’s bold approach that Coana’s hardly breathing at this point, his chest just quivering with overwhelmed anxiety. The boy is safe in here, doesn’t he realise that? Perhaps he’s too worked up to realise that X is protecting him, just like Leon was too worked up to realise that X was protecting him back in the sewers.”

“…Comfort Coana. Reassure him like Leon…”

“If that’s the case, then maybe he can try to calm Coana down just like he calmed Leon. Hopefully, the comfort and the muffling of the leather can drown out the shrieking and gunshots outside. He can’t pet her hair because it’s tied up in some fancy bun, and pressing his face against her skin feels too weirdly intimate, something he would only do to Leon. So he just keeps holding her tightly and purring until she inevitably does start to breathe more steadily and stops shaking so hard.”

“This feels wrong. X was not made to comfort people, he was made to kill them. Yet here he is comforting yet another person, a child at that, and he’s good at it. He realises he’s never actually killed anyone in the field besides that prisoner, and he couldn’t even remember how it happened, only that he crushed the man’s skull through the hole he punched in the wall. If X were to kill someone now who didn’t deserve it, he definitely would regret it. Being forced into a weapon to kill wasn’t what he wanted. X always questioned on why they didn’t just get rid of him to begin with since he was found to be ‘defective’.”

”Steven shouted out eureka as he held the vaccine up as a sign of relief for the progress. He carefully move’s Sherry’s head to the side and slowly injected the serum into her veins. X flinched as he saw her body jump from the needle since it would hurt, as he remembers how injections were given to him during the early experiments. The two humans stood over her, and the Tyrant began to see her exposed red veins starting to disappear. Showing that the vaccine was working. Sherry was going to be alright, as she started to slowly open her eyes, rubbing the left one with her hand. She seemed to have slept when turning due to her yawning.”

“Outside, Claire and Kronos weren’t having too much of a problem, depending on how long they can keep up with the fight. What they were battling against was William (or what remained of him at this point) as he had followed them here to come and finish the job, losing his humanity for good and not giving an absolute ounce of regret to it.”

”He attacked them left and right, with only Claire being able to fire her Anti-B.O.W rounds. But at this moment, she was running out of ammo quick. And Kronos jumped on her to move the brunette out of the way of the next attack.”

[Claire]: “Shit, at this rate he’s not going to give up!”

“Suddenly, we see a box containing a rocket launcher slide down and onto the platform. Kronos turns to look at it, and decides to pick it up…Over from a distance at the top floor, we see a mysterious figure in high heels. But we might know who that is judging by the voice.”

[???]: *Off-Screen* “…We’ll call it even”

“We switch back to Coana and X, the young bandicoot has thankfully calmed down, but was slightly worried about his friends. He looked up at X and quietly asked him a question.”

[Coana]: “Are Leon and the others going to be okay…?”

“That’s a question X can’t possibly know the answer to. Maybe the boy is just looking for some reassurance. He provides an affirmative grunt, and Coana seems content with that.”

“Once we cut back to outside again, Claire was holding the rocket launcher in her hand, along with Kronos helping to hold it for her. They could see the mutated bastard was growing agro by the second, and charges towards the two. As the brunette pulled the trigger.”

“The shrieking suddenly escalates from outside the train, as an explosion is heard. X listens closely, hoping that isn’t a bad sign. Thankfully, the rising shriek eventually cuts off abruptly, suggesting that the creature has finally been taken care of. Sure enough, after several seconds have passed, the door to the train car opens with Kronos and Claire pulling themselves up. Kronos’ face is nearly red with a resounding fury as he took X pulling Coana back the wrong way to kill him.”

[Kronos]: “I swear to god, I’ll kill yo-”

“His voice falters when his eyes fall on X and Coana huddled up on the floor at the other end of the train. With him and Claire seeing Sherry finally pushes herself from the floor after Dema and Steven cured her and runs over to greet the two.”

[Sherry]: “Claire!”

Sherry wraps her arms around Claire in a hug. Claire mindlessly returns the embrace, but Kronos was more focused on glancing back and forth between Sherry and X with a look of bewilderment.

[Claire]: “Sherry, you’re…Okay?”

[Sherry]: “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Coana was allowed to go over to Sherry and pull her into an embrace himself. The two children were fully able to keep going and stick as friends.”

[Coana]: “You’re okay!! A- and you’re no longer infected, right?”

[Sherry]: “You saved me, I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

“With one last nervous glance at X, Kronos turns to the controls and pulls the switch. With all of them finally settling down and preparing to leave. The train’s horn blares as it rumbles to life. With everyone glancing out the window and finds the tunnel starting to slowly move… Implying that the train is moving itself. They just hoped their friends can make it too.”

|———————————|
…MEANWHILE…
|———————————|

“After a quick look around, Leon spots a joint plug that looks like it will fit into the terminal on a nearby desk. He grabs it and rushes onto the platform where Angel amd Joshua were, then over to plug it into the terminal, then pulls the lever. To his relief, the red light on the terminal turns green, and the platform gives a shake as the mechanisms clatter to life. Unfortunately, that mechanism seems to trigger something else, and a massive explosion roars so close to the moving platform that the force nearly knocks the three off their feet.”

“The facility continues to shake, and a chunk of concrete falls from the ceiling and causes a massive support beam to collapse onto the balconies above. Another beam falls and strikes the moving platform just behind them, fear spikes through each of their bodies as they realise that they is stuck on this platform now, that they is at the complete mercy of the facility’s instability, that any second something could fall and crush them, or knock them off the platform, or perhaps break the platform mechanisms and strand all three of them in the middle of the room to simply await their demise, and it’s outside their power stop any of that.”

[Angel]: “God, I hope we can get out of here.”

[Leon]: “I’m sure we will…We can’t give up.”

“The seconds that pass feel more like an eternity. After everything that Leon has had to put up with so far, it feels like he should be actively doing something right now for his two friends. But there’s nothing he can do right now except passively watch as the facility continues to crumble around him, as more chunks of rubble plummet into the abyss beneath the platform, as more support beams fall across the room, as more explosions echo from the mechanisms in the floor and ceiling and walls. Angel had Joshua next to her as she examined the injured arm of his, claiming that once they escape, Steven can fix it up.”

“With nothing to distract him unlike the two lovebirds over their, the adrenaline starts to fade ever so slightly. Leon struggles not to fall back into introspective vulnerability. He can’t let his guard down, not after coming this far. And that means he can’t sink back into his overwhelmed thoughts and emotions. For once he doesn’t want to have a single coherent thought, and he tries to drown his mind in a murky haze every time something coherent starts to come through. It’s difficult. It’s difficult because every coherent thought seems to want to be about Ada and the people he let down. It’s so difficult, and it hurts…”

[Computer]: “Three minutes until detonation.”

“Leon sits down on the concrete and holds his face in his hands. Blocking out the coherency isn’t working. He needs to focus on a coherent thought instead, one that won’t completely wreck him. He thinks about the others, about how they’re alive, He thinks about them getting out of here alive. There’s a light in all this, even if it seems so small and dim relative to the vast void.”

