Far Cry 5: The Collapse
Chapter 14: Nothing Left Unsaid
Joey had to keep telling herself with every step taken that she couldn't back down now. Finally she reached the top of the stairs and in a few more steps she entered the room that Roger and her now shared for the moment at least.
Opening the door she saw Roger bare chested and looking about to turn in, sitting on the bed picking lint off of the outside of his hat.
'You can keep your mouth shut now and go to straight to bed and nothing will change.' A part of her screamed but her entry into the room had caught Rogers attention and now he saw the serious look she wore.
"What's wrong Joey?" He asked innocently.
"Roger can... can we talk? Honestly?" She said softly as if she spoke any louder even in the supposedly private and sound proofed room that someone, anyone would burst in and stop them.
'Oh boy I think I know what's about to happen now.' Roger thought grimly.
"Ok Joey say what you want. I'll stay quiet until you're done." He replied with a faint smile.
She didn't say anything for a moment as the thundering of her heart seemed deafening in the silence of the room. "Roger we... I... shit. We need to talk about us. Last night we nearly went too far and I'll admit since the day I saw you come back I've been dreading this conversation. With all the problems with the cult before we went after Joseph I could... bury this under the daily grind and paranoia we worked in, God help us if Pratt ever learned about our past relationship."
Roger didn't say anything but shook his head in agreement as that would be a negative turn of events for sure.
"But after talking with Mary May about both what she was feeling about you and my own feelings on having this conversation in light of the fact that right now we have so many bigger things to worry about with the war going on. She convinced me that with how dangerous this war is it would be better for... both of us to have 'Nothing left unsaid' to quote Mary May." Joey said as she squeezed and rubbed her hands tightly together to give her racing tension an outlet as she also started pacing around in front of Roger.
'Here goes everything.' She thought.
"Roger. I still have feelings for you, goddamn it I still love you. I shouldn't, not after so long and after we split like we did but... just the last day or two alone since you rescued me reminded me more than ever why you weren't just my best friend in the world but the man I loved. Now with some more life experience under my belt I'm left questioning if breaking up was really the right idea we thought it was back then. To make matters worse I feel selfish for even feeling like this at time right now. But..." Joey rattled off quickly until her mind couldn't keep up with her mouth.
Out of words to say Joey froze hugging herself tightly as she finally dumped the weight of everything she had been carrying for weeks now.
Roger got up slowly and gently placed both of his hands on her shoulders. Despite her best efforts she couldn't look him in the eye and receive her answer be it good or bad, if anything part of her wished she could just vaporize right then and there.
"Joey look at me. Please?" He said gently.
Finally fighting back tears she looked up into those big cold blue eyes that could normally tear a man apart at will and only saw the soft warmth that she had long since associated with their owner.
"Joey I have spent the last ten years crawling and fighting across the entire world. I have met and fought against and along side a lot of people. I won't lie and say that there weren't other women in my life during that time, but no matter the circumstance of those relationships nothing felt quite right and nothing quite worked. It was like working the bolt on my rifle: another day, another shot, and another spent casing tossed aside without a second thought most of the time. Everyone... be they strong, smart, or just drop dead beautiful, none had the blend I wanted." He said softly now it being his turn to breath deep before dropping his bomb shell.
"You were the bar Joey. No one came close to being the woman you are. The woman I still love. Right or wrong. I didn't... want to tell you this because I fear what is going to happen after the dust settles from this Joey. I expect to be charged with the crimes I have knowingly committed in fighting the cult and will continue to commit until I drag Joseph through the ashes of his flock to a jail cell. For that reason I didn't want to burden you with another relationship knowing that I could drag you down with me and see you hurt. I have to take that responsibility Joey, you of all people know that. But at the same time there is that deadly slim chance I could be wrong. That I will beat my own odds and walk away pretty as a hero of the people and if that's the case I want to be with you again Joey Hudson."
They looked at each other in silence until he finally broke it. "So does this mean we are back together again?"
Joey slowly smiled too overcome with her raging emotions to dare speak immediately. "Yeah. I guess we are back. Older, wiser... maybe, and much more heavily armed."
"So now what?" He asked honestly drawing a blank as his own mind tried desperately to deal with emotions that normally weren't a factor in his day to day life anymore.
Joey reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well you could shut up and kiss me. After that we'll just have to figure everything out again. We did it once so how hard could it be to do again?"
"I like this idea." He said as he bent down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. The world outside of that room at that moment ceased to exist immediately as both of them lost themselves on each others passion.
When they broke for air they both could only smile and laugh as old well worn feelings long since thought buried and dead returned with vengeance.
"You definitely have gotten better at kissing Roger." Joey said as she went in for a second kiss.
"You... should... see what... else I've... learned." He replied in between kisses.
Neither of them were exactly sure how they ended up on the bed still making out like desperate teenagers but one thing was for sure. Sleep was optional that night.
Elsewhere in the Hennbane River region that night...
A young woman of small stature and brown hair dressed in a white laced dress looked through the observation window of one of the many labs that where part of the massive Jessop Conservatory.
She watched one of the scrub wearing chemists look up from the person strapped on to the operation table. The man shook his head in disappointment at the woman.
'Oh dear. Another day goes by and we still haven't found a Saint. Still at least these tests are providing plenty of Angels and Archangels, God knows that the Resistance at the Jail is proving to be stubbornly hard to crack.' The woman thought as she turned away to return to her quarters for some well deserved sleep.
'No matter, one way or another everyone will get tired of the fighting and find peace in the Bliss. Once they know true happiness then they will see the wisdom of 'The Father'. Its all a matter of time.
Even Deputy Rook will come around, all he needs is a moment of clarity to see the truth.'
The horizon over the mountains was beginning to glow with the first signs of the coming daylight. A sweaty and exhausted Joey fell back on to the bed, gasping for breath as she recovered from her exertion.
"I'm sorry Roger, but five rounds is my limit. I haven't even been remotely fucked like that since we were last together." Joey said still gasping for breath.
Roger fell on his side of the bed nearly as exhausted before gaining the strength roll on to his side and drape a massive arm over Joey bringing her back close to him.
"Don't worry I think I only got one more round in me as well. It's been too long since I have been with someone that can actually last longer than five minutes at full throttle."
