Part 11: Rescue mission
"What are you doing all the way back in Boston?" Jesse asked looking serious getting Johnnys groups attention.
"Listen we don't want any trouble Jesse, we just came here too help," Tommy said calmly as he stepped forward.
"Tommy, I'm a little surprised you two are working together again," Jesse said.
"Well things changed, now whos Clare?" He asked looking at Derek who was the leader of the Boston resistance.
"Shes my wife, we didn't always live down here," Derek said before standing up, "We hid out in an old building before here, but we got caught and not all of us made it all the way here," he said rubbing his head.
"We would have been caught if our informant hadn't sent us that message in time," Jesse said looking down.
"Whos your informant?" Ellie asked looking confused.
"You got someone working in the military," Johnny said looking serious.
"Yeah, he came to us a few weeks before we had to leave, came un armed and said he couldn't take what was going on anymore," Derek said, "Told him he could help us by keeping an eye on what the commander was doing," he said.
"Just how many of you are there?" Joel asked while looking around.
"Just about the same as the military right now, a good amount of our fighters were taken or injured when we had to leave our last base," Jesse said.
"The only reason were losing is because the military has better weapons then us," Chris said looking annoyed as he brought a crate over to sit down on.
"Well now we have someone they don't," Derek said looking over at Johnny.
"You want him to fight them," Ellie said.
"Its alright Ellie," Johnny said before take a breath. "Will help you save them," he said making Derek smile.
"No surprise there," Lily said smiling.
"What do you mean?" Chris asked looking confused.
"I thought your group only came here to recruit more people to join you," Bill said looking confused as well.
"The reason is I decided to use my power to help people," Johnny said looking at his right arm, "And that is what I'm going to do," he said before clenching his right fist.
"Not alone," Philip said stepping forward with Dean and the people from their group standing with them.
"Don't forget about us," Lily said stepping forward with the original team Johnny helped form.
"Were with you," one man from Chris's group said.
Bill sighed before speaking up, "Well I'm probably not going to be able to get home after what happened outside, so I might as well stick around for a while," he said before he began to walk away.
"Bill," Joel said getting his attention, "Thanks," he said.
"Tell me that again when we make it out of this alive," Bill said before going to find a place to get some rest.
"Now wheres your wife being held?" Johnny asked before Jesse brought over a map of the city.
"Right here," Jesse said before pointing at a large building on the map.
"Oh that's not good," Ellie said looking annoyed.
"You know it?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah you rememeber when I told you about that school I was in before everything happened?" She asked and Johnny nodded. "Well a few times me and the other studens were taken there to train," she said.
"Why do I feel like I'm not liking where this is going," Tommy said looking nervous.
"It's the city's most important military base," Joel said rubbing his eyes.
"Which means it's probably the most guarded," said one of Chris's men.
"Don't worry we have a way to get some of them out of the building, so we shouldn't have to go against that many," Derek said looking serious.
"Alright so two teams, one for a distraction the other to rescue the prisoners and get them back here," said Johnny.
"Luckily their commander is busy inspecting another area tomorrow so he wont be there," Jesse said.
"Alright, theres an open area over there," Derek said pointing to his left, "Get some rest because you're going to need it," he said before walking over to his tent.
Johnny, Ellie and Joel set up some sleeping bags and were given some crates to sit down on. They were currently sitting down on after checking on the rest of their group. Tommy was sitting with the people from Jackson while David went around the base to give the resistance and civilians the cure.
"So you want to talk about the woman who knows you?" Ellie asked Joel who was looking at his water bottle.
"Well I met her a year after everything went down," Joel, "We were together for a few years but then she didn't like the way I was handling things," he said before sighing.
"I was still learning how to survive back when I met her," he said.
"What did Tommy think," Johnny said.
"He didn't blame her for leaving me, said she was better off," Joel said before sighing, "Looking back on it now he was right," he said.
"This happen before you saw him again in Jackson a few years ago?" Johnny asked and Joel nodded.
"But you've changed since then, cant you at least try to talk it out," Ellie said.
"Sorry Ellie, I don't think that's possible," Joel said before taking a drink, "Besides she might have met someone by now," he said.
"Sadly I never had time for that," Jesse said walking over and bringing over a crate to sit down on.
"How much did you hear?" Ellie asked looking nervous.
"Not much, so Joel how did these two end up with you," Jesse said calmly.
"Well a lots happened over the years since the last time me and Ellie were in Boston," Joel said.
"How did you meet them?" Jesse asked Johnny.
"I met them outside the wall, I came here to Boston looking for help and I found them," he said.
"Heard you were working with someone, what happened to her," Jesse said. Johnny and Ellie looked at each other knowing she was talking about Tess.
"She didn't make it," Joel said.
"But she made sure we got away," Ellie said.
"The three of us looked out for each other and Joel showed us where to go," Johnny said remembering the three of them traveling together to Salt Lake City.