“He’s going to keep needing distractions after all this is over. Aren’t pets supposed to be good for the heart? Maybe he should get a dog after this. Maybe a cat.”

“…Ada seemed more like a cat person, honestly…”

“Leon ignores the burning behind his eyes. Maybe a cat or a dog isn’t such a good idea. Too much responsibility. Maybe he should get a fish. Still too much? A houseplant?”

“…You couldn’t keep Ada alive, and you couldn’t save Marvin and Ben. What makes you think you could keep your friends and a houseplant alive…?”

“Leon’s thoughts don’t stop, but thankfully the platform does. Leon looks up from where he’s tucked his head against his knees when the platform clatters to a halt.”

[Computer]: “You have arrived at the bottom level.”

“Three minutes. They has less than three minutes. Leon pushes all his intrusive thoughts aside and jumps to his feet. Past the platform is a door with a glorious red exit sign, and it seems that they’re going to make it out of here after all. A large crowd of zombies hobbles around on the other side of the open door, stumbling into the room once Leon steps off the platform. Leon reaches into his pocket and grabs a grenade, then tosses it into the horde. The zombies go flying to the sides, certainly not killing them, but at least tearing off a few appendages and knocking them out of the way so that Leon, Angel and Joshua can slip past. He doesn’t have time to kill them, there are too many at once.”

“Angel kicks away the hand of one of the zombies and emerges on a large boarding platform. Unfortunately, there is no train in sight. Did their friends already depart on it? It would make sense. But are they too late? A steel beam falls from the ceiling and lands to Leon’s left, nearly crushing him.”

[Leon]: *Yelps* “Shit!”

[Computer]: “Two minutes until detonation.”

[Joshua]: *Groans* “Fucking hell! Where’s the train?!”

“Leon is on the brink of giving up. What are they supposed to do, escape by foot through the train tunnel? There’s no way they’ll make it out in time, especially with the inevitably sharp incline required to get back to the surface of the city. More chunks of concrete fall from the ceiling and land disconcertingly close. The zombies are pushing themselves to their feet and shuffling closer, their moans filling the air behind him.”

“But Angel pointed and then there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s literal rather than proverbial. Leon’s attention perks at the sight of headlights emerging from the right tunnel, and much to his surprise, the train emerges into the room. They were not too late. They were just early.”

“Unfortunately, the train doesn’t show any signs of stopping to pick up passengers, simply hurtling into the left tunnel at accelerating speeds.”

[Leon]: “We’re going to have to jump on!”

[Joshua]: “What?! No way!”

“It certainly isn’t safe, but it’s a lot more dangerous to stick around NEST, so Joshua doesn’t have much of a choice.”

“Leon gets a running start as he scans the train for anything he might be able to latch onto. He nearly falls over as more debris hits the ground around him and another explosion sounds behind him. In a bout of desperation fuelled completely by adrenaline and defiance, Leon’s foot pushes off the edge of the platform, and he hurls himself toward the train with outstretched arms, eyes locked on a metal bar. His hand latches onto the metal, leaving him hanging against the side of the train.”

“It’s extremely difficult to keep his grip with all the shaking going on, but he knows that he’ll be crushed against the tracks if he lets go, so as best as he could, he managed to get on board. Angel helps Joshua with a boost, as the Fighter was luckily able to jump on with Leon. And with a grunt of determined exertion, Angel grabs the bar with both hands and heaves her bodyweight up. Her feet touch solid ground, and she swings himself between the cars just before the train reaches the left tunnel, leaving behind the collapsing facility once and for all.”

“Angel and Joshua embrace each other in a hug, laughing with joy as they were finally able to get out of NEST and live.”

[Joshua]: “Fuck yeah! Take that to whoever said we were done for!”

[Angel]: “I don’t think anybody said it, but we’re here now!”

“However, Leon doesn’t move for several seconds. He simply sits on the floor with his back against the wall of the train car, his chest heaving. He doesn’t even pay any mind to the fact that he’s still crying. All he can focus on is the sudden relief of being safe and having the opportunity to just sit, to let his body go completely limp, to finally rest. He realises what’s in his hand, and sees that it was the wristband Ada had on her wrist. It seemed to have slipped from her and got stuck with the rookie ever since. It hurt that he’d have something left to remember her by. And it hurt that she had hurt him…”

[Leon]: *Mumbles* “Can’t believe I still miss her…”

*Thinking* “Ada…I just wish things had been different, but I now know what happens now. It’s time to stop playing rookie, and start acting serious…I’m going to miss you, but I hope one day, we’ll meet each other again. Goodbye, Ada.”

“Focusing on getting inside, Angel enters into the car door. Looking right in front of them was Kronos, Dema, Steven, Sherry, Coana, Claire, and X. They were alive, and they managed to escape too. Leon of course flinched as he thought his friend spotted danger, but a wave of relief fell on his face as he saw who was there.”

[Claire]: “Leon!”

[Leon]: “Claire!”

“Leon pushes himself to his feet, trying his best to put on a somewhat genuine smile. He’s almost afraid to believe that what he’s seeing is real, because everyone here being alive seems too good to be true after everything else has gone so horribly wrong. He felt as X pulled him into a gentle hug, trying not to crush the rookie, making Leon laugh. He was trying to hug X back despite the uncomfortable hug he was receiving, but he was worried about the Tyrant too. So it’s better then never.”

[Leon]: *Laughs* “Hey big guy…Sorry I spooked you back there.”

”Coana hugged Angel as he was glad she was okay, she noticed how Sherry was fully standing. Being along with Claire, Angel rubbed Sherry’s hair as the young girl giggled, with a smile on the Warrior’s face.”

[Angel]: “Welcome back to the land of the living kid, how you feeling?”

[Sherry]: “Feeling better. Steven fixed me.”

[Joshua]: *Chibi Mode* “Cool, you don’t mind if he fixes ‘me’ up too, kiddo?”

“Claire is cut off when the train gives a violent shake, and Leon has to grab onto the railing to keep his balance. As everyone else did the same.”

[Dema]: “What was that?!”

[Sherry]: “…Is it a monster?!”

“Kronos turns and looks along the exterior of the train, but he can’t see anything out of the ordinary. He hopes that it was just something in the track, or maybe something that fell from the ceiling of the tunnel and hit one of the train cars further down. He’d thought that boarding the train would be the end of this nightmare, and he really hopes he wasn’t wrong.”

[Kronos]: “I’m going to investigate.”

[Leon]: “I’ll help.”

[Kronos]: “No, I don’t want you all in anymore danger. You stay back here with the children.”

[Steven]: “Are you sure you’ll be alright on this one?”

[Kronos]: “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we? I want you all to rest after the fights you’ve put up with.”

“Leon looks Kronos over. He looks to be in much better shape than him, no major injuries like his many gunshots and gashes. He also has a that rocket launcher that is probably much more competent than any of the weaponry he’s amassed throughout his journey.”

[Claire]: “I’ll back Kronos up if anything happens.”

[Leon]: “…Alright, just…Be careful. Both of you.”