Joey grinned and laughed softly at the complement before she tucked her face against Rogers chest. The last few hours of passion would be well worth the sleep deprivation later on that morning and even though there were still details they both had to work out like whether or not they were going to keep quiet or go public about their new status and the pros and cons of either choice among others. This felt right and for the moment nothing could hope to change her feelings on that.
At the end of the breakfast rush Marcus gathered his men and the other prominent fighters around his usual table in the Spread Eagle where he had a map of Hope County laid out with more Warhammer 40K miniatures to represent various people and places.
"Ok folks we are just about geared up for the next stage in this damn war. So far based off of our scout teams reports and Nick's aerial observations the closest cult outpost in the area is here at Lornia's Truck Stop." He said using a cleaning rod to point to the map.
"They have at minimum seven people with more when they have Bliss convoys that roll in for fuel. Those convoys gather the harvested Bliss flowers from all over the area and bring them for drying and processing at the conservatory so taking this out post will at least somewhat hinder their production capacity as they would need to refuel all the way at the next closest gas station at McCallough's Garage or up north at Misty River gas."
"Sir what do we know about the local Resistance in the area? Didn't John's bunker have some info on that?" Casey asked as he looked over the map with a experienced eye.
Marcus nodded and pointed with the cleaning rod. "Yep, best that we know they are mostly holding their ground here at the Hope County Jail with smaller pockets in among the mountains. However..."
He pointed to a nearby cluster of buildings on the map. "We need to also immediately take the Sacred Skies Youth Camp. I'm not sure how many of you remember the layout of the camp but right next to the mess hall is a radio tower that the cult shut down at the start of the war. The only reason we know anything besides what we found in John's bunker is because Dutch Roosevelt has managed to use his radio tower to intercept brief bits of Resistance radio traffic when the atmospherics allowed it. We need that tower on so we have solid communications throughout the region."
When no further questions came up he laid out his attack plan. "We will have a two pronged night strike to try and take both places as close to the same time as possible to hopefully limit any counterstrikes made by the cult." He picked up a Ultramarine Centurion and placed it at the Hope County grain elevator and placed a Imperial Guard Chimera and Guardsman just across the bridge from the truck stop.
"The first prong assuming that Doc Ferguson clears Roger for combat is for him to set up with his rifle at the top of the grain elevator and hopefully take out all or at least most of the guards at Lorna's and then the Resistance can immediately move in and dig in." He said moving the Imperial Guard units to the truck stop. He then moved a gold painted Saint Celestine, his own Death Korps Commissar, a Vostroyan Firstborn Commissar, and a pair of Tempestus Scions to the Youth Camp.
"Now myself along with The Grey's, Dmitri, and Deputy Hudson will assault the youth camp by air. We will take a pair of choppers to the old Chan residence and recon the camp. At that point we will have to play it by ear but the main objective remains the same we need to clear out camp and all of its buildings. It's the riskiest of the two operations given how little we do know. All attempts to fly that deep into Faith territory have resulted in heavy AA fire from Lorna's and Nick has flat out refused to fly close to Joseph's statue to flank the camp as he and myself agree that its likely protected by either a lot of machine guns or man portable AA missiles like what we found in the Basáxe Marsh. That will have to be dealt with later. On the subject of air support for the strikes is that depending on the situation on the ground it maybe safe enough for Nick to offer air support but until we know what exactly we are dealing with we can't risk him."
He looked around at the gathered men and women and saw the stern looks from them all. Gone was the fear that had gripped so many when the cult first hit and John loomed greatly over them. Now the people of Fall's End were experienced, confident in the more organized leadership they now had, and of course were more than ready to retake their homeland from the cult by force. Still neither his son nor Joey could be found among those gathered.
'I expected them to come down at least halfway through the briefing. I won't poke that bear right now and just brief them later.' He thought with a inner smile. He wasn't sure what was exactly going on between those two but as the last few days had shown if it was what he thought it was then both of them were clearly far happier for it.
"That does it for the briefing. Now clean your guns, check your mags, zero your sights, and rest up. We will see in the next day or two when exactly the attack will take place and I'll be sure to send word to you all about any changes. We take Faith down and not only gain more fighters and resources but also give us the ability to open a second front against Jacob in the Whitetail region. All we have to do is watch out for each other, be judicious with our resources, and kill every fucking peggie that pops their dirty head up. Also in case if it wasn't obvious if you should see Faith, Jacob, or God willing Joseph in your sights you take that shot! No matter what plans we have if we can wreck the cults leadership it will greatly open them up to internal strife and make them far easier targets for us." He said ending the briefing as they along with himself filed out of the bar to their normal duties.
Mary May spoke up before he left. "When I next see Roger and Joey I'll send them your way Marcus."
He nodded in thanks. They had a plan, now they just had to actually do the work.
It was the first pains of hunger that made Roger stir shortly before noon but even then he was hesitant to leave the bed. Leaving the bed meant ending the peaceful moment he and Joey had made for themselves last night and returning to preparing for the next phase of the war against Eden's Gate.
'At least now you have a better answer to the age old question: "Why do we fight?" beside the usual "For god and country."' He thought as he looked down at a still sleeping Joey.
"You still think really loudly Roger." Joey said muttering into his chest.
"You're the only one that says that Joey. Everyone else complains that they have no idea what is going on in my head. Myself included sometimes." He chuckled.
Joey took a few deep breaths of her lovers scent before speaking again. "We have to get up don't we?"
"Hmm... yep its nearly noon and our prolonged absence will cause a scandal as it is. Of course I don't think I really care what other people think on that front." He said as he ran a finger down Joey's backbone to coax her to get up.
Joey half moaned and half grumbled but got up nonetheless. Still tired but otherwise happier than she had ever been. "So I guess we're 'going public'?"
"Sure, unless you say otherwise." He replied.
"Let's just... be us and anyone that really cares or needs to know will ask and we will tell them the truth." She said after a short pause and flashed him a big toothy smile. "I'm calling the shower first. Don't try to join me now." She then said getting up and walking towards the bathroom teasing him with a sexy cat walk as she did.
