The Protagonist System

146 A Perilous Choice

I was only a little surprised that I wasn't taken directly through the quarantine zone and instead brought to a nice house. I looked at the scattered pictures around and realized it was Joan's actual house and not a some kind of safe house. Both she and Ted lived there together and I didn't bother asking them about that, since I wasn't stupid. I knew what was going on between them.

I kind of wandered around the living room and looked at different things while they talked about me like I wasn't even there. It was kind of funny that they were arguing about me, not caring that I was right there, then Ted stopped talking and grabbed me by the arm. He practically lifted me as he dragged me down the hall. He pulled my gun out of the back of my pants, shoved me into a room, and he shut the door and locked it.

“Of course I don't mind giving you some privacy! Can you hold my gun for me, too? Thanks for asking, you dick!” I shouted and there was no response. I didn't really expect one, either.

I glanced around the room and didn't bother searching it. It was almost like a den, with a few books on a shelf, a lumpy couch, a couple chairs, and an old style radio. I didn't turn it on in the faint hope that I might hear something as they kept talking. I didn't and went to the chair by the window. I sat down and looked outside, only to see a dreary sky, an overgrown yard, and not much else.

About fifteen minutes later, Joan unlocked the door and gave me a sympathetic look, then she turned on the old radio and sat down on the couch. “We have to wait until nightfall before we can move around safely. Well, relatively safely.” She said and turned to the side and laid down on the couch. She rested on her back and crossed her arms over her chest as she closed her eyes. “You should get some sleep before it's time to go.”

I watched her for several minutes as her chest slowly rose and fell and I couldn't stop my mind from admiring the sight. Despite being an older woman, possibly in her late forties or early fifties, she was surprisingly fit and looked good.

“You're pretty trusting of someone you literally only met an hour ago.” I commented.

Joan made a scoff sound and didn't open her eyes to look at me. “Trust you? I don't think so. That's why Ted disarmed you.”

“To keep you safe?” I asked, my eyes staying on her chest for no reason. Yes, no reason whatsoever. Damn my teenage hormones and my propensity for smart experienced women.

“To keep you safe.” Joan corrected me. She took in a huge breath and let it out, giving me a little more to look at and admire.

“I hope you realize that I don't need a weapon to be dangerous.” I said in a soft tone of voice.

“Hmm.” Joan whispered. “Neither do I.”

I took out my wand and cast the sleep spell on her, making her fall deep asleep and she started snoring. “It sure helps, though.”

I had to spend several minutes in silence as I looked into my inventory at my potions. I was sure I had a particular vial unlocked recently and... there it is. I pulled it out and admired the clear liquid truth inside.

“Let's see what you are all about, shall we?” I asked and applied three drops of viritaserum to her tongue and used the Ennervate spell to wake her up. “What's your name?”

“Joan Miller.” Joan said, her eyes glassy.

“What is it that you do and why do you do it?” I asked.

“I'm a smuggler. I smuggle everything from contraband to weapons to drugs.” Joan answered, her tone flat. “I do it to find some kind of meaning in my life and to get revenge on the military after a soldier killed my little boy thirty years ago.”

I held in my sigh at hearing that. With my luck the way it was, she will probably start associating me with him. I had to ask to make sure. “Why did you accept smuggling me out of the containment zone?”

“I didn't want to at first, then I saw you. You look just like my son before he died, except for the hair color. His was dirty blonde and yours is brown.”

Fuck. I thought and sighed. “Why did we come here to your house instead of leaving right away?”

“You're close to the same age as my son and I wanted to get closer to you before I have to hand you over to those criminals or the soldiers who are also criminals.” Joan answered.

“Why did you say it like that?” I asked, curious.

“I wanted to warn you that everyone is a criminal. You, me, Ted, Merle, the patrols, the homeless people on the street, everyone.” Joan said. “The smarter you are, the longer you'll live.”

I wasn't sure what to say to that and had to think of what else to ask. I had to smile when I thought of something. “Tell me all about smuggling, your contacts, and the world we live in.”

Joan opened her mouth and started talking. I took out a water bottle and drank some, then shared it with her. She drank eagerly between sentences and didn't stop talking. She had a lot to say and had a personal opinion about everything, apparently.

*

Joan woke up when it was dark out and her throat felt a little sore, as if she had been talking constantly. She saw a full water bottle held out to her and she barely glanced at the young man holding it before she grabbed it and eagerly guzzled most of it down.

“You were mumbling in your sleep.” Eli said with a smile and handed her an MRE.

Joan didn't even look at the writing on it and tore it open to add the last of the water from the bottle. She let it set for several seconds and then dug into it with her fingers without caring how messy it was.

“Chicken Surprise is my favorite, too.” Eli said and picked up his own MRE and started eating it with a spoon. “Surprise! It's not chicken.”

