A Passing Thought

"...What the fuck?" she asked herself groggily. She tugged on the handcuffs, panic pushing down her fatigue and forcing her awake. Her voice rang out into the empty room. "Victor! Victor, what the fuck is happening?"

Silence. She sucked in a deep breath.

Only God knew where she was. From the way the room was outfitted, it had to have been a patient's room. Red light flashed slowly from a beacon in the corner of the room.

The emergency lights only meant one thing.

Shit, Victor, what did you do?

June gritted her teeth as she rolled over the side of the bed. Her lethargic body thumped to the ground uselessly and she swore. Victor had completely tangled the handcuffs around the bedframe. She was too exhausted to break them.

If the emergency lights are on, its safe to assume most people in the building are dead, June thought, biting the inside of her cheek. She sat up and tugged the handcuffs hard. The bed was too heavy to move. She looked down. Barefoot, just as she had been when she last talked to Victor. He'd come to her room to speak with her about...Elpis? She was still wearing her oversized t-shirt and jeans, at least. Where the fuck is my phone?

Footsteps echoed outside the room. She snapped her head up, ears straining to listen. Voices. Soft, heading towards her room.

"Hey-- Hey!" June shouted desperately, "Hey! Help me! Help!"

The door knob jiggled. June gasped, "Hello? Who's there?"

A woman's voice resounded from the other side. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Adrenaline rushed through her. A staff member? "Yes! Yes, I'm trapped in here, I can't get out!"

The door shook as if someone was trying to get in. A mans voice echoed out.

"Stand back!"

The door splintered inward with a loud crash. June shied away, hiding her face from the shrapnel.

A woman came barreling in, rushing to her. June paused for a second.

These people weren't clinic staff. June watched them warily.

The woman wore a green flannel and a leather jacket. June shifted away as the woman approached. Her concerned blue eye gaze flickered quickly across June's body, searching for injuries. A man followed close behind her, quickly sweeping the room with a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He was tall, built, and considerably handsome. Not exactly her type, but handsome nonetheless.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked, reaching out to her. When June didn't respond, she smiled gently and said, "My name is Ophelia. I'm with DSO. It's alright now."

Fuck. This is bad. June screwed up her eyebrows in feign confusion. "D--DSO? What the fuck is happening? Where am I?"

The man behind Ophelia watched June like a hawk. He came up close behind Ophelia, protectively looming over the young woman. Interesting. June watched the way he glanced towards Ophelia, how his eyes softened just slightly when she looked back and smiled at him. There's my leverage.

"You're at the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. Do you remember how you got here?" Ophelia asked.

"S--someone kidnapped me," June lied and shook her head, sputtering. "I just woke up here."

Ophelia's kind gaze hardened. "We're getting you out of here. Leon, can you break these cuffs?"

Leon? Like Kennedy? Like Leon Kennedy? June stiffened as he approached. Fuck, this is bad, this is really bad. Leon Kennedy, standing in front of her in the flesh, was the absolute worst case scenario. He knelt in front of her, inspecting the handcuffs. His eyes darted from the cuffs to the dark, black bruises littering her right arm. He said nothing, pulling a hatchet from behind his back.

"Turn away," he rumbled.

June did as she was told, stretching her arms out as far as she could. Ophelia grabbed her shoulder, shielding her from Leon as he struck the handcuff chain. The chain shattered and June fell back. Ophelia steadied her, kneeling down to grab her gently.

"Are you hurt?" Ophelia asked.

June shook her head, glancing at Leon. "I'm fine. I think."

"Let's get you out of here," Ophelia said, taking her by the elbow to guide her out of the room.

Leon's gaze traveled her face, carefully taking an inventory of her person. June recoiled under his piercing gaze. As she reached for the doorknob, the sleeve of her shirt tugged upwards. She looked down. The constellation tattoo on her bicep was clear and visible.

Seconds pass. June quickly analyzed her situation.