“Claire gives a confident nod, then turns and disappears through the door with Kronos to the next car. Leon sighs and leans against the wall with an evident tenseness. He turns to look at X, who has propped himself next to the rookie. Angel was sitting beside Joshua as he was getting healed by Steven. Leon couldn’t help but give a little disgusted look as he found out that the healing ability was…Steven’s spit.”

[Leon]: “Is that the healing power??”

[Steven]: “It’s also my tears. But there are limits to most of my powers, just wish I could’ve told you sooner.”

[Leon]: “I think I preferred the stitches in my shoulder than that.”

[Joshua]: “Really? You were kicking and screaming like a girl over that!”

[Leon]: *Blushes* “No I didn’t!”

“As they were all laughing at their conversation, the train shakes so violently that it nearly knocks Leon down from where he was sitting. The gunshots and the explosions came next, but they are now joined by an incredibly loud roaring and shrieking that sounds like it is coming from something very, very big and very, very angry. They jump forward and runs into the next car. Everyone catches just as the doors to the following car open, and they skid to a halt at the horrifying sight that greets them…The car has been completely destroyed, the top and sides busted apart and the wheels sparking as they teeter dangerously off the tracks…The perpetrator of the damage is a disgusting mass of flesh and eyes and limbs and tentacles, and Leon recognises that same golden eye in the center of the mass as the one on William. He should have known the infected scientist would get up again, but he would never have expected it to be in a form like this.”

“The creature slams a flailing appendage against the side of the car, sending it rocking violently to the side. Claire and Kronos tries to keep their balance but just gets thrown against the wall. Leon feels Sherry tightly grip his arm. The creature throws its entire weight against the other side of the car, sending Claire to the ground and knocking her into the wall. Dema carefully helps Claire back over, leaving her next to Coana and Angel. If it keeps this up, the entire train is going to fall apart. Leon shakes himself from Sherry’s death grip and kneels down to the coupling connecting the cars.”

[Leon]: *Yells* “We gotta lose that car!”

“Leon calls, hoping to get the message across that Kronos, who was still standing, needs to get the hell out of there. Joshua pulls away the paneling and tosses it along the exterior of the train, and that’s when he realises that there’s a massive blaze of fire rushing along the tunnel, the NEST facility self-destructing behind them. If this creature keeps weighing them down, they’re all going to be engulfed in the explosion.”

[Joshua]: “Shit, we need to stop this, NOW!”

“Joshua frantically starts to kick at the lever to release the car, glancing up at Kronos with the others as he does so. He’s struggling to approach the danger, as the creature screeches at her and bares the jagged teeth encircling its hideous eye. He needs to move now…Or him and his friends- no, his family, are going to get lost in the explosion too. They watch as the Leader wraps his hands around a broken pipe, then pushes himself to the right position, and jabs it viciously into the eye of the monstrosity…Familiarly disgusting yellow pus erupts from the wound as Kronos pushes the pipe in deeper and deeper, twisting it and angling it for the greatest damage.”

[Kronos]: *Glares* “GO TO HELL, AND TAKE YOUR LIFE’S WORK WITH YOU!!!”

“It screams and writhes as Kronos finally pulls the pipe back out, the force knocking him onto the ground. More fluids gush out of the wound as the creature throws itself back and forth in agony. To everyone’s horror, the train car starts to drift away, Kronos simply crawling with desperation to get to safety… “Give me your hand!” Claire yells as she reaches out to him. He reaches back, but his fingers fall just short of hers, and the pace at which the car is drifting starts to pick up. With every last ounce of energy he’s got left, Kronos pushes himself from the ground and leaps for the train car. Claire’s chest tightens when it becomes clear that he is definitely not going to clear the jump with that trajectory, and she or the others will just fall overboard if they even attempt to catch Kronos.”

[Claire]: “Kronos! N-”

“Claire chokes as she’s suddenly pulled through the doors by her shirt and thrown back into the car with the others, the unexpectedness of the movement causing her to lose her balance and crash to the floor. She pushes himself up onto his elbows with horror and confusion, only Claire’s entire brain to shut down at the scene that greets her and the team. The car containing William falls away and disappears into the flames with one last inhuman screech. But Kronos isn’t engulfed with him…”

“He’s being held by X.”

“X caught Kronos. X came to the rescue and grabbed the Leader just in the brink of disaster. Pulling him inside carefully and gently, X let Kronos collapse on his knees out of exhaustion. Every member of the Guardians Of Freedom hugged him in happiness and relief…Some of them might have been crying whilst they were at it. Claire, Leon and Sherry looked at X as he looked back. The rookie was more surprised as X had managed to show a small smile as a sign of saying you’re welcome. Everyone’s eyes are suddenly struck by a bright light. They realised that sunlight is streaming in through the windows lining the top of the train car. They could all fell an overwhelming sense of peace. Not seeing sunlight for multiple days straight really took a toll on them all without even realising it.”

”Once the train came to a halt, one by one, they all stepped out. Only for a brief moment, were they standing and basking in the sunlight…And then they all started cheering, Joshua and Angel were once again hugging each other whilst jumping with joy, Sherry and Coana ran around in circles cheerfully as Dema was thanking god for keeping them safe from everything in the end, Claire was cheering, waving her hands around as Leon and Steven were laughing. Kronos was joining along with the laughing, happy to be alive with all his friends. Suddenly, X pulled them all into a hug, they were surprised at first, but at this point, they were on good terms with the Tyrant. Once they calmed down, it was best to start walking down the road.”

[Joshua]: “Shit…I can’t believe we actually escaped that.”

[Dema]: “I think we’re going to need therapy after all this.”

”Kronos looked to see X and Leon, the two were hugging each other as the rookie silently said ‘Thanks, big guy…’. Seeing after everything, it was about time the Leader was going to make a good start on trust again, walking over to the X and Leon.”

[Kronos]: “Hey…X.”

”X looked at Kronos with a bit of a worried look. But it soon faded away as he heard Kronos’ words.”

[Kronos]: “You started off as the same old bioweapon to me…Trying to kill us, being an obstacle in our path, being cold hearted. All the things I can tell from a Tyrant. But then I started to see…Seeing that you never asked for the events to happen. And you protected Leon, then you protected me, and my guardians. And for that, I just want to apologise for my doubts and hostility, and…I thank you, for saving my life.”

“Leon smiles as X nods in approval. Seeing the two fully trust each other was a good start to what’s to come. We then see as they all head down the road together, planning on heading to a motel to rest at.”

”Steven and Dema were discussing on her demon form, as he was really wanting to know about it more without bothering her too much with the questions.”

”Angel was saying she definitely needed a shower after spending all that time in the sewers, whilst Joshua and Coana were playfully agreeing that she smelt of garbage waste and muck. Much to her disappointment, she did at least smile through it.”

”Sherry was being carried in X’s arms, as apparently she was the one who named him ‘Mr X’ to begin with. Leon was along with them, as he wanted to stick with X more since they’re here now.”

”…Claire and Kronos were just behind them all. They were looking at each other with a bit of worry. Because they know, it’s not over yet.”