He watched Joey's beautiful bare ass sway side to side as she walked away before he shot back. "Joey, I barely fit in that shower as it is let alone with you and more so for any potential 'fun and games'!" She in turn laughed hardily as the shower started.
Having to wait for his turn he laid back down on the bed and couldn't even hope to wipe the grin off of his face.
Mary May looked up as a obviously freshly showered and prim Joey walked down the stairs finally. The two women shared big smiles as Joey took her seat.
"Just so you know Marcus wants to brief you two on the first attack on Faith. I get the feeling he might have suspicions as to where and what you two were up to given your absence this morning." The blonde said as she grabbed them both a can of soda. "So did you have sleep issues last night?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Joey smiled. "Yes. The best kind of sleep issues. Thank you Mary May, you gave me the push I needed to admit everything and it seemed Roger was in the same place. God bless the man who earns your love."
The good news made Mary May feel lighter than she expected. She had done right and it had worked out for everyone.
"Well I expect both of you want lunch so the usual?" She asked.
"Yes please." Replied the Deputy.
A short time later Roger came down the stairs with a notable spring in his step which drew knowing looks from Mary May and Joey at the bar.
"Order up!" Called Casey from his kitchen as Mary May set before the Deputies their usual massive burgers.
"I think I timed that pretty well wouldn't you think?" Mary May said drawing a nod from Joey.
"Thanks Mary May. For not just the meal by the way." He replied as he started working at the burger before him.
"Just trying to do the right thing Roger, that said you just make sure you take care of her or I will run you down with the Windowmaker and make it earn that name." She replied with a evil smile.
Marcus wondered back across the street towards the Spread Eagle hoping to catch his son and Joey as they likely ate lunch.
'They might be willing to skip a meal but two is nigh impossible for those two.' He thought as he pushed open the front door to the bar proper.
Walking in he saw the two people in question chatting with Mary May happily. His own 'father's intuition' told him everything he needed to know, they were back together as he had both expected and hoped for.
'Don't let go this time Roger. God doesn't usually give many second chances.' He thought as Mary May reacted to his presence.
"Well I guess that saves you the trip to find Roger's Dad." Mary May said as she took their dishes.
The two deputies turned to face him as he signaled them over to what had passed as his briefing table.
"Ok you guys I'll give you the 'short short' version. Assuming that you are both cleared for combat by the Doc tomorrow morning, tomorrow night we will start with our opening salvo against the cult. Roger you'll setup shop at the top of the grain elevator from there you should be able to cover almost the entire truck stop so the Resistance fighters don't need to fire a shot at all. Joey you will be joining me and my men along side Dmitri on the riskier of the two strikes at the old Youth Camp. If Roger does his part well then they won't be any the wiser and we can probably call in Nick for air support if needed." He said pointing at their respective miniatures.
Roger nodded in agreement with the plan but Joey was less sure. "Marcus wouldn't you want Roger with you on the riskier plan?"
He smiled, too often people tended not to voice questions until it was too late which was dangerous for this sort of work. Thankfully Joey never had a problem speaking out in general.
"Honestly yes, however with Grace still healing from her gut shot I need my better marksman on the grain elevator. This way we lower the risk towards the less experienced fighters in terms of potential casualties. Its for that reason that I'm taking my next best marksman Dmitri and my own personal force to recon and assault the camp. You Joey will be mainly focused on getting the radio tower up and running and putting that new SPAS to work clearing cabins if needed." He said patiently.
"But I don't know jack about how the radio towers are set up." She said with concern.
"If the tower is still standing then the cult has probably just killed power for the transmitter at the top of the tower. So at worst you have to climb a few ladders and flip a switch." Roger added helpfully.
"That's the current plan. Our results may vary once we get there but you are youngest and fittest person in the group so you get the physically hardest job. Sorry Joey." Marcus said.
Joey smiled slightly. "No problem, just don't ask me to climb the Purple Top towers. I'm not going up those without at least safety gear... and a parachute."
Roger cocked his eyebrow at the last comment. "Do you even know how parachute?"
"Nope but I have a better chance of surviving with a parachute that I don't totally know how to use than falling without one." She said humorously.
"One of these days I need to take you on a tandem jump with me. But getting back to the plan. Once we hold the truck stop I can come up from the main road and give the peggies there, if any remain a second threat to worry about." Roger said turning the conversation back to the mission.
Marcus nodded in agreement. "Works for me but let us know when you are moving in case something goes wrong. That's it for me what are you're guys plans if I may ask?"
Roger knew by how his father had asked the question that he had probably figured out that he and Joey were back together.
'Well not surprising. Still indirect questions get indirect answers.' He thought.
"Well I want to see if my house is still in one piece and after that nothing else besides avoiding the usual man-eating moose and/or high proof moonshine. Joey?" He said turning to his friend.
"No just relax for once like the doctor ordered." She replied.
Accepting their answers Marcus hung around to get his own lunch as the two Deputies made their way out to Rogers truck. The drive to the house was quiet as they passed more teams of Resistance fighters mounting more bodies pulled from the depths of John's bunker.
Roger turned off the main road and in short order saw that somehow his little brick house hadn't been torched at the very least. Once more just as they had done with Joey's house they swept through the little house and its basement finding it as undisturbed as Roger had left it.
He hadn't gotten far in unpacking so the bulk of his things were still in their moving boxes but the essential things like his clothes and mementos had been unpacked.
"Hey Joey, want to see my rock collection?" He called from his bedroom as he finished packing a travel bag with badly needed changes of clothes.
Joey's interest was peaked as she came to the bedroom and took a look at the pigeonhole display that roughly resembled the one back in her childhood bedroom.
"I'm surprised that you even have a collection Roger." She said as he carefully picked up a large hunk of limestone from the shelf.
"Well in my line of work I quickly realized that acting like a Geologist actually got me into a lot of places with far fewer questions than normal. So what better way to throw off border guards then have my own active collection? That said this is the personal collection... and that rock you are holding is one of the special ones." Said pointing at the rock in her hand.
Joey looked at it and besides the Trilobite fossil it looked like a rather old and wind worn hunk of limestone.
"That is from the summit of Everest. I also have a hunk of granite from a outcrop that was just below from where I found that."
Joey's eyes widen. "Everest?! Seriously you... climbed Everest?"
