"Well... not quite what I was expecting." Leon murmured under his breath, lowering his gun just a fraction. He remained vigilant, eyes sharp—but the sight before him had caught him off guard. A young woman, dirty and trembling, sat sobbing in the middle of the wilderness. Not exactly what the mission brief had prepared him for.

After days of navigating an unforgiving jungle—fighting through dense terrain, wild predators, and worse—this had to be it.

Her ragged, dirt-stained clothes hung loose on her frame, torn in several places—most of the damage looking eerily self-inflicted. Amid the rips, the faded Umbrella logo clung stubbornly to a sleeve. To say Leon was surprised would be an understatement. The files had described a weapon, a monster capable of annihilation.

This... looked like an innocent.

The girl finally raised her head, eyes locking onto the man standing several feet away. The moment her tear-streaked face met his gaze, she flinched and almost fell from the log she’d been sitting on. Her expression twisted in pure terror.