Ophelia didn't notice her tattoo. She was a rookie. Still relatively new, probably not as well informed or trained like her senior was. She'd barged into the room without checking for enemies or surveying the area. Her sights had only been set on the poor woman chained to the bed.

She had two firearms and a hatchet attached to her hip.

Leon was also armed in the same manner. He was older, much more experienced and likely knew exactly who she was. Leon did notice her tattoo. His reputation preceded him. June watched his eyes narrow in recognition.

"Ophelia, get back," Leon said suddenly.

As if he had flipped a switch, Ophelia was on guard. The speed at which she flip-flopped from off-guard to defense was stunning. Ophelia spun, pulling the large monster of a gun out of it's holster. June gritted her teeth and grabbed the barrel, shoving it into her mouth.

Ophelia paused for just a second, eyes widening. June took that second and pulled the barrel from her mouth. The palm of her hand came up fast, striking the underside of Ophelia's arm. Her grip loosened-- June wrenched the gun from her and twirled it in her hand. She grabbed a fistful of the back of Ophelia's shirt, yanking the young woman in front of her.

Leon froze, gun raised. He held the same giant barreled gun she had just pressed to the back of Ophelia's head. Must be special issue. Ophelia stood stock still, hands raised cautiously. June pressed her mouth to Ophelia's ear. The young woman arched her back at the contact.

"If you aim to shoot, make sure you kill," June hissed. To Leon, she said, "Drop it, big guy."

"Leon, don't--" Ophelia began.

June quickly checked the gun's chamber and shoved the barrel of the gun into the base of Ophelia's skull. Ophelia shut her mouth.

"Let's be reasonable," Leon said slowly. He gently dropped his gun and pushed it away with his foot.

"Do as I say, unless you want your girlfriend dead."

"He's not my boyfriend," Ophelia said quickly.

June opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it. Then she screwed up her eyebrows.

"If you have to tell me he's not, he definitely should be," she said.

"We're just partners," Leon and Ophelia echoed each other.

June looked at Ophelia in disbelief and then shook her head.

"Really-- Whatever. Get on your knees."

Leon did as he was told, slowly lowering himself to his knees with his hands raised. Despite Ophelia's calm demeanor, June could feel the fear quaking under her skin.

"Sumara--" Leon started.

That name made her nauseous and she shook her head. Too many memories were tied to that name.

"It's June," she quickly corrected him. Leon nodded.

"Alright. June. They told me you died in Racoon City."

"Listen. I'm not in the business of blowing people's heads off," June began, "Let me go and she lives, yeah? My life for hers?"

"That can be arranged. You know Victor Gideon?" Leon asked.

June shook her head. "You're not in any position to get information."

This was not an ideal situation. June was not cut out for combat, and she was presently in a room with two people who had vastly more experience than she did. Neither of them were fully unarmed. All she could do was haggle.

"Grace Ashcroft," June said suddenly. Ophelia stiffened at the name. "Grace is here, somewhere. Keep our meeting between us and you'll find her."

Leon's eyes flickered with recognition. He glanced at Ophelia.

"Where is she? Where is Grace?" Ophelia asked. Her voice was strained.

"I don't know," June admitted, "but you won't find her if I splatter your fucking brains across this floor."

Ophelia gritted her teeth so hard June heard them grinding against each other.

"What do you want?" Leon asked, arms carefully raised above his head.

"I'm going to release her," June tapped the back of Ophelia's head with the barrel of the gun. "You're going to let me walk through that door. You didn't see me, and I didn't see you. Deal?"

Ophelia made a noise of protest. Leon nodded. "Deal--"

A scream erupted from outside. The room shook with the sheer volume of the shriek, an ungodly combination of pain, anger, and agony. The three of them turned to the direction of the sound.

Ophelia threw her head back into June's as hard as she could. June fell back, stumbling on her feet and clutching her broken nose. Two sets of hands made a mad grasp for the large gun. June shoved it towards Ophelia, barrel first, kicking her back into Leon before taking off towards the door.