He only smiled at first before answering. "I was in Kyrat helping to rebuild and restructure their government after they booted the dictator that had originally ruled the place. When I had finished my work I was needed for a ultra high priority job in China next door, but the border was still sealed as they came to terms with their neighbors new more pro-US stance. So I had a choice either try to sneak through a ridiculously heavily reinforced check point that even had a high ranking CCP member inspecting the area at that time or go over the mountains manually."
He sat on the bed and offered a spot beside him for Joey to sit as he retold his tale.
"I had spent the last 9 months living and working in the old Royal Palace which sat at about 23,000 ft or so, meaning I was well acclimatised to the altitude. Once I got the call to get to China as fast as I could the locals set me up with everything I needed and took me to the foot of the mountain.
It was just after the start of the monsoon season so the weather on the mountain was frankly at its most dangerous to the point that I wouldn't let the Sherpas come with me lest my climb go wrong. My route was following a that of a 1975 British expedition to climb up the southwest face of the mountain and down a direct Russian route on the north face..."
"Why didn't you take the South Col route like most people do?" Joey interjected.
"The Chinese actively watch that route and the North Col route on their side of the mountain to stop people from doing exactly what I was planning. So anyway my route was mostly pure rock climbing: hammer in a pin, latch on, hammer another pin, latch on to that and pull myself up to repeat the process. I would sleep on a portaledge that even though I would anchor it to the mountain face it constantly rattle with the hurricane force winds that pretty much followed me during the whole ascension. Joey, I have been to Antarctica for extended periods of time and even though that was colder then what it was on Everest, Everest felt much colder."
"Antarctica?" Joey asked once more floored by the revelation.
"One story at a time Joey." He said with a smile. "On the sixth day at a little over 26,000 feet a hunk of falling ice sheared off the bag that was carrying most of my supplemental oxygen and it nearly took me with it. So that left me with two and half bottles for the rest of the trip up and the trip down. I was honestly scared for myself Joey. Better equipped teams of men have died doing what I was doing but still on flip side few people can say that they summited Everest without oxygen. So I pressed on and even wound up climbing up a section that the British originally went around but it gave me a more direct route to the summit."
At this point Roger stopped and dug out his little used cell phone. As expected he still had no signal but he went to his phones gallery app. There he pulled opened a video file and leaned over to show it to Joey.
"This is the video I took when I got to the top of Everest. When you first reach that peak its like landing on a alien world everything looks strange, but then you start to recognize landmarks and places like this little cluster of brown rectangles is Banapur a major village during the Kyrati revolution." He said proudly as the video played.
Joey was enthralled as she watched the video until it stopped.
"Once you start to see the places you know, you start to feel like God watching over the entire world... I don't know how else to describe it. I will admit that I did break OPSEC and leave a rock that I had carved my name and date on but given the weather at the peak if that rock doesn't get blown off or worn away it would be a miracle but I just had to make the attempt. It's moments like that Joey that remind me why I love my job." He looked at the paused screen reliving those moments.
"But Roger why were you in Kyrat in the first place? Why were you needed in China?" Joey asked more out of habit then anything else.
Roger considered her seriously for a moment before answering. "Joey... most people know that I am 'Special Forces' and that I brush shoulders with the CIA. But the whole truth, the truth you must not speak of is that I double as a CIA field agent on top of my job in Delta. I was sent into Kyrat to clean up the mess that Agent Willis. The guy locked in the bunker at the general store by the way. Caused by his poorly thought out actions for the last twenty odd years in the country. The rebels had finally overthrown their dictator and the more progressive elements of the rebellion had then beaten the traditionalists that were pushing for the formation of a communist state.
The problem that I was sent in to solve was that the progressives were planning on turning themselves into a narco-state with the opium trade to bankroll their modernization, but Uncle Sam didn't want that so they sent me to offer a better path."
Joey looked on in utter shock. She had seen little bits on the news about the Kyrati revolution but to hear that Roger had a hand in all that made anything she had done in the last few years seem insignificant.
"Wow..." was all she could manage to say.
"Oh that's not even the half of it Joey. I helped them draft up a US style Constitution and bill of rights, I helped show them how to fund their nation through the use of mining and turning their many dead mines into massive data centers for secure off site data storage, also helped them write the laws so they became a digital Switzerland. A place where you can legally store anything and keep it private, something that is lacking in the western world so they were able to charge a pretty penny and bring massive amounts of income into the country.
Once they had that example they planned out how they would handle things like tourism, what services they would offer and... Joey these people once they had a idea of what they could do they simply took off with their plans for the future. I will say in most respects as it currently stands they are far more libertarian then the US is but its working well for that little nation in the mountains."
He played with his phone for a moment before coming to a picture of him and two Kyraiti women as they gathered around him for the selfie.
"The long haired woman on the left is Amita the woman who originally would have turned the nation into a narco-state in a bid to fund its modernization."
"Isn't she the first President of Kyrat?" Joey asked.
"Yes she is. Dangerously intelligent but slow to come out of the 'Rebel Mindset' until I came along. The girl on the right is Bhadra a local girl that was titled as 'The Tarun Matara' the reincarnation of a ancient goddess and thus was for most of her life pulled between the progressive and traditionalist elements of the rebellion. She eventually was able to play her role as the 'The Tarun Matara' but was the first to be able by law to have a say in whether or not she married as part of the ceremony. Before she would have been forced to marry a 'Chosen Warrior' or the local King back when the country had been a monarchy. She at the start of this year came to the US as a foreign exchange student at Harvard studying law." He said before pausing to add "If that dangerously smart girl doesn't eventually become president I'll eat my hat."
"Roger... just... how did you do all this? You're smart but country building! Not to mention if you are 'Mr. Secret Agent' how did you keep your name out of the media or history books?" Joey asked excitedly.
He laughed briefly at Joey's reaction. "Simple I was the acting Emissary from the US so I wasn't there in a military or intelligence role. I even still have the paperwork signed by Obama making it official. Basically hiding in plain sight."
He got up and grabbed a white rock the size of his fist from the display before switching it for the stone Joey had. She held it up to the light and could see the multicolor glint play across the stone as she realized what she held.
"This is a rough diamond but its fucking huge!" She stated hoping for another story.