"I see, how did you end up with that power anyway?" Jesse asked.
"I was experimented on and I'd like to leave it at that," Johnny said before taking out his own water bottle.
"Okay then, well I gotta go get my cure," Jesse said before standing up.
"You alright," Ellie said putting her hand on Johnnys shoulder.
"Yeah I was just thinking of how I was back when I first met you, I was more focused on fighting so I could get a cure made," Johnny said, "For a while that's all that mattered to me," he said.
He then looked up smiling, "But you two helped me realize there was still people who cared about me," he said.
"You got that right," Ellie said resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.
"Guess looking after you two was one of the good things that happened," Joel said.
"Hey I thought we looked out for each other," Johnny said before the three of them laughed. What they didn't know was that Jesse had overheard the rest of their conversation. She was surprised at first but then she smiled before going to get her cure.
That night Johnny and Ellie slept in the same sleeping bag. The next morning they handed some of their food to the resistance before going over the plan one more time. Then a few hours later Johnnys group along with Billl, Derek, Jesse and some resistance members stood in alley between two buildings across from the base.
Chris was leading resistance members to cause a distraction, "Theres still a good few around," Bill said noticing the soldiers walking around near the gate.
"Just a few more minutes," Derek said before he noticed one of the soldiers taking out their radio. Then he along with the soldiers at the gate quickly got into a truck with a few other soldiers before driving away.
"What was the distraction?" Tommy asked.
"Argument at the rations store, happens all the time," Derek said before they all ran across the street. Johnny took out his pistol as they reached the gate.
"Hey stop right there," a soldier said standing at the door before Bill shot him with his shotgun.
They ran inside and saw soldiers coming down the stairs. Johnny shot one in the head before getting into cover. Ellie shot one in the chest before Lily shot him in the head. Joel took down the last one before they moved further into the building.
"Here," Bill said opening the door to a room. Johnny realized it was the armory as Bill started handing out assault rifles from the shelf's. They took down four more soldiers before reaching the prison. They opened the door finding a large cell with multiple people in them. Standing at one side of the room was a soldiers holding a woman at gun point.
"Drop your weapons right now," the soldier said.
"Derek," the woman said.
"Clare," Derek said looking surprised.
"That's her, damnit, listen we don't want any trouble," Tommy said lowering his gun a little.
"Trouble, you're the ones who invaded the city," the soldier said.
"Well your not looking after it well," Joel said looking annoyed.
"Were trying our best, everyone would be dead if it wasn't for us," the soldier said looking annoyed as he still held up his gun.
"Your best, people are starving because of you," Johnny said looking annoyed.
"Shut up, put your guns down, now," the soldier said looking angry as his hands began to shake.
"I'm sorry Derek," Clare said looking down sadly.
"Its okay, were going to be fine," Derek said lowering his gun.
"I SAID," the soldier began to yell before Johnny pulled the gun out of his hand. "What the," he said before he was flung head first into the wall. Knocking him out.
"Is he," Tommy said.
"Hes just unconscious, I didn't push him with a lot of force," Johnny said as Clare ran over to Derek who hugged her as she cried from relief.
"Looks like he was holding onto the keys," Tommy said taking the keys off the soldiers belt. After freeing the rest of the prisoners who thanked them. They started heading outside before gun shots came down from one of the hallways.
"Ahh," one of the free prisoners said. Johnny pushed everyone who was left in the corridor to the other side.
Leaving him, Joel and Philip on the other side. "Is everyone okay," Philip said.
"Yeah, from a glance nothing looks to serious," Tommy said before the gun fire started again.
Johnny shot back before speaking up. "Get everyone out of here, will find another way out," he said.
"What, were not leaving you here," Tommy said looking annoyed.
"Will be fine now go," Joel said before he started firing with his own assault rifle.
"You better stay alive alright," Ellie said looking serious. Johnny nodded at her before he started firing. Ellie's group along with the resistance headed toward the exit.
"So how are we getting out of here," Philip said looking at Johnny.
"The buildings across the street aren't that far away," Joel said looking at Johnny who nodded knowing what he meant. The three of them ran to the nearest stairway before heading to the roof. When they reached the third floor Johnny pushed a group of soldiers down the hallway before moving up.
When they reached the roof Joel shut the door, "Alright, looks like were," Johnny said before noticing Philip was holding his right arm.
"Sorry they scratched me before we got up here," he said revealing the wound on his arm.
"Here let me get that," Joel said taking out a bandage when Johnny heard the sound of trucks. He ran to the edge of the roof noticing the two trucks heading to gate where the rest of the group was.
Looking annoyed Johnny pushed his hands forward. He looked determined as he pushed both trucks into the wall near the gate. He then took a breath before he started hearing a loud noise.
"No that cant be possible," Joel said and Johnny noticed he looked surprised. Then he looked surprised as well before a large flying vehicle flew in front of the building. It was a helicopter and Johnny knew about them from seeing them in the