"Hey!" Ophelia shouted after her. She scrambled to her feet as June raced into the hallway.

June's mind raced. Okay, fuck, where am I-- She sprinted down the hall, bare feet slapping the cold tile loudly. She'd attract every infected in the building if she wasn't careful. Half of her thought perhaps that wasn't the worst idea.

The lobby was just ahead. June burst into the huge foyer. She waited, listening for the sound of footsteps and shouting. Silence greeted her. June slowed her pace, breathing heavily. She pulled Ophelia's smart phone from her pocket.

The phone's screen was locked, but she could see the number pad wear on the screen protector. Doesn't look government issued, but probably has some kind of tracker. That didn't really matter to her. June unlocked the phone and typed one of only two numbers she knew into the phone. If these two fucks get traced, it's their own fault.

June listened to the dial tone as she approached the west wing door.

Victor's deep voice on the other end both enraged and soothed her.

"Darling--"

"Don't 'darling' me, you son of a bitch," June snapped, "Where the fuck are you?"

"I understand that you may be upset--"

"Upset? Upset? Victor, you drugged me and handcuffed me to a bed. I'm fucking pissed, are you kidding me?!"

Adrenaline pumped through her. For once in the years since she'd arrived at the clinic looking for help, June was glad that she couldn't find him. In that moment, she would have killed him. Or died trying.

"I did it to protect you, dear," Victor said. His calm voice remained unwavered by her anger.

Despite her thumping heart, June felt a pang of guilt. Victor's patient tone ate away at her hard exterior. He had a way about him that just made her melt. She gritted her teeth.

"There's DSO agents in the building. Leon Kennedy is here," she said, dropping her voice to a normal level. "I barely got away."

"Interesting. By any chance, was there a young woman with Mr. Kennedy?"

June paused. She looked back at the door she had fled from. Ophelia's worried face flashed through her mind. Why the fuck does he want to know if Ophelia is here? Ophelia had quite the strange reaction when she mentioned Grace's name. When June spoke, her voice shook.

"...No. No, it's just Kennedy."

Victor hmm'd thoughtfully. She heard the rustling of fabric on the other end of the line. "Come to my office immediately. And June--"

"Yes?"

"Do take care."

The line went dead. June closed her eyes, gripping the phone tightly. She wiped the blood from her nose and shoved Ophelia's phone in her pocket. She breathed in once, twice. In her nose and out her mouth. June looked back the way she came once, then pushed through the doors to the west wing.

(-------------------------------)

"She took my fucking phone," Ophelia said exasperatedly, patting her pockets. She ran her hands through her hair. "Shit. Shit!"

"Hey-- Hey, look at me," Leon said, gently grabbing her arms.

Ophelia paused in her mild panic, staring up at him.

"Everything's gonna be fine, okay? We'll find her," Leon reassured her gently, rubbing her arms. "If Grace is here, she probably wouldn't be able to answer you anyway."

Ophelia nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. Leon squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and she sniffed. She gestured to him.

"I didn't hurt you did I? When she pushed me into you?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me."

"Who the fuck is she?" Ophelia asked. She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans.

"Sumara Dean. She's a special grade bioweapon. I guess she's going by 'June' now," Leon said. He peeked into the hallway, watching for infected. "She's been missing for twenty years. Sherry warned me she could be here."

"We should report her, right?"

Leon pursed his lips thoughtfully. Ophelia stepped closer to him, tilting her head at his hesitance.

"For now, let's just focus on looking for Victor and Grace. We can deal with June later."

Ophelia nodded. She picked her gun up off the floor and checked the chamber. It was empty. Relief flooded her and she took a deep breath. Was she actually going to kill me? Did she know it wasn't loaded? Leon's hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. His touch was warm even through his gloves and she leaned into him before realizing what she was doing. Ophelia cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"W--We should go," she said.