Roger smiled again. "As part of my Geologist cover I find specializing in gemstones to be one of the best ways to justify why I keep my possessions locked up, also a quick bride is as easy as offering a guard to keep a uncut ruby or sapphire even if its of questionable quality. That particular diamond I pulled off of a African warlord that was trying to make a deal with North Korea by trading uranium ore for military equipment. Its a blood diamond of course so I doubt I will ever find a diamond cutter willing to touch the thing but its still one of the high points of my collection."
For the next hour they went one by one though his collection, every gemstone be it green emerald, blue sapphire, red ruby, and more each having a tale attached to it representing some seemingly impossible mission he completed.
Finally Joey grew silent. After hearing what Roger had been doing with his life she not only looked back at her seemingly boring life and wondered what she had actually accomplished beside becoming a rural Sheriff's deputy. Then the realization hit her: Why would a world traveler like Roger seemed to have become be doing back in Hope County?
"Roger this is all amazing but how did you get from climbing mountains and looting gemstones to being here? You of all people know that Hope County isn't exactly the most interesting part of the world." She asked inquisitively.
There it was. The question he was dreading since he woke up this morning with Joey in his arms again, but he was too far in to want to deflect at this point.
"As part of the policy for field agents especially with the things that I do, sometimes we are 'placed on ice'. We usually spend a year off duty with no connections to our usual work. We are to get and hold quiet a job and focus on not drawing attention. So no arrests, no speeding tickets, nothing at all that will draw attention to us or leave a paper trail." He said as Joey interrupted.
"I think you screwed up that part or at least Joseph did for you." She added.
"Indeed he did. They do this to make it harder to trace a pattern for a single operative by following whatever particular signature they tend to leave behind. Like most of my targets tend to have half inch holes in their bodies for example." He continued.
"Or being impaled." She added once more.
"Yes that too but that is more about sending specific messages to various groups. Like something out of 'The Godfather'." He said as he sat back down on the bed beside Joey taking her hand in his.
"Joey I won't lie to you. I was expecting to be home for only a year before running off again, that was one of the original things that kept me from wanting to restart what we had, you deserved someone that would stick around and be there for you. Now it seems like such a petty concern when combined with everything else going on but there you have it." He said quietly letting the words linger in the quiet bedroom.
He broke the silence once more to answer the question that he knew that Joey had to be thinking on. "I love my job Joey. I know you said you doubted if breaking up all those years ago was a good idea but I never really had that doubt even after coming home. Since I first entered boot camp, West Point, Jump School, Ranger School, every major point of my career that I picked up some new skill or qualification I felt like I was doing exactly what I wanted, that I was suppose to be there. But since I came home, for the first time Joey I realized what I was missing in my life of adventure. Someone else to share in the adventure." He said ending in a smile.
"I want to show you Joey the mountains of Kyrat, hunt poachers in Kenya, crawl through the forests of Bolivia. Then when we get back to civilization I want to show you the discos of Tel Aviv, the heaviest underground raves in Berlin, the endless seas of neon in Hong Kong, and the alleyway eateries of Shinjuku. I guess this is my Aladdin fantasy talking here but I want to show you the world that my job has allowed me to discover." He said finally.
A small smile that quickly erupted into a wide grin broke across Joey's face as she threw herself at him in a hug that drug them both down on to the bed.
"I want see your world Roger. You lead and I'll be right behind you the whole way. I'll say this though I do want to see all the places I only ever read about, like there is this cave in Vietnam that is so big it has its own environment..." She said excitedly.
"The Son Doong cave..." He said knowingly.
"Yes! I want to see that place and so many more with you." She exclaimed as she kissed and hugged him once more.
They stayed there on the bed in a comfortable embrace until both of their radios went off.
"Deputy do you copy? This is Kim Rye, do you copy?" Kim's stressed laced voice came through.
Instantly the magic of his and Joey's moment was broken as once more the world outside made itself known.
"Yeah Kim I copy, Are you ok?" He replied.
"Oh thank god I think my radio repairs are failing and I can't get Nick on the line. Could I ask you come by my house please? No emergency or anything... yet." She said increasingly breathlessly.
They got up and locked up the house again when Joey broke the silence. "Roger there's only one thing I can think of that would make Kim that desperate to contact us or Nick..."
His eyes went wide at the only logical conclusion. "Oh god I'm a idiot. We need to get to Nick's right the fuck now!"
Racing into the truck Roger started driving like a man possessed as Joey tried to reach Nick on the radio.
"Nick this is Hudson please respond!" She called desperately as Roger bombed down the back roads in between the farms and through the woods at speeds that would be needlessly dangerous at any other time.
In the skies along the Henbane River Nick patrolled watching for any new activity on Faith's side of the river when he radio went off with Hudson damn near yelling for him to pick up.
"Jesus! Joey what is..." he started as the Deputy cut him off. "Nick I think Kim is going into labor. Roger and I are almost to your guys house. I suggest you get your ass back ASAP!"
Nick didn't bother responding as he slammed the planes throttle hard against its stop and put the float plane in a steep dive to pick up as much speed as he possibly could.
'No! No! The baby isn't due for another week!' He thought as he flew a straight course for his home.
The massive black 6x6 broke through the left over peggie roadblock that had shut off the back road before in a shower of wood and scrap metal. With loud protests from the engine and tires alike Roger pushed harder as they pulled into the Rye's airstrip just as Nick was taxiing his plane into the hanger.
Even before the truck came to a stop Joey was already flying out of the truck with Roger soon following. When he entered the living room Joey was already comforting a very uncomfortable Kim Rye.
"Where the fuck is Nick?!" She yelled.
Nick finally came in from the hanger pushing past Roger.
"What's going on... oh god it's real! It's too soon... Nick Jr. isn't due for another week!" he muttered to himself as Kim forcefully took his hand in a painful iron grip.
"The baby is coming like or not now lets get..." She couldn't finish her sentence as she screaming labor pain.
"Roger get the door! Nick help her up!" Joey ordered as she helped the screaming woman to her feet. Roger got the door and then rushed past them to the Rye's 4 door F150 opening the back doors for their precious screaming cargo.
"Nick! Keys Now!" He said grabbed them as they were offered by the pilot.
