Sewage dripped down the pipe walls, tapping out a thin rhythm inside the narrow maintenance shaft. Ada moved ahead, the hem of her red dress brushing through standing water, her steps so light they barely disturbed the surface.
Ryan followed, privately impressed. Top-tier operative, no question. Stealth like that would be a perfect-run rating in any game. Can't teach it.
"NEST service corridor entrance is right ahead." Ada stopped and pressed herself flat against the cold metal wall. Her fingertips rapped twice on the heavy blast door, voice barely above a whisper. "Umbrella security system on the other side. I need to crack the access panel. Watch my back."
Ryan raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He reached out and gripped her shoulder.
Ada's whole body went rigid. The suppressed pistol came up on reflex, but she realized his eyes weren't on her at all. He was staring past her shoulder, locked onto the ventilation duct above the blast door.
The Desert Eagle roared.
Two shots punched clean through the metal grille. Two strangled shrieks from inside, then dark green fluid seeped down through the slats. A pair of Hunters, dead where they'd been waiting to ambush.
Ada stood frozen, pistol raised. She hadn't heard a single sound from the vent. Ryan had spotted them anyway, and killed them through solid metal. One shot each.
After a stunned beat, she recovered and, as if refusing to be outdone, produced an odd L-shaped device from somewhere on her person. One sweep over the wall and the hidden wiring and switches lit up on its display. She triggered it, an energy pulse hummed through the door, and the lock mechanism blew apart. She glanced at Ryan with a look that carried a hint of challenge.
Ryan's eyes lit up. Nice gadget. Definitely need to get my hands on one of those.
They were halfway down the corridor, approaching the main control room, when a security door on the side wall flew open.
A woman in a lab coat stumbled out, hair wild, a standard-issue pistol in her shaking hand. Her eyes burned with obsession and something close to madness. The muzzle leveled straight at Ada without a second's hesitation.
Annette Birkin.
Ada brought her own weapon up. "Easy, Doctor. Hand over the G-Virus."
"I know that's what you're here for!" Annette's voice was raw, cracking at the edges. "William turned into that thing because of people like you! I won't let you take the virus out of here!"
Ada's pupils shrank. She started to dodge, but Annette had already squeezed the trigger.
The shot cracked down the open corridor. The bullet tore straight for Ada's chest.
Ada closed her eyes. She'd done the math. At this range, there was nowhere to go.
The pain never came.
A rough hand seized her and wrenched her backward. Then the dull, wet sound of a bullet hitting flesh.
Her eyes snapped open. She was behind Ryan, staring at his back where the round had struck. Her heart clenched.
She'd known people who'd do anything for an advantage. Wesker. Umbrella's board. Every mercenary and handler who'd ever gotten close to her, all of them after intel, leverage, the G-Virus. Nobody had ever stepped in front of a gun for her. Not once. Not without calculating what they'd get in return.
Ryan stood with his back to her, the tactical vest punched inward where the bullet had torn through the outer layer and buried itself in his body.
Annette stared. She hadn't expected anyone to take a bullet for a spy.
Ryan sucked air through his teeth. His back felt like someone had rammed a red-hot iron rod through it, and the pain tore through his whole body. That packed a hell of a punch.
His expression didn't change. He turned, slow and steady, and fixed Annette with a hard look.
"Put the gun down." Quiet voice, but the weight behind it left no room for argument. "I don't want to hurt a mother. Especially not Sherry's mother."
Annette flinched like she'd been slapped. "You... you know Sherry? How is she? What happened to my daughter?"
"She's safe." He took one step forward. Annette backed up instinctively, the gun shaking harder in her grip. "I left her with people I trust. You want to see her alive, put the gun down. Don't do anything stupid. Believe me when I tell you we are not Umbrella."
Her walls crumbled. The pistol clattered to the floor. She slumped against the wall and the tears came all at once, the same words tumbling out over and over: "Sherry's okay... thank God... she's okay..."
Ryan glanced back at Ada, who was still rooted to the spot, and raised an eyebrow. Didn't expect that to short-circuit the world-class spy. Thought she'd seen everything.
He reached over and tapped her shoulder, tone easy, like remarking on a nice afternoon. "You planning to stand there all day? Come on. Samples to grab."
Ada blinked back to herself, dropped her gaze long enough to bury whatever was churning behind her eyes, and when she looked up again the composed operative was back in place. Only her voice gave anything away, a softness she probably didn't notice herself. "...Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Ryan smiled. "We're a temporary alliance. Can't have my teammate catching a stray."
Annette pulled herself together. She looked at the two of them, jaw tight, and hauled herself upright. She picked up the fallen pistol but didn't raise it. Her voice came out sandpaper-rough. "You want the G-Virus? I'll take you there. William hid the original sample in the P-4 test lab. I'm the only one who knows the code." She paused. "But I have a condition. You guarantee I get to see Sherry. Alive."
Ryan nodded. "Deal."