[Kronos]: “What do you think happens now?”

[Claire]: “…Well. Umbrella still needs to be taken down, at this point, an infected city is enough to draw attention to the government.”

[Kronos]: “Chris is still out there.”

[Claire]: “At least we might know where he’s gone this time…And I was thinking…Since you know him so much-“

[Kronos]: “You want me to help you find him.”

[Claire]: “I know you’ve been wanting to see him again. And I believe Chris would feel the same way about it.”

“Claire was right. That was the whole reason he went to Raccoon City to begin with…He started to worry about not being there for his Guardians if he goes with Claire to look for Chris, but he then realised how much they’ve handled things on their own. They fought against zombies, the survived the unthinkable, they even did so much for him that they deserve a chance to rest and protect their current friends. Kronos looks at Claire with a mile, with his eyes finally having that feeling of hope again.”

[Kronos]: “Well, we better get ready. I believe it’s going to be a long road ahead for the adventure…”

“They continue to walk along with their friends, the road will be long…But they’ve fought hard so far, and together…Umbrella’s not going to stand a chance against The Guardians Of Freedom.”

|———————————|
…THE END…
|———————————|

End Credits Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzS442…

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Here we are, the end of the road for this story…But that doesn’t mean the adventure is over for this, there’s still more stories that take place during the events of Raccoon City, which we will be seeing soon.

Thank you all for reading this story, and for the support! I really appreciate it after everything that’s been going on. I will be making more stories for you all soon, which I am currently having as a vote for the next story.
If I’ve done the lower or higher vote first, then don’t worry, just for you guys, I will consider making Q&A for the GOFxRE series in case you guys want to know more on the lore.

You can find the poll of the vote here: www.deviantart.com/tylerrosest…

And again, thank you so much, and I’ll see you on the next story.

[Leon S’ Kennedy, Claire Redfield, William Birkin (G), Mr X (Tyrant), Sherry]>>> Capcom/Resident Evil.
[Kronos, Dema, Joshua J, Angelica Dawn, Coana Bandicoot]>>>TylerroseStorey810. *Me*
[Steven Q’ Universe]>>> Rebecca Sugar/Steven Universe.

Description
[Leon]: “It’s all my fault…I- I should’ve pulled her up. Then she…She-“

“Leon couldn’t help but sob, tears were soaking Claire’s shirt as he buried his head on her shoulder whilst she hugged him. Ada was gone, she died, fell to her death. Nobody would be able to survive a fall like that from the NEST base. First Marvin, then Ben, then Kendo with his daughter, now Ada…So many people Leon couldn’t save or couldn’t help at all. X was there resting his hands on the rookie’s shoulders, soothing him so that he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed with guilt and grief. But he’s not the only one who’s hurt about all this. A bit Kronos’ mind immediately jumps to everything ‘he’ did wrong, everything he could have done different, every reason that his fault.”

“He should have made his decision to hand over the sample sooner…Maybe then they wouldn’t have still been standing on the bridge as it collapsed. But he didn’t. He didn’t do those things. And it was the fucking worst mistake he’s done. Kronos turns to look at his team, his friends, X even. Seeing on how far they’ve come from this nightmare, there’s no going back…What’s done is done and they need to keep going.”

[Kronos]: “I’m sorry, I should’ve done more for you both. Ada may have betrayed us, but we would’ve been no better if one of us had shot her…For her, We’ll keep going, Leon…Ada death won’t be for nothing, and I can promise that.”

[Leon]: *Sniffles* “…Right, you’re right…I- I just need to keep it together.”

[Claire]: “We’ll be able to progress everything as soon as we’re out of here…Are we almost at the bottom floor?”

[Kronos]: “Just about.”

“Kronos stood corrected as they entered into a monitor room, but they didn’t want to waste any time since there was a countdown. As the whole group hurries through the facility toward the fabled train platform spoken of by the automated voice, the urgency of the situation becomes frighteningly clear. Occasionally some mechanism will explode into a ball of fiery light in the distance. The ground continues to shake beneath everyone’s feet, periodically accented by a much more violent tremor. Debris continues to fall from above.”

“As a service elevator lowers him down a level, Claire groans internally at the sight of an ivy creature sprawled deceptively across the floor, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. She fires another shot from her Anti-B.O.W gun, she knows that they don’t have time for this, and they can’t afford to get attacked again.”

“They don’t wait for the ivy creature to get up, as it immediately starts to writhe around on the ground, it gives X a few seconds to crush it under his foot. The commotion wakes up several more ivies scattered around the walkway, at least if the awful guttural clicking now echoing through the room is anything to go by. Claire continues to douse them in gun blasts in order to have everyone slip past them unharmed. Kronos doesn’t know how they even got here from the east wing, but he doesn’t have time to contemplate the origin of the inconvenience. The last ivy almost grabs him, but Angel slices it in half, causing it to loose its grip and fall to the ground.”

“Taking their time down the ladder wouldn’t work as Dema was still carrying Sherry in her arms, but in a quick moment, X manages to grab and hold onto every single one of the team and jumps from the ladder to the ground since that is faster than taking every last rung. Every second counts. Landing on the ground was thankfully wasn’t too bad, and everyone was still in one piece.”

[Joshua]: *Laughs* “Thanks, X! Onward!”

“X runs along the walkway surprisingly unimpeded and darts into a maintenance hall with everyone still holding onto his trenchcoat or being carefully held in his arms. Almost immediately something explodes to his right, and he raises his elbows to block the resulting debris. The entire hall is on fire, but the Tyrant pushes his way through the heat of the flames, completely ignoring the zombified researcher that attempts to grab his leg, as a way to grab a bite on his human friends, the adrenaline starting to take complete control.”

[Computer]: “Eight minutes until detonation.”

“Shit.”

“More doors, more flaming walkways and maintenance halls. As they continue onward toward another door, Kronos, Claire, Dema (still carrying Sherry), Steven, and Coana jumped off X and made it to the exit door, but for Leon, Joshua and Angel, a large pipe explodes and covers the walkway with flames, blocking their exit. Causing the others to turn around and call out to their friends.”

[Dema]: *Off-Screen* “Guys, hurry!!”

[Angel]: “Damn it, the fire’s too dangerous!”

[Kronos]: *Off-Screen* “Find another way around, there will be tunnels leading to where we’ll go!”

“As the others keep going, our three heroes skid to a halt and look around frantically for another way past. Leon’s almost tempted just to run through the flames and hope he doesn’t catch fire, and if he does, maybe he can stop-drop-and-roll on the other side.”

“He doesn’t have time to decide on a course of action, however, because another explosion from another pipe causes the walkway to suddenly give out entirely. The three of them are overwhelmed by a free fall that is now very real, but it is quickly cut off by the hard impact of their side against the concrete floor below. Joshua yelps in pain as Angel tumbles onto her front side, Leon groans and tries to push himself back up through the pain, determined to keep going. He helps Angel and Joshua up but the Fighter hisses in even more pain.”

[Joshua]: “Fuck, fuck!! I- I think my arm’s broke…!”