"...What the fuck?" she asked herself groggily. She tugged on the handcuffs, panic pushing down her fatigue and forcing her awake. Her voice rang out into the empty room. "Victor! Victor, what the fuck is happening?"

Silence. She sucked in a deep breath.

Only God knew where she was. From the way the room was outfitted, it had to have been a patient's room. Red light flashed slowly from a beacon in the corner of the room.

The emergency lights only meant one thing.

Shit, Victor, what did you do?

June gritted her teeth as she rolled over the side of the bed. Her lethargic body thumped to the ground uselessly and she swore. Victor had completely tangled the handcuffs around the bedframe. She was too exhausted to break them.

If the emergency lights are on, its safe to assume most people in the building are dead, June thought, biting the inside of her cheek. She sat up and tugged the handcuffs hard. The bed was too heavy to move. She looked down. Barefoot, just as she had been when she last talked to Victor. He'd come to her room to speak with her about...Elpis? She was still wearing her oversized t-shirt and jeans, at least. Where the fuck is my phone?

Footsteps echoed outside the room. She snapped her head up, ears straining to listen. Voices. Soft, heading towards her room.

"Hey-- Hey!" June shouted desperately, "Hey! Help me! Help!"

The door knob jiggled. June gasped, "Hello? Who's there?"

A woman's voice resounded from the other side. "Hello? Is anyone in there?"

Adrenaline rushed through her. A staff member? "Yes! Yes, I'm trapped in here, I can't get out!"

The door shook as if someone was trying to get in. A mans voice echoed out.

"Stand back!"

The door splintered inward with a loud crash. June shied away, hiding her face from the shrapnel.

A woman came barreling in, rushing to her. June paused for a second.

These people weren't clinic staff. June watched them warily.

The woman wore a green flannel and a leather jacket. June shifted away as the woman approached. Her concerned blue eye gaze flickered quickly across June's body, searching for injuries. A man followed close behind her, quickly sweeping the room with a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He was tall, built, and considerably handsome. Not exactly her type, but handsome nonetheless.

"Are you okay?" The woman asked, reaching out to her. When June didn't respond, she smiled gently and said, "My name is Ophelia. I'm with DSO. It's alright now."

Fuck. This is bad. June screwed up her eyebrows in feign confusion. "D--DSO? What the fuck is happening? Where am I?"

The man behind Ophelia watched June like a hawk. He came up close behind Ophelia, protectively looming over the young woman. Interesting. June watched the way he glanced towards Ophelia, how his eyes softened just slightly when she looked back and smiled at him. There's my leverage.

"You're at the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center. Do you remember how you got here?" Ophelia asked.

"S--someone kidnapped me," June lied and shook her head, sputtering. "I just woke up here."

Ophelia's kind gaze hardened. "We're getting you out of here. Leon, can you break these cuffs?"

Leon? Like Kennedy? Like Leon Kennedy? June stiffened as he approached. Fuck, this is bad, this is really bad. Leon Kennedy, standing in front of her in the flesh, was the absolute worst case scenario. He knelt in front of her, inspecting the handcuffs. His eyes darted from the cuffs to the dark, black bruises littering her right arm. He said nothing, pulling a hatchet from behind his back.

"Turn away," he rumbled.

June did as she was told, stretching her arms out as far as she could. Ophelia grabbed her shoulder, shielding her from Leon as he struck the handcuff chain. The chain shattered and June fell back. Ophelia steadied her, kneeling down to grab her gently.

"Are you hurt?" Ophelia asked.

June shook her head, glancing at Leon. "I'm fine. I think."

"Let's get you out of here," Ophelia said, taking her by the elbow to guide her out of the room.

Leon's gaze traveled her face, carefully taking an inventory of her person. June recoiled under his piercing gaze. As she reached for the doorknob, the sleeve of her shirt tugged upwards. She looked down. The constellation tattoo on her bicep was clear and visible.

Seconds pass. June quickly analyzed her situation.