With the Rye's loaded and Joey in the passenger seat he started the truck and raced on to the main road heading towards Fall's End.
"Head... for the... clinic!" Gasped Kim in between waves of pain.
"Joey call the clinic and let them know we are coming in the last thing we need is for them to shoot us when we race in." He ordered as the pushed the 5.0L V8 of the Ford as hard as it would go.
Up ahead just outside of town short of Jerome's church a tractor was jackknifed across the road effectively blocking the southern road into town.
Roger saw this and started looking for alternative routes but Joey was faster on the ball.
"Go right at the next dirt road it will take us to the Purple Top tower and we can then go left back on to the side road and follow that until it hits the main road again!"
Roger didn't bother responding as he simply did as he was told and skidded on to the little dirt road in a shower of gravel and dirt. In the process of rapidly turning the steering wheel he must have thumbed one of the radio controls as the radio burst forth with the sound of rock music.
"Oh hey driving music!" Nick said before gasping in pain as Kim put more power into her grip on his hand.
They came to the massive Purple Top cell tower and turned to head back towards the paved side road that lead east from Fall's End when a mass of loose pigs chose to run across the road at that time.
"Roger look out! Pigs!" Joey yelled as Kim and Nick joined in the yelling either in pain or terror as Roger only pushed the truck harder.
The half ton lacked both the height and mass of his normal truck but it was still enough toss the pigs that couldn't get away up and over the truck or crush them squealing all the while under the tires. Roger did however clip a particularly large sow that put the truck on its two passenger wheels before he forced the truck back down on all fours.
He looked back in the mirror briefly at the trail of destruction behind him. "Looks like bacon to me."
No one laughed at his half hearted attempt at humor as Nick was focused on trying to debate between him and Kim whose worry was feeding the others.
'So much for relaxing like the doctor ordered.' He thought as he brought them back on to the side road.
Finally things seemed to calm down as they came to the main road that would lead them most of the way to the clinic.
"Ok we are almost there just keep it together Kim." He said trying to be supportive.
"Fuck!" Kim said as she moaned in pain. "Why don't we trade positions and see how you keep it together Mr. Commando!" She shot back.
Roger went back to focusing on driving. "No Ma'am I know better then to do that."
Of course something had to go wrong as they turned on to the main road just before the Green-Busch Fertilizer plant the road was blocked by a truck that was removing pallets of barreled up Bliss.
Roger jerked the wheel to the left driving through the crowded fertilizer plant dodging both man and forklift in a act of sheer driving prowess.
"Hot damn buddy that was some Clutch Nixon level shit!" Nick said before being silenced once more by his wife's grip.
Further down the road right before the final turn to the clinic mother nature provided a double whammy of a blockage as a small landslide had covered part of the on coming lane and a herd of deer frozen at the sudden on coming truck blocked their own lane.
"Why are is there so much stuff blocking the road today?! None of this makes sense!" Kim screamed
"Joey lean out and blast some of those deer!" He said as he tried to pick a path through the herd if Joey failed.
Mentally thanking herself for opting for the folding stock Joey leaned out of the speeding truck and brought her shotgun to bear, rapidly spraying the herd until the mag ran dry. Even at the speed they were closing on the herd at it was still too far for the buckshot loads to do more than at worst wound a deer unless it by some miracle hit something essential. But what wounds that were dealt were enough to get the first deer hit to jump and run causing the rest of the herd to follow clearing the road just heartbeats before they passed.
Joey slipped back in the cab just in time for Roger to power slide his way though the last turn before being on the final stretch before the clinic. All along the sides of the road the men who normally manned the checkpoints leading to the clinic had pulled away their barriers, for once giving the Deputies a few less things to have to dodge as they came to a screaming halt in front of the clinic and a waiting Dr. Ferguson and staff.
Their part finally over as Kim was hauled in screaming in pain with a worried Nick in tow left the two deputies surprisingly mentally and physically exhausted.
"I swear when I have a kid it will not be in the middle of a crisis." Joey said as she and Roger sat on the waiting bench outside the clinic.
"Yeah... I think that would be advised Joey." He said as he looked at the blood and dirt covered front end of the truck they rode in on. The sight brought back pleasant memories of his time in Africa.
"You're smiling Roger. Which means you are up to something usually." Joey said.
He wrapped his right arm around the woman beside him and brought her close so they could talk without fear of being heard by anyone that could be nearby.
"A few years ago I was in Africa taking care of that warlord with the uranium that I yanked that big ass diamond off of. The local guide/mercenary hired to represent the legitimate local government at least what passed for one according to the brass in Langley and the State Department, anyway he hears that I'm not going to be shipped out of the country for nearly three weeks afterwards. So he makes me a offer to help him make some extra money on the side for a noble cause. I get a 50% cut and he gets some competent help for a change.
Turns out that he was collecting on a government bounty on poachers going after Elephants and Rhinos and had gotten word on where a large group of them was planning to camp that night. So he drives his Toyota Hilux while I'm in the back manning this old Soviet ZPU-2 a big 14.5mm heavy machine gun mounted in pairs for anti-aircraft work. This mad ex-SAS spook drove like something out of Mad Max across the savanna running over damn near everything that got in his way I'm talking warthogs, meerkats, and even a pack of hyenas at one point."
"I guess this guy didn't like the Lion King movie. Not enough drive-bys." Joey quipped getting a tired laugh out of both of them.
"Maybe... maybe not I know he had family in England so maybe his kids made him watch that movie too many times. Still he liked to talk and would talk your ear off about how British tax law made it too hard and expensive for a man in his profession to bring his money into the country without jumping through a bunch of legal hoops that all chipped away at his earnings and don't get him started on the EU and its oppressions on its member nations sovereignty. Just don't." He said remembering when another mercenary they had met afterwards was foolish enough to bring it up.
"So what happened to the poachers? Did he run them over?" She asked.