[Angel]: “Here, I’ll help you up. Leon, find us another way!”

“His eyes dart upward at the sound of a loud creaking only to find the collapsed panel of the walkway swinging precariously above them. The bolts holding it together snap out of place, and Leon quickly moves all three of them to the side of the wall as the heavy metal platform falls down and slams into the ground right where their heads were just seconds prior.”

[Computer]: “Seven minutes until detonation.”

“Leon looks and stares at the fiery ceiling for a few seconds. It almost feels like they’re supposed to die at this point, like the universe is trying to tell them to give up already. But the universe already did that to Raccoon City and the people so it can go fuck itself in Leon’s own words.”

“Leon leads Angel and Joshua through the nearest door, hoping that they can still find a way to the train platform in the next seven minutes. He enters a large room that at first appears to be a dead end, and his stomach drops. But then he notes a terminal near the far railing, and he realises that this platform is a massive elevator that will take them even lower into the facility, closer to the train. Or, at least, he can hope so.”

|———————————|
…MEANWHILE…
|———————————|

“X shoves his way through the next door and is met by a long balcony in a massive room. If his mental map is still accurate of this lab, the next door should lead to the train control platform. Kronos goes ahead and checks to see if there’s anything to get them out of here. Sure enough, the next door reveals a large chamber with the main train car. His mind is soothed by a sudden relief. This is exactly where he needs to be. Leon, Angel and Joshua will board the train to escape, whether here or at the other boarding platform deeper in the facility. Claire, Dema (Still holding Sherry), Steven, X and Coana enter the room behind him. With the young bandicoot pointing at the train.”

[Coana]: *Points at the train* “Kronos, can we use that?!”

[Kronos]: “Worth a try.”

“Once the door fully opens, they waste no more time and step up into the train car. Dema carefully lays Sherry down on the floor as Steven prepares the medicine. They were lucky to still have it as Joshua gave the samples to the Healer in case something went wrong.”

[Steven]: “Kronos, we need one of the samples. Sherry’s life is on the line.”

“As Kronos pulls out the second G-Virus sample, he rechecks his pocket and feels as if his heart has stopped. The first sample is missing. The sample is missing. THE FIRST SAMPLE OF THE G-VIRUS THEY NEED TO EXPOSE UMBRELLA’S WORK IS MISSING.”

[Kronos]: “Oh no…NO NO NO NO!!”

[Claire]: “What’s wrong?”

[Kronos]: “We’ve only got one sample to save Sherry, I must have dropped the other sample where we were at the bridge, FUCK!!”

“X looks to the door at the sound of the stairs lowering into the floor. Several lights have turned on outside. After a few more seconds, he feels and hears a subtle rumbling as the train platform begins to lower itself to the bottom level of the facility. It looks like the rest of their friends won’t be able to board the train here at this point. X just hopes Leon and his friends goes to the other platform instead. The minutes they have until the place explodes isn’t very long. As the platform slowly lowers, a horrendous screech echoes from somewhere above the chamber, and X tenses. What could that-“

“THUD!”

“The entire train car shakes as something incredibly heavy falls on top of it. Causing everyone to nearly fall over. The sample falls out of Kronos’ hand and just by luck, Dema catches it, giving it to Steven for him to start the vaccine.”

[Dema]: “Whatever’s out there, you take care of it. We’ll save Sherry.”

“Kronos nods and heads out with Claire to investigate the noises, this is followed by the sound of extremely rapid gunshots and more inhuman shrieking.”

“Why can’t you just die!?’ X hears Claire shouting angrily from outside.”

“This sounds like a serious problem, and X feels like he should do something about it. But if chances are anything to go by, X wouldn’t be surprised if the perpetrator of the chaos is that awful G-virus monstrosity that attacked Kronos, Claire and Leon in the west wing, the one called "William". X would be outmatched even in weak health, there’s no way he’ll survive a fight with that thing in the exhausted condition X is in. He’ll just have to hope that the two of them can handle it on their own, and if not…Well, he’ll make sure the monster pays for their deaths, even if it costs X his own life.”

[Steven] *Off-Screen* “Coana, don’t!”

“X panics momentarily as Coana was trying to go out of the train to help his friends. The look on the boy’s face is one of absolute worry for his two friends. X reaches the doorway and bends over to reach for Coana. He looks over his shoulder at him, and tries to leave, but X grabs the young bandicoot before he can dart away.”

[Coana]: “Claire, Kronos, no!!”

“X ignores the protesting and lifts Coana up into the car where he’ll be safer. He squirms in X’s grasp, but he’s so small and weak in comparison to the big guy that he hardly even notices. X of course steps back, and once the door slides shut again, he retreats to his corner at the far end of the car.”

[Dema]: *Off-Screen* “Thank you, X. Coana, please stay with us.”

[Coana]: “No! Kronos needs us to help him and Claire!”

“X sits himself down on the ground, the worried child still in his arms. He’s so shaken by everything going on outside and the giant’s bold approach that Coana’s hardly breathing at this point, his chest just quivering with overwhelmed anxiety. The boy is safe in here, doesn’t he realise that? Perhaps he’s too worked up to realise that X is protecting him, just like Leon was too worked up to realise that X was protecting him back in the sewers.”

“…Comfort Coana. Reassure him like Leon…”

“If that’s the case, then maybe he can try to calm Coana down just like he calmed Leon. Hopefully, the comfort and the muffling of the leather can drown out the shrieking and gunshots outside. He can’t pet her hair because it’s tied up in some fancy bun, and pressing his face against her skin feels too weirdly intimate, something he would only do to Leon. So he just keeps holding her tightly and purring until she inevitably does start to breathe more steadily and stops shaking so hard.”

“This feels wrong. X was not made to comfort people, he was made to kill them. Yet here he is comforting yet another person, a child at that, and he’s good at it. He realises he’s never actually killed anyone in the field besides that prisoner, and he couldn’t even remember how it happened, only that he crushed the man’s skull through the hole he punched in the wall. If X were to kill someone now who didn’t deserve it, he definitely would regret it. Being forced into a weapon to kill wasn’t what he wanted. X always questioned on why they didn’t just get rid of him to begin with since he was found to be ‘defective’.”

”Steven shouted out eureka as he held the vaccine up as a sign of relief for the progress. He carefully move’s Sherry’s head to the side and slowly injected the serum into her veins. X flinched as he saw her body jump from the needle since it would hurt, as he remembers how injections were given to him during the early experiments. The two humans stood over her, and the Tyrant began to see her exposed red veins starting to disappear. Showing that the vaccine was working. Sherry was going to be alright, as she started to slowly open her eyes, rubbing the left one with her hand. She seemed to have slept when turning due to her yawning.”

“Outside, Claire and Kronos weren’t having too much of a problem, depending on how long they can keep up with the fight. What they were battling against was William (or what remained of him at this point) as he had followed them here to come and finish the job, losing his humanity for good and not giving an absolute ounce of regret to it.”

”He attacked them left and right, with only Claire being able to fire her Anti-B.O.W rounds. But at this moment, she was running out of ammo quick. And Kronos jumped on her to move the brunette out of the way of the next attack.”