Ophelia didn't notice her tattoo. She was a rookie. Still relatively new, probably not as well informed or trained like her senior was. She'd barged into the room without checking for enemies or surveying the area. Her sights had only been set on the poor woman chained to the bed.

She had two firearms and a hatchet attached to her hip.

Leon was also armed in the same manner. He was older, much more experienced and likely knew exactly who she was. Leon did notice her tattoo. His reputation preceded him. June watched his eyes narrow in recognition.

"Ophelia, get back," Leon said suddenly.

As if he had flipped a switch, Ophelia was on guard. The speed at which she flip-flopped from off-guard to defense was stunning. Ophelia spun, pulling the large monster of a gun out of it's holster. June gritted her teeth and grabbed the barrel, shoving it into her mouth.

Ophelia paused for just a second, eyes widening. June took that second and pulled the barrel from her mouth. The palm of her hand came up fast, striking the underside of Ophelia's arm. Her grip loosened-- June wrenched the gun from her and twirled it in her hand. She grabbed a fistful of the back of Ophelia's shirt, yanking the young woman in front of her.

Leon froze, gun raised. He held the same giant barreled gun she had just pressed to the back of Ophelia's head. Must be special issue. Ophelia stood stock still, hands raised cautiously. June pressed her mouth to Ophelia's ear. The young woman arched her back at the contact.

"If you aim to shoot, make sure you kill," June hissed. To Leon, she said, "Drop it, big guy."

"Leon, don't--" Ophelia began.

June quickly checked the gun's chamber and shoved the barrel of the gun into the base of Ophelia's skull. Ophelia shut her mouth.

"Let's be reasonable," Leon said slowly. He gently dropped his gun and pushed it away with his foot.

"Do as I say, unless you want your girlfriend dead."

"He's not my boyfriend," Ophelia said quickly.

June opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it. Then she screwed up her eyebrows.

"If you have to tell me he's not, he definitely should be," she said.

"We're just partners," Leon and Ophelia echoed each other.

June looked at Ophelia in disbelief and then shook her head.

"Really-- Whatever. Get on your knees."

Leon did as he was told, slowly lowering himself to his knees with his hands raised. Despite Ophelia's calm demeanor, June could feel the fear quaking under her skin.

"Sumara--" Leon started.

That name made her nauseous and she shook her head. Too many memories were tied to that name.

"It's June," she quickly corrected him. Leon nodded.

"Alright. June. They told me you died in Racoon City."

"Listen. I'm not in the business of blowing people's heads off," June began, "Let me go and she lives, yeah? My life for hers?"

"That can be arranged. You know Victor Gideon?" Leon asked.

June shook her head. "You're not in any position to get information."

This was not an ideal situation. June was not cut out for combat, and she was presently in a room with two people who had vastly more experience than she did. Neither of them were fully unarmed. All she could do was haggle.

"Grace Ashcroft," June said suddenly. Ophelia stiffened at the name. "Grace is here, somewhere. Keep our meeting between us and you'll find her."

Leon's eyes flickered with recognition. He glanced at Ophelia.

"Where is she? Where is Grace?" Ophelia asked. Her voice was strained.

"I don't know," June admitted, "but you won't find her if I splatter your fucking brains across this floor."

Ophelia gritted her teeth so hard June heard them grinding against each other.

"What do you want?" Leon asked, arms carefully raised above his head.

"I'm going to release her," June tapped the back of Ophelia's head with the barrel of the gun. "You're going to let me walk through that door. You didn't see me, and I didn't see you. Deal?"

Ophelia made a noise of protest. Leon nodded. "Deal--"

A scream erupted from outside. The room shook with the sheer volume of the shriek, an ungodly combination of pain, anger, and agony. The three of them turned to the direction of the sound.

Ophelia threw her head back into June's as hard as she could. June fell back, stumbling on her feet and clutching her broken nose. Two sets of hands made a mad grasp for the large gun. June shoved it towards Ophelia, barrel first, kicking her back into Leon before taking off towards the door.