He shook his head no. "That would have been too easy and boring to him. No instead right at dusk when this group of 15 or so men was sitting down to dinner we come bursting out of the bush and I open up on them as he held the truck in this nice constant drift encircling their camp. Even when I thought I had gotten them all he kept yelling at me to keep firing for another minute until I had run through my belt of ammo for both guns. 200 rounds each. So he pulls to a stop and he and I collect their heads and hands to bring back for identification. I ask him about the running out of ammo part when we both heard a click behind us from the truck as the last guy that had been off taking a dump had jumped into our truck and tried to turn the gun against us. He realizes his mistake and runs off and I pop a .50 cal into his back. Apparently for most of the local fighters they will jump for a vehicle weapon first rather than use their rifles as they would rather burn their enemies ammo then their own. Sadly they aren't well versed in heavy weapons most of the time so like this guy they wouldn't even know it was empty."
"So you got paid to aggressively enforce the hunting limit. Maybe you should have gotten a job with the Park Rangers instead of the Sheriff." Joey said with a smile.
He scoffed. "And miss the chance to work with you? Never. Besides I don't think Ranger Clark would approve the bill for ammo or the paperwork I would generate." The thought of the old park ranger damped his mirth a bit. "I hope he and Kornel got away from the cult, they were good people."
"They know their park Roger, if they could have physically gotten away then they could have easily hidden themselves in some dark corner. Also I know Clark taught the survival course all the rangers take personally so he knows his stuff." Joey said comfortingly.
"So I have a question if you are willing to talk about it." He asked cautiously.
"What could you be asking about that has you on pins and needles?" Joey said looking at her friend with a touch of suspicion.
With a deep breath Roger dove in. "How did you earn the nickname 'The Demoness'? I mean I know that you apparently killed three guys before being captured that night but that doesn't seem like its a great accomplishment to earn you a title among the cult. At least I have a three or four figure kill count to justify my title."
"Don't forget you have a televangelist commercial looping right now with you solidifying that title with a headless John Seed to boot." Joey added to buy herself some time.
He nodded but still waited for the answer.
"After I got pulled out of the chopper they took my guns and tried to haul me off into a waiting prison van. I managed to land a kick on one of the guys that had grabbed my legs in the face and throw off the other man." Joey said somberly as she made herself remember that night.
"I remember just running... not sure where I was going or what I was going to do next but the only thing that mattered was getting away from the cult. Then I heard them chase after me. I kept running and I could hear them closing on me no mattered how fast I ran, until finally I heard one of them shout 'There she is!' and of course at that moment I tripped over something in the dark." Joey now hugged her self as she leaned in to Rogers side as she continued.
"I managed to trip over the tail rotor from the chopper so... I picked up one of the blades and when the men chasing me burst out of the brush I swung for the fences as hard as I could. I caught the first guy in the neck and chopped his head right off, then I swung at the next guy and chopped his arm off and then went in a second time to take his head off." She said as Roger chimed in.
"Got to admit I don't think I have ever heard of anyone using a rotor blade as a sword let lone making it work. I respect your creativity under duress." He said getting a small smile from Joey.
"Yeah I'm a regular Red Sonja." She replied.
The reference jogged his memory of the comic book character. "So when do I get to see the chain mail bikini?" He joked.
"When you go full Conan. Leather, fur tights, and everything else." She snapped back.
"Be careful what you wish for because I might just pay that price. But anyway you still have one guy unaccounted for." He said getting her back on track.
The moment of levity made recalling that night somehow easier for Joey as she continued. "Third guy came out and tried to tackle me but only managed to impale himself on my rotor turned sword. The rotor snapped and I was left with only a bit of whatever part I was using as a grip, and before I could turn to run again the rest of the group caught up with me.
Roger I nearly had a dozen guys trying to dog pile me and I still sometimes feel like their hands are all over me. I thought they were going to rape and kill me right then and there when John showed up and ordered them to take me to his bunker, I resisted still so they beat me and kept beating me even after I stopped moving.
I finally was so tired that they had to manually haul me back to the van and to John's bunker where I passed out. Next thing I know I was tased awake by one of the cult preachers and hauled out for that commercial everyone saw. I was still scared that I would either be I don't know... executed on live TV or John would rape me given how handsy he got sometimes. It wasn't until Joseph showed up to some of my sessions seemingly to make sure that John didn't go too far with me that I lost that sense of fear. Mostly."
He hugged Joey a little bit closer remembering his own dark thoughts when he watched John's first message from Dutch's bunker.
"So now that only leaves the question..." He started to ask.
"How I got my nickname among the cult. From what I heard from my guards later on the three guys that I killed were part of Joseph's personal guard. Ex-special forces, something foreign sounding... uh... Sarski groupen or something like that. Really shook up everyone that was there that night and eventually word of my actions got passed around resulting in my 'title'." She answered.
"Särskilda operationsgruppen... Swedish special forces group. Only worked with them twice but they know their craft and produce tough fighters. Not as tough as Delta of course." He said with a touch of humor at the end.
"Is that bias I'm sensing Roger?" Joey asked finally fully smiling since the subject of her nickname was brought up.
He replied with his own smile. "I have no idea what you are going on about Joey."
As the sun set the two friends sat enjoying the peaceful silence of the area around them only broken by the odd sound becoming from the security details working the roadblocks. Not long after darkness had fully descended on the area did the exit of Nick and Kim catch their attention with the latter in a wheelchair holding a pink swaddled baby in her arms.
"Oh wow didn't expect you guys to hang around. But hey that means you get to be the first to meet Carmina!" Nick said softly trying not to wake up the sleeping child and contain his excitement.
"I guess you are going to have to change the family business's name after all Nick." Joey said as she looked on.
"A minor issue." The pilot brushed off.
"Yeah ummm, Roger... Joey? Nick and I where talking and we wanted to ask you two be her godparents should the need arise. With the war going on there is always that chance and we wanted to make sure she would go with people we can trust and expect to survive this." Kim asked flooring the two lawgivers.
"Kim... I... I'm honored but hell I'm literally number one on Joseph's personal hit list wouldn't... I don't know my parents or Pastor Jerome be a better choice then the guy that literally the entire cult is gunning for?" He asked in shock.
Kim's face soured at the sound of Jerome's name. "Your parents are a bit on the old side no offense to all the help they have given us and... for the Pastor... why would or should I entrust my daughter to a man that cares more for the cult then his own people? Judging from his recent actions. You and Joey either as a couple or individually what ever the case might be are easily some of the most reliable and honest people we could think of."
"Ok... I guess I can wrap my head around that." He said as he looked at Joey who nodded in agreement.
