Ashley Graham

Ashley Graham

Graham was victim to an international conspiracy to turn influential American citizens into hosts for a mind-control parasite, Las Plagas, and was rescued in a classified government operation .

Biography

In Autumn 2004 Graham was abducted by Jack Krauser while on her way home from college. The operation was carefully coordinated with the use of an imposter Secret Service detail who feigned engine trouble to move her into a another vehicle and subdued. From there Graham was held captive within a shipping container and smuggled to Spain, where she was escorted to the mountainous region of Valdelobos. Upon arrival, she became a host to the Superior Species Plaga and was kept within a church while it grew within her. The operation was overseen by Los Iluminados, a paramilitary and cult active in Spain which planned to use her as a Manchurian Candidate who could turn Supreme Court Justices, Generals, CEOs and influential Congressmen into puppets of its leader, Osmund Saddler. Information leaks from an unknown source led the US government to investigate Valdelobos, though fears of a mole within their ranks greatly curtailed US-STRATCOM's rescue operation, and Leon S. Kennedy was sent out with a Cuerpo Nacional de Policía detail to confirm her presence in the village.

(Leon and Ashley escape from Ganado.)

Graham was found in the night locked up in the church. Due to stormy weather the rescue helicopter was not cleared for take-off and they were instead advised to hide out until dawn. The two made their way northwards through the village centre and met with Dr. Luis Serra in a cabin where he and Kennedy defended Graham from recapture. It was during their escape that Graham began showing symptoms of Plaga parasitisation by coughing up blood, and was warned she could become a Ganado in the morning if she did not receive urgent medical intervention. After leaving Serra behind, the two were stalked by Bitores Méndez on a cliffside and were lured to an abattoir where he intended to kill Kennedy and return Graham to the church. During the resulting battle, the abattoir caught fire and Graham broke open a window to rescue Kennedy.

(Ashley under the influence of Plagas.)

Coming to the mutual understanding no part of Valdelobos was safe, the two made their way into Salazar Castle, run by Ramón Salazar, 8th Count of Valdelobos who had turned his servants into an enslaved monastic order. On Serra's advice, they continued to travel through in search of the courtyard where he had arranged to give them medication to slow down the Plagas' growth. Serra, however, failed to turn up. Through her Plaga, Saddler took control of Graham and tried to make her kill Kennedy and surrender herself; although unsuccessful, he was able to separate the two behind a castle gate, and Graham, terrified for her life and sanity, hid in a room. Although the two were reunited, this was not for long; within minutes Kennedy was trapped within a cage and Graham forced to walk through an Armadura lair. Although she eventually rescued Kennedy from his cage, Salazar had foreseen this and his Verdugo bodyguard took her away to Salazar's throne room where she was to be forced to drink from a black liquid as part of her ritual initiation. Although Kennedy was able to reach this room, he was dropped down a pit. On orders from Saddler, Krauser was sent out to the castle to recover Graham and take her to their island fortress.

(Leon and Ashley confronts Saddler.)

In the early hours of the morning, Kennedy caught up with Graham and rescued her from her cell, though by this point the two were both showing increasingly worse symptoms of Plaga parasitisation. Having talked with Serra during their separation, Kennedy led Graham around the fortress in search of a lab which had the necessary equipment for an emergency radiation therapy. During their travels, the two were confronted by Saddler himself, who took control of Graham once more and attempted to have her personally shoot Kennedy while he was frozen in place. Graham was narrowly able to save Kennedy's life when she emptied the magazine, and he was given a stay of execution. Graham was taken away to a stone altar where Saddler personally oversaw her increasing takeover by the Plaga hatchling. Despite this, Kennedy was once more able to recover her, and took her to the lab where both were subjected to the radiation therapy.

(Leon and Ashley escape by Jet Ski)

Headed out of the facility in search for a means of escaping the island, Kennedy fought off Saddler at a construction site on the face of a cliff with the help of Ada Wong, Serra's contact. Following Saddler's demise, the two learnt that Wong had placed explosive charges around the facility, and they were given only a few minutes to escape certain death. The two were able to get out of the island on a jetski through underground caverns, and made contact with their government handlers for rescue.