"Hey!" Ophelia shouted after her. She scrambled to her feet as June raced into the hallway.

June's mind raced. Okay, fuck, where am I-- She sprinted down the hall, bare feet slapping the cold tile loudly. She'd attract every infected in the building if she wasn't careful. Half of her thought perhaps that wasn't the worst idea.

The lobby was just ahead. June burst into the huge foyer. She waited, listening for the sound of footsteps and shouting. Silence greeted her. June slowed her pace, breathing heavily. She pulled Ophelia's smart phone from her pocket.

The phone's screen was locked, but she could see the number pad wear on the screen protector. Doesn't look government issued, but probably has some kind of tracker. That didn't really matter to her. June unlocked the phone and typed one of only two numbers she knew into the phone. If these two fucks get traced, it's their own fault.

June listened to the dial tone as she approached the west wing door.

Victor's deep voice on the other end both enraged and soothed her.

"Darling--"

"Don't 'darling' me, you son of a bitch," June snapped, "Where the fuck are you?"

"I understand that you may be upset--"

"Upset? Upset? Victor, you drugged me and handcuffed me to a bed. I'm fucking pissed, are you kidding me?!"

Adrenaline pumped through her. For once in the years since she'd arrived at the clinic looking for help, June was glad that she couldn't find him. In that moment, she would have killed him. Or died trying.

"I did it to protect you, dear," Victor said. His calm voice remained unwavered by her anger.

Despite her thumping heart, June felt a pang of guilt. Victor's patient tone ate away at her hard exterior. He had a way about him that just made her melt. She gritted her teeth.

"There's DSO agents in the building. Leon Kennedy is here," she said, dropping her voice to a normal level. "I barely got away."

"Interesting. By any chance, was there a young woman with Mr. Kennedy?"

June paused. She looked back at the door she had fled from. Ophelia's worried face flashed through her mind. Why the fuck does he want to know if Ophelia is here? Ophelia had quite the strange reaction when she mentioned Grace's name. When June spoke, her voice shook.

"...No. No, it's just Kennedy."

Victor hmm'd thoughtfully. She heard the rustling of fabric on the other end of the line. "Come to my office immediately. And June--"

"Yes?"

"Do take care."

The line went dead. June closed her eyes, gripping the phone tightly. She wiped the blood from her nose and shoved Ophelia's phone in her pocket. She breathed in once, twice. In her nose and out her mouth. June looked back the way she came once, then pushed through the doors to the west wing.

(-------------------------------)

"She took my fucking phone," Ophelia said exasperatedly, patting her pockets. She ran her hands through her hair. "Shit. Shit!"

"Hey-- Hey, look at me," Leon said, gently grabbing her arms.

Ophelia paused in her mild panic, staring up at him.

"Everything's gonna be fine, okay? We'll find her," Leon reassured her gently, rubbing her arms. "If Grace is here, she probably wouldn't be able to answer you anyway."

Ophelia nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. Leon squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and she sniffed. She gestured to him.

"I didn't hurt you did I? When she pushed me into you?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me."

"Who the fuck is she?" Ophelia asked. She wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans.

"Sumara Dean. She's a special grade bioweapon. I guess she's going by 'June' now," Leon said. He peeked into the hallway, watching for infected. "She's been missing for twenty years. Sherry warned me she could be here."

"We should report her, right?"

Leon pursed his lips thoughtfully. Ophelia stepped closer to him, tilting her head at his hesitance.

"For now, let's just focus on looking for Victor and Grace. We can deal with June later."

Ophelia nodded. She picked her gun up off the floor and checked the chamber. It was empty. Relief flooded her and she took a deep breath. Was she actually going to kill me? Did she know it wasn't loaded? Leon's hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts. His touch was warm even through his gloves and she leaned into him before realizing what she was doing. Ophelia cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"W--We should go," she said.