Joan barked a laugh at the joke before she could stop herself. Why was she starting to like the kid? They only just met. Her gaze went to his combed dark brown hair before they dropped to lock onto his eyes. They seemed to be a piercing blue that made her think of a deep blue sky and she suddenly wanted to just float away on a cloud and never worry about anything ever again.

Eli dropped his eyes from hers and Joan blinked her own. She had surprised herself with those thoughts that were so unlike her normal thoughts about just getting through her day and surviving. What was wrong with her? It wasn't like she had never seen another boy during the last few years. Why was being around this one making her think such weird thoughts?

“The radio played background music for most of the time you were on the couch.” Eli said when his ration pack was empty.

“Most of the time?” Joan asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it. She didn't notice the spoon disappearing as Eli tossed the package into the trash.

“Yeah, it was weird. Why would they suddenly play George Micheal's Wake Me Up Before You Go Go?” Eli asked with a confused look on his face.

Joan barely stopped herself from gasping. It had been an emergency code warning her that her delivery contact was in danger and was calling for help. There wasn't much she could do about it now, since she had been asleep for almost six hours and it was too late. As if Eli knew what she was thinking, he gave her a sad smile and didn't say anything.

The door to the room was unlocked and Ted threw it open and rushed inside. “We have to go. Now.”

Joan nodded and motioned to me. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulders, securing it in place across my chest. She gave me a brief smile and rushed out of the room to get ready herself.

“I want my gun back.” Eli said to Ted.

The older man gave him a pointed look. “You couldn't stop me from taking it the first time. Why would I give it back? So you can lose it again?”

Eli's face went blank and he didn't say anything else.

Ted felt a shiver at the calm look he recognized. It was the look of a killer. He knew then that taking the gun from the kid was the right choice, because he did not want a gun he didn't control pointed at his back, or his head. The scene with the two Fireflies being shot ran though his head.

“I'm ready, let's go.” Joan said from the doorway. “Ted, lead the way.”

Ted stared at the kid for another few moments, as if trying to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, then he turned around and took a single step. That was as far as he went, because he felt a small foot kick his knee from behind and he dropped to the floor, then he was tackled.

A tiny fist slammed into his face, once, twice, and it rattled him a lot more than a tiny fist should have. Ted couldn't react when he felt several things being taken from him.

“Thanks for the advice and letting me take my gun back, asshole.” Eli said and lightly kicked Ted's privates, making the man hiss and cup his balls.

“Eli!” Joan finally gasped. “What are you doing?”

“Showing restraint.” Eli said and stepped back, then he kicked Ted's boot. “Come on, get up. I'm not stupid enough to incapacitate you with a crotch shot. That was just a warning tap.”

Ted knew he was right and didn't want to admit it. He had been completely at the kid's mercy and he couldn't do anything to change that. He also knew that he had gotten away lightly. If Eli's kicks were only as strong as his punches, and Ted knew they were much stronger than that, then he wouldn't have been able to breathe if he was kicked in the balls, let alone walk afterwards.

Joan gave Ted a hand and helped him stand up. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” Ted said and didn't turn around to look at the kid. He did not want to see his gun tucked into the kid's belt or something and he really didn't want to see his smug face.

Joan obviously didn't believe Ted was fine and held a hand out to Eli. She wagged her fingers at him and the boy let out a long drawn out sigh that most teenagers used at one point or another. The boy handed over the gun and the ejected magazine to her and she gave him a kind smile that Ted had never seen on her face before. She put the magazine back into place in the gun's handle, checked the safety, and handed the loaded gun back to Ted.

“Eyes always out front, yeah?” Joan asked and her smile went back to her normal fake one.

“Yeah.” Ted said and walked out of the room as he tucked the gun back where it belonged.

“You next, Eli. I can't let you out of my sight for even a minute, apparently. Stay close.” Joan commanded and motioned to her partner's back.

“Fine.” Eli said and followed Ted, staying close but not close enough to be in the way.

Ted appreciated that and that Joan was still going to watch his back like always, even after he had screwed up and let a kid take him down like that. A kid. A stupid kid had easily brought him down and could have killed him. If Eli had any kind of weapon on him, it would have been game over.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Eli asked.

“Quiet.” Ted said and led them through several alleyways, carefully avoided the night patrols, and brought them to an old Brownstone townhouse. They entered through the back door and went down into the basement, where Ted moved what looked like a piece of solid brick wall and it was only a nicely painted piece of plywood.

“Slick.” Eli whispered.

Ted didn't say anything and ushered Eli and Joan through the opening and pulled the wood back into place. They entered a rough underground tunnel and Joan led them through it all with barely any light to be guided by, which meant she had used this tunnel a lot over the years for smuggling.

Eli had watched Joan the whole time they moved through the tunnel and he was impressed that she would brave the dangers outside the containment zone, just to find contraband to sell to screw over the FEDRA control of the area. She wasn't doing it for the good of the people, or that it was necessary, or because she saw herself as the only thing standing between the government and the people and had to act.