[Claire]: “Shit, at this rate he’s not going to give up!”

“Suddenly, we see a box containing a rocket launcher slide down and onto the platform. Kronos turns to look at it, and decides to pick it up…Over from a distance at the top floor, we see a mysterious figure in high heels. But we might know who that is judging by the voice.”

[???]: *Off-Screen* “…We’ll call it even”

“We switch back to Coana and X, the young bandicoot has thankfully calmed down, but was slightly worried about his friends. He looked up at X and quietly asked him a question.”

[Coana]: “Are Leon and the others going to be okay…?”

“That’s a question X can’t possibly know the answer to. Maybe the boy is just looking for some reassurance. He provides an affirmative grunt, and Coana seems content with that.”

“Once we cut back to outside again, Claire was holding the rocket launcher in her hand, along with Kronos helping to hold it for her. They could see the mutated bastard was growing agro by the second, and charges towards the two. As the brunette pulled the trigger.”

“The shrieking suddenly escalates from outside the train, as an explosion is heard. X listens closely, hoping that isn’t a bad sign. Thankfully, the rising shriek eventually cuts off abruptly, suggesting that the creature has finally been taken care of. Sure enough, after several seconds have passed, the door to the train car opens with Kronos and Claire pulling themselves up. Kronos’ face is nearly red with a resounding fury as he took X pulling Coana back the wrong way to kill him.”

[Kronos]: “I swear to god, I’ll kill yo-”

“His voice falters when his eyes fall on X and Coana huddled up on the floor at the other end of the train. With him and Claire seeing Sherry finally pushes herself from the floor after Dema and Steven cured her and runs over to greet the two.”

[Sherry]: “Claire!”

Sherry wraps her arms around Claire in a hug. Claire mindlessly returns the embrace, but Kronos was more focused on glancing back and forth between Sherry and X with a look of bewilderment.

[Claire]: “Sherry, you’re…Okay?”

[Sherry]: “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Coana was allowed to go over to Sherry and pull her into an embrace himself. The two children were fully able to keep going and stick as friends.”

[Coana]: “You’re okay!! A- and you’re no longer infected, right?”

[Sherry]: “You saved me, I knew you wouldn’t let me down.”

“With one last nervous glance at X, Kronos turns to the controls and pulls the switch. With all of them finally settling down and preparing to leave. The train’s horn blares as it rumbles to life. With everyone glancing out the window and finds the tunnel starting to slowly move… Implying that the train is moving itself. They just hoped their friends can make it too.”

|———————————|
…MEANWHILE…
|———————————|

“After a quick look around, Leon spots a joint plug that looks like it will fit into the terminal on a nearby desk. He grabs it and rushes onto the platform where Angel amd Joshua were, then over to plug it into the terminal, then pulls the lever. To his relief, the red light on the terminal turns green, and the platform gives a shake as the mechanisms clatter to life. Unfortunately, that mechanism seems to trigger something else, and a massive explosion roars so close to the moving platform that the force nearly knocks the three off their feet.”

“The facility continues to shake, and a chunk of concrete falls from the ceiling and causes a massive support beam to collapse onto the balconies above. Another beam falls and strikes the moving platform just behind them, fear spikes through each of their bodies as they realise that they is stuck on this platform now, that they is at the complete mercy of the facility’s instability, that any second something could fall and crush them, or knock them off the platform, or perhaps break the platform mechanisms and strand all three of them in the middle of the room to simply await their demise, and it’s outside their power stop any of that.”

[Angel]: “God, I hope we can get out of here.”

[Leon]: “I’m sure we will…We can’t give up.”

“The seconds that pass feel more like an eternity. After everything that Leon has had to put up with so far, it feels like he should be actively doing something right now for his two friends. But there’s nothing he can do right now except passively watch as the facility continues to crumble around him, as more chunks of rubble plummet into the abyss beneath the platform, as more support beams fall across the room, as more explosions echo from the mechanisms in the floor and ceiling and walls. Angel had Joshua next to her as she examined the injured arm of his, claiming that once they escape, Steven can fix it up.”

“With nothing to distract him unlike the two lovebirds over their, the adrenaline starts to fade ever so slightly. Leon struggles not to fall back into introspective vulnerability. He can’t let his guard down, not after coming this far. And that means he can’t sink back into his overwhelmed thoughts and emotions. For once he doesn’t want to have a single coherent thought, and he tries to drown his mind in a murky haze every time something coherent starts to come through. It’s difficult. It’s difficult because every coherent thought seems to want to be about Ada and the people he let down. It’s so difficult, and it hurts…”

[Computer]: “Three minutes until detonation.”

“Leon sits down on the concrete and holds his face in his hands. Blocking out the coherency isn’t working. He needs to focus on a coherent thought instead, one that won’t completely wreck him. He thinks about the others, about how they’re alive, He thinks about them getting out of here alive. There’s a light in all this, even if it seems so small and dim relative to the vast void.”

“He’s going to keep needing distractions after all this is over. Aren’t pets supposed to be good for the heart? Maybe he should get a dog after this. Maybe a cat.”

“…Ada seemed more like a cat person, honestly…”

“Leon ignores the burning behind his eyes. Maybe a cat or a dog isn’t such a good idea. Too much responsibility. Maybe he should get a fish. Still too much? A houseplant?”

“…You couldn’t keep Ada alive, and you couldn’t save Marvin and Ben. What makes you think you could keep your friends and a houseplant alive…?”

“Leon’s thoughts don’t stop, but thankfully the platform does. Leon looks up from where he’s tucked his head against his knees when the platform clatters to a halt.”

[Computer]: “You have arrived at the bottom level.”

“Three minutes. They has less than three minutes. Leon pushes all his intrusive thoughts aside and jumps to his feet. Past the platform is a door with a glorious red exit sign, and it seems that they’re going to make it out of here after all. A large crowd of zombies hobbles around on the other side of the open door, stumbling into the room once Leon steps off the platform. Leon reaches into his pocket and grabs a grenade, then tosses it into the horde. The zombies go flying to the sides, certainly not killing them, but at least tearing off a few appendages and knocking them out of the way so that Leon, Angel and Joshua can slip past. He doesn’t have time to kill them, there are too many at once.”

“Angel kicks away the hand of one of the zombies and emerges on a large boarding platform. Unfortunately, there is no train in sight. Did their friends already depart on it? It would make sense. But are they too late? A steel beam falls from the ceiling and lands to Leon’s left, nearly crushing him.”

[Leon]: *Yelps* “Shit!”

[Computer]: “Two minutes until detonation.”

[Joshua]: *Groans* “Fucking hell! Where’s the train?!”

“Leon is on the brink of giving up. What are they supposed to do, escape by foot through the train tunnel? There’s no way they’ll make it out in time, especially with the inevitably sharp incline required to get back to the surface of the city. More chunks of concrete fall from the ceiling and land disconcertingly close. The zombies are pushing themselves to their feet and shuffling closer, their moans filling the air behind him.”