"But how did you guys figure out we were a couple again?" Joey then asked.
"Oh that was easy I mean at the Testy Festy you guys looked just like you were back in high school and just gave off that vibe. Then there's the fact that you two seem to be welded together already you know going out hunting killer moose and helping people all together and stuff." Nick said in a matter of fact tone.
Joey turned to him and asked. "Are we the only people who didn't think we were going to get back together again?"
"You're getting that feeling too, Joey?" He replied before smiling. "Well no matter lets get you two and the baby home."
"Actually could you take us to the Spread Eagle its about dinnertime, I'm hungry and want to play the proud mother tonight." Kim asked pleadingly.
Joey was the one who answered for them both. "Of course though I think you and Nick can both safely call yourselves proud full time parents now."
With far greater care then they had when they arrived the group set off into the evening. The trip to Fall's End was thankfully free of whatever malicious forces that had thrown so many obstacles in their path earlier that day. The only event of note was Carmina waking up and making the various noises of a newborn seeing the world for the first time.
Entering the Spread Eagle was something of a special thing to bare witness to as all conversation stopped and someone even stopped the old jukebox that had playing. Soon the whole room was gathering to meet and greet the newest member of the community as many mothers offered advice, clothing, diapers, and various other odds and ends a new parent might need.
Roger looked on the scene with slightly mixed feelings. It was great to see the community celebrate little Carmina's birth but it only served to highlight how many children had been murdered by the cult a little over a week ago. Now every child was more precious then gold in the eyes of the community.
His mother especially had been affectionate with Carmina much to the newborns joy as far as he could tell. Finally after 20 minutes everyone had gotten back to their meals and the music was playing again. He and Joey had been asked to sit with the Ryes at their normal booth for dinner which they both gladly took as they chatted about the strange ride to the clinic and what upgrades and repairs Nick would have to make to his truck once the war was over.
"Well I'm going to hit the restroom if you would excuse me." Nick said as he got up. A moment later Kim grimaced. "Joey could I ask you to hold Carmina? I really need to hit the restroom too."
Surprised Joey agreed and took the squirming and wide eyed little girl into her arms gingerly as Kim gently made her way to the restroom.
"Got to admit Rodger, Nick and Kim did a good job." Joey commented as the child squirmed about cooing all the while her big blue eyes wondered around in order to take in all the new and strange sights.
"Yeah hard to believe Nick's a dad now. Wonder when his sense of humor will change to match his new role?" He replied as Carmina looked at him now.
"Good grief you guys are barely back together and you already have a kid. How did you manage that Joey?" Marcus joked as he and Jessica came over their table.
"Marcus Aurelius Rook..." His mother muttered under her breath.
"So I guess us getting back together is common knowledge to everyone except us." He said with a smile.
Marcus looked at his son seriously for a moment. "I have to know one thing though and its very important did you guys get back together before or after the Testy Festy?"
The two Deputies looked at each other with puzzled looks.
"After the Testy Festy..." Joey answered regarding the elder Rook with suspicion.
"Oh good..." Marcus said as he turned and caught Casey's attention. "Casey it was after the Testy Festy. We won, so go ahead and collect the winnings." The cook laughed and walked out of the kitchen on his new task.
The older Rook turned back to a scowling wife and a shocked pair of Deputies. "Dad did you actually bet on us getting back together again?!" Roger asked incredulously.
"Sure that said no one bet on you guys not getting back together again but it was a matter of timing. A few of the Grey's thought you would get back together before the Testy Festy, Casey and I thought you would get back afterwards and the vast majority of takers thought it would be between three months and six months after you moved back here Roger. All in all I got one hell of a payday." Marcus said proudly.
"Marcus we are going to have a talk about this sort of meddling..." Jessica start before Joey cut her off.
"We want a 35% percent cut of the gross pot before its split between you and Casey."
"Joey you're nuts. I'll give you 10... no 15% max." Marcus countered.
"30% then." Joey countered once more. Staring down the old man.
They were quiet for a long moment which unsettled Roger a bit before his father smiled. "Ok 25% final offer."
Joey smiled at this and shifted the baby as best as she could to free up a arm to shake on it. "Bargained well and done." She said just as Kim came back from the restroom.
"Ok... I have several questions." She asked as Joey handed her Carmina back.
"Just settling business Kim, nothing wrong with that." Joey said with a big toothy smile.
Jessica sighed as she watched the scene play out. "Joey honey you really are your mother's daughter."
The group broke up and Marcus went to get their cut as Nick now rejoined them.
"What did I miss?" He asked.
Roger could only shrug his shoulders. "Apparently my relationship status is not only widely known but even bet upon. Dad is a bookie and along with Casey just apparently made out like bandits over Joey and I."
Joey wrapped arm around his shoulders and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Cheer up Roger at least we made a profit and we still have each other. So I think we made out better than your Dad this time."
He smiled and returned to his dinner. Regardless of his father's ultimately good natured antics it felt nice to be fully outed, like he was shedding the last of some kind of dead weight off his shoulders. Now he and Joey were as free as they could hope to be under the wartime conditions they found themselves in.
The evening wore on and eventually The Rye's needed to head home for some much needed rest and Roger still needed to pick up his truck from the Rye's airfield. Once more the five people loaded up in the now beat up F150 for a blessedly quiet trip to the airfield.
The night was cool and clear with a full moon and a sea of stars visible. As the Rye's walked into their home Roger looked up at the sky and the forth coming events of the next 24 hours filled his mind.
'Tomorrow we go back to war. But what will we see tomorrow? What horror's will Faith have at her disposal? Will the cult stop me or will it be the effects of the Bliss on me? So many questions yet no answers.' He thought to himself as Joey came up from behind and hugged him.
"Roger, tomorrow will come and the only thing we can do is meet it head on." She said softly.
"Let me guess thinking too loudly?" He asked.
Joey laughed. "With you that is always the reason why you look so worried. We'll be fine. Trust me."
He sighed and spun in Joey's arms until he could wrap his own around her and look into those big bright green eyes for himself.
"Yeah I trust you Joey, we will get through this." He said kissing her lightly on the lips. "Lets get back home then. We are going to have a very long day tomorrow."