It was because Joan was selfish and vindictive and she wanted the soldiers to suffer as much as she had since they killed her son. It didn't matter that solder had been dead for years, because she wanted to make them all pay dearly for robbing her, so she robbed them instead. It wasn't logical and it wasn't justice. It was just the way it was.

They came out of the tunnel under some specifically arranged debris, part of a wall, part of a subway exit, and a mound of dirt. They reached the constructed wall that was made of even more rubble from wrecked buildings and crossed it through an intentionally dug gap between two sections of the wall.

After crossing the barrier, Joan visibly relaxed and Ted let out a relieved sigh. They shouldn't have, because as soon as the trio stepped around a partially crushed car and a corner of a building, only to run right into an armed soldier that aimed his assault rifle at them.

“Hold it right there!” The armored soldier shouted at them and put his finger on the trigger.

Joan stiffened slightly and then blew out a breath of air. “Petra? Is that you?”

“Joan?” The solder asked and stepped closer. She turned on her flashlight and blinded Joan and Ted with it, ruining their night vision. None of them noticed that Eli had turned his head away and had closed his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Making a supply run, of course.” Joan said, as if they were having a normal conversation. “Petra, I know this looks bad...”

Petra huffs and doesn't lower her assault rifle.

“...but, it's important.” Joan continued. “Look, if you let us go, I can get you more of the good stuff. You know, the good good stuff and not the cut stuff you normally trade for.”

Petra didn't say anything and kept the flashlight in their faces.

“I promise I'll get you as many drugs as I can while I'm out.” Joan said. “You know I'm good for it.”

Petra lowers the flashlight and the assault rifle slightly. “I'm sorry, Joan. Even if you gave me all the drugs you have, it's not worth losing my job and becoming a regular person again.” She said and raised the rifle once more. “Now turn around and get on your knees. I need to test you all for the infection before I call this in.”

Joan sighed with disappointment and did as the soldier asked, even putting her hands on top of her head, then she turned to Ted and nodded.

“Fuck.” Ted whispered and knelt on one knee, then the other. He copied Joan and put his hands on his head, too. It was to stop them from easily attacking and to show that they didn't have any weapons in their hands.

Eli was off to the side and was already kneeling when Petra, Joan, and Ted looked over at him. For some reason, they didn't notice that he hadn't raised his hands.

Petra stepped forward, her assault rifle slung onto her back and she held some kind of device with only one hand as she tested Joan. The device beeped and showed she was clean. Petra mumbled something about extraordinary luck and moved behind Ted. She tested him as well and his results came up clean. When she stepped behind Eli, the situation changed.

*BANG!*

Petra helmet cracked as the bullet passed up through her chin and out through the top of her head. Her body dropped to the ground and Ted started cursing.

“What the fuck did you do that for, Eli?!?” Joan shrieked at him. “She was my contact in the local squad!”

Eli stood up and then knelt by the soldier's body. “I didn't feel like being murdered by a drug addict.” He said and raided her for everything she had in her pockets.

“Stop that! We have to run!” Joan exclaimed and tried to grab Eli's arm to haul him to his feet. “Gunshots echo in the ruins and we have no time for this!”

Eli shrugged her off and quickly stripped the body of the chest armor, the assault weapon, and the equipment belt. The shirt and pants were next and he put them on with quick and deft movements over his own clothes to bulk them up. He stood up with the cracked helmet in his hands.

“You can't seriously think...” Ted started to say.

Eli smirked at him, put the helmet on, and secured the strap. “Let's go, citizens. I'm escorting you through the danger zone for your own safety.”

Joan stared at him like he was crazy and then the radio on the belt clicked to life and she caught her breath.

“Sentry 31, this is Base 12. We heard a gun shot out your way. Do you have anything to report? Over.” A bored female voice asked.

Eli coughed a few times and bent down to fiddle with something, then giggled in a distinctly female voice as he stood up straight and picked up the radio. “This is Sentry 31, patch number 23143. That was me. I saw a Stalker running around and discharged my sidearm to scare them off. I'm at Grid 76 on the west side. Over.”

“Location marked. Proceed to Grid 77 and good hunting. Call in if you need backup. Over.”

“Roger that. It's going to be another long one, I can tell.” Eli said. “Thanks for the check-in and keeping an ear out for me, Base 12. It's appreciated. Sentry 31 over and out.”

“Acknowledged. See you at sign-out before morning chow, Petra. Over and out.” The voice said and the radio stayed silent after that.

Both Ted and Joan stared at Eli and didn't know what to say.

Eli bent down once more and made several cough noises and his voice returned to normal. “Like I told Merle, he was an idiot that didn't let me help, knowing full well that I learned proper procedures at the FEDRA military academy.”

Ted gave him one last pointed look, then he bent down and hefted Petra's body over his shoulder.

Joan opened her mouth to say something, anything, then she sighed and motioned for Eli to follow her. She led him out into the darkness with Ted taking up the rear. They would drop the body off into one of the many pitfalls along the route they needed to take. It would never be found.