“But Angel pointed and then there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s literal rather than proverbial. Leon’s attention perks at the sight of headlights emerging from the right tunnel, and much to his surprise, the train emerges into the room. They were not too late. They were just early.”

“Unfortunately, the train doesn’t show any signs of stopping to pick up passengers, simply hurtling into the left tunnel at accelerating speeds.”

[Leon]: “We’re going to have to jump on!”

[Joshua]: “What?! No way!”

“It certainly isn’t safe, but it’s a lot more dangerous to stick around NEST, so Joshua doesn’t have much of a choice.”

“Leon gets a running start as he scans the train for anything he might be able to latch onto. He nearly falls over as more debris hits the ground around him and another explosion sounds behind him. In a bout of desperation fuelled completely by adrenaline and defiance, Leon’s foot pushes off the edge of the platform, and he hurls himself toward the train with outstretched arms, eyes locked on a metal bar. His hand latches onto the metal, leaving him hanging against the side of the train.”

“It’s extremely difficult to keep his grip with all the shaking going on, but he knows that he’ll be crushed against the tracks if he lets go, so as best as he could, he managed to get on board. Angel helps Joshua with a boost, as the Fighter was luckily able to jump on with Leon. And with a grunt of determined exertion, Angel grabs the bar with both hands and heaves her bodyweight up. Her feet touch solid ground, and she swings himself between the cars just before the train reaches the left tunnel, leaving behind the collapsing facility once and for all.”

“Angel and Joshua embrace each other in a hug, laughing with joy as they were finally able to get out of NEST and live.”

[Joshua]: “Fuck yeah! Take that to whoever said we were done for!”

[Angel]: “I don’t think anybody said it, but we’re here now!”

“However, Leon doesn’t move for several seconds. He simply sits on the floor with his back against the wall of the train car, his chest heaving. He doesn’t even pay any mind to the fact that he’s still crying. All he can focus on is the sudden relief of being safe and having the opportunity to just sit, to let his body go completely limp, to finally rest. He realises what’s in his hand, and sees that it was the wristband Ada had on her wrist. It seemed to have slipped from her and got stuck with the rookie ever since. It hurt that he’d have something left to remember her by. And it hurt that she had hurt him…”

[Leon]: *Mumbles* “Can’t believe I still miss her…”

*Thinking* “Ada…I just wish things had been different, but I now know what happens now. It’s time to stop playing rookie, and start acting serious…I’m going to miss you, but I hope one day, we’ll meet each other again. Goodbye, Ada.”

“Focusing on getting inside, Angel enters into the car door. Looking right in front of them was Kronos, Dema, Steven, Sherry, Coana, Claire, and X. They were alive, and they managed to escape too. Leon of course flinched as he thought his friend spotted danger, but a wave of relief fell on his face as he saw who was there.”

[Claire]: “Leon!”

[Leon]: “Claire!”

“Leon pushes himself to his feet, trying his best to put on a somewhat genuine smile. He’s almost afraid to believe that what he’s seeing is real, because everyone here being alive seems too good to be true after everything else has gone so horribly wrong. He felt as X pulled him into a gentle hug, trying not to crush the rookie, making Leon laugh. He was trying to hug X back despite the uncomfortable hug he was receiving, but he was worried about the Tyrant too. So it’s better then never.”

[Leon]: *Laughs* “Hey big guy…Sorry I spooked you back there.”

”Coana hugged Angel as he was glad she was okay, she noticed how Sherry was fully standing. Being along with Claire, Angel rubbed Sherry’s hair as the young girl giggled, with a smile on the Warrior’s face.”

[Angel]: “Welcome back to the land of the living kid, how you feeling?”

[Sherry]: “Feeling better. Steven fixed me.”

[Joshua]: *Chibi Mode* “Cool, you don’t mind if he fixes ‘me’ up too, kiddo?”

“Claire is cut off when the train gives a violent shake, and Leon has to grab onto the railing to keep his balance. As everyone else did the same.”

[Dema]: “What was that?!”

[Sherry]: “…Is it a monster?!”

“Kronos turns and looks along the exterior of the train, but he can’t see anything out of the ordinary. He hopes that it was just something in the track, or maybe something that fell from the ceiling of the tunnel and hit one of the train cars further down. He’d thought that boarding the train would be the end of this nightmare, and he really hopes he wasn’t wrong.”

[Kronos]: “I’m going to investigate.”

[Leon]: “I’ll help.”

[Kronos]: “No, I don’t want you all in anymore danger. You stay back here with the children.”

[Steven]: “Are you sure you’ll be alright on this one?”

[Kronos]: “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we? I want you all to rest after the fights you’ve put up with.”

“Leon looks Kronos over. He looks to be in much better shape than him, no major injuries like his many gunshots and gashes. He also has a that rocket launcher that is probably much more competent than any of the weaponry he’s amassed throughout his journey.”

[Claire]: “I’ll back Kronos up if anything happens.”

[Leon]: “…Alright, just…Be careful. Both of you.”

“Claire gives a confident nod, then turns and disappears through the door with Kronos to the next car. Leon sighs and leans against the wall with an evident tenseness. He turns to look at X, who has propped himself next to the rookie. Angel was sitting beside Joshua as he was getting healed by Steven. Leon couldn’t help but give a little disgusted look as he found out that the healing ability was…Steven’s spit.”

[Leon]: “Is that the healing power??”

[Steven]: “It’s also my tears. But there are limits to most of my powers, just wish I could’ve told you sooner.”

[Leon]: “I think I preferred the stitches in my shoulder than that.”

[Joshua]: “Really? You were kicking and screaming like a girl over that!”

[Leon]: *Blushes* “No I didn’t!”

“As they were all laughing at their conversation, the train shakes so violently that it nearly knocks Leon down from where he was sitting. The gunshots and the explosions came next, but they are now joined by an incredibly loud roaring and shrieking that sounds like it is coming from something very, very big and very, very angry. They jump forward and runs into the next car. Everyone catches just as the doors to the following car open, and they skid to a halt at the horrifying sight that greets them…The car has been completely destroyed, the top and sides busted apart and the wheels sparking as they teeter dangerously off the tracks…The perpetrator of the damage is a disgusting mass of flesh and eyes and limbs and tentacles, and Leon recognises that same golden eye in the center of the mass as the one on William. He should have known the infected scientist would get up again, but he would never have expected it to be in a form like this.”

“The creature slams a flailing appendage against the side of the car, sending it rocking violently to the side. Claire and Kronos tries to keep their balance but just gets thrown against the wall. Leon feels Sherry tightly grip his arm. The creature throws its entire weight against the other side of the car, sending Claire to the ground and knocking her into the wall. Dema carefully helps Claire back over, leaving her next to Coana and Angel. If it keeps this up, the entire train is going to fall apart. Leon shakes himself from Sherry’s death grip and kneels down to the coupling connecting the cars.”

[Leon]: *Yells* “We gotta lose that car!”

“Leon calls, hoping to get the message across that Kronos, who was still standing, needs to get the hell out of there. Joshua pulls away the paneling and tosses it along the exterior of the train, and that’s when he realises that there’s a massive blaze of fire rushing along the tunnel, the NEST facility self-destructing behind them. If this creature keeps weighing them down, they’re all going to be engulfed in the explosion.”

[Joshua]: “Shit, we need to stop this, NOW!”

“Joshua frantically starts to kick at the lever to release the car, glancing up at Kronos with the others as he does so. He’s struggling to approach the danger, as the creature screeches at her and bares the jagged teeth encircling its hideous eye. He needs to move now…Or him and his friends- no, his family, are going to get lost in the explosion too. They watch as the Leader wraps his hands around a broken pipe, then pushes himself to the right position, and jabs it viciously into the eye of the monstrosity…Familiarly disgusting yellow pus erupts from the wound as Kronos pushes the pipe in deeper and deeper, twisting it and angling it for the greatest damage.”

[Kronos]: *Glares* “GO TO HELL, AND TAKE YOUR LIFE’S WORK WITH YOU!!!”

“It screams and writhes as Kronos finally pulls the pipe back out, the force knocking him onto the ground. More fluids gush out of the wound as the creature throws itself back and forth in agony. To everyone’s horror, the train car starts to drift away, Kronos simply crawling with desperation to get to safety… “Give me your hand!” Claire yells as she reaches out to him. He reaches back, but his fingers fall just short of hers, and the pace at which the car is drifting starts to pick up. With every last ounce of energy he’s got left, Kronos pushes himself from the ground and leaps for the train car. Claire’s chest tightens when it becomes clear that he is definitely not going to clear the jump with that trajectory, and she or the others will just fall overboard if they even attempt to catch Kronos.”

[Claire]: “Kronos! N-”

“Claire chokes as she’s suddenly pulled through the doors by her shirt and thrown back into the car with the others, the unexpectedness of the movement causing her to lose her balance and crash to the floor. She pushes himself up onto his elbows with horror and confusion, only Claire’s entire brain to shut down at the scene that greets her and the team. The car containing William falls away and disappears into the flames with one last inhuman screech. But Kronos isn’t engulfed with him…”

“He’s being held by X.”

“X caught Kronos. X came to the rescue and grabbed the Leader just in the brink of disaster. Pulling him inside carefully and gently, X let Kronos collapse on his knees out of exhaustion. Every member of the Guardians Of Freedom hugged him in happiness and relief…Some of them might have been crying whilst they were at it. Claire, Leon and Sherry looked at X as he looked back. The rookie was more surprised as X had managed to show a small smile as a sign of saying you’re welcome. Everyone’s eyes are suddenly struck by a bright light. They realised that sunlight is streaming in through the windows lining the top of the train car. They could all fell an overwhelming sense of peace. Not seeing sunlight for multiple days straight really took a toll on them all without even realising it.”

”Once the train came to a halt, one by one, they all stepped out. Only for a brief moment, were they standing and basking in the sunlight…And then they all started cheering, Joshua and Angel were once again hugging each other whilst jumping with joy, Sherry and Coana ran around in circles cheerfully as Dema was thanking god for keeping them safe from everything in the end, Claire was cheering, waving her hands around as Leon and Steven were laughing. Kronos was joining along with the laughing, happy to be alive with all his friends. Suddenly, X pulled them all into a hug, they were surprised at first, but at this point, they were on good terms with the Tyrant. Once they calmed down, it was best to start walking down the road.”

[Joshua]: “Shit…I can’t believe we actually escaped that.”

[Dema]: “I think we’re going to need therapy after all this.”

”Kronos looked to see X and Leon, the two were hugging each other as the rookie silently said ‘Thanks, big guy…’. Seeing after everything, it was about time the Leader was going to make a good start on trust again, walking over to the X and Leon.”

[Kronos]: “Hey…X.”

”X looked at Kronos with a bit of a worried look. But it soon faded away as he heard Kronos’ words.”

[Kronos]: “You started off as the same old bioweapon to me…Trying to kill us, being an obstacle in our path, being cold hearted. All the things I can tell from a Tyrant. But then I started to see…Seeing that you never asked for the events to happen. And you protected Leon, then you protected me, and my guardians. And for that, I just want to apologise for my doubts and hostility, and…I thank you, for saving my life.”

“Leon smiles as X nods in approval. Seeing the two fully trust each other was a good start to what’s to come. We then see as they all head down the road together, planning on heading to a motel to rest at.”

”Steven and Dema were discussing on her demon form, as he was really wanting to know about it more without bothering her too much with the questions.”

”Angel was saying she definitely needed a shower after spending all that time in the sewers, whilst Joshua and Coana were playfully agreeing that she smelt of garbage waste and muck. Much to her disappointment, she did at least smile through it.”

”Sherry was being carried in X’s arms, as apparently she was the one who named him ‘Mr X’ to begin with. Leon was along with them, as he wanted to stick with X more since they’re here now.”

”…Claire and Kronos were just behind them all. They were looking at each other with a bit of worry. Because they know, it’s not over yet.”

[Kronos]: “What do you think happens now?”

[Claire]: “…Well. Umbrella still needs to be taken down, at this point, an infected city is enough to draw attention to the government.”

[Kronos]: “Chris is still out there.”

[Claire]: “At least we might know where he’s gone this time…And I was thinking…Since you know him so much-“

[Kronos]: “You want me to help you find him.”

[Claire]: “I know you’ve been wanting to see him again. And I believe Chris would feel the same way about it.”

“Claire was right. That was the whole reason he went to Raccoon City to begin with…He started to worry about not being there for his Guardians if he goes with Claire to look for Chris, but he then realised how much they’ve handled things on their own. They fought against zombies, the survived the unthinkable, they even did so much for him that they deserve a chance to rest and protect their current friends. Kronos looks at Claire with a mile, with his eyes finally having that feeling of hope again.”

[Kronos]: “Well, we better get ready. I believe it’s going to be a long road ahead for the adventure…”

“They continue to walk along with their friends, the road will be long…But they’ve fought hard so far, and together…Umbrella’s not going to stand a chance against The Guardians Of Freedom.”

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…THE END…
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End Credits Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzS442…

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Here we are, the end of the road for this story…But that doesn’t mean the adventure is over for this, there’s still more stories that take place during the events of Raccoon City, which we will be seeing soon.

Thank you all for reading this story, and for the support! I really appreciate it after everything that’s been going on. I will be making more stories for you all soon, which I am currently having as a vote for the next story.
If I’ve done the lower or higher vote first, then don’t worry, just for you guys, I will consider making Q&A for the GOFxRE series in case you guys want to know more on the lore.

You can find the poll of the vote here: www.deviantart.com/tylerrosest…

And again, thank you so much, and I’ll see you on the next story.

[Leon S’ Kennedy, Claire Redfield, William Birkin (G), Mr X (Tyrant), Sherry]>>> Capcom/Resident Evil.
[Kronos, Dema, Joshua J, Angelica Dawn, Coana Bandicoot]>>>TylerroseStorey810. *Me*
[Steven Q’ Universe]>>> Rebecca Sugar/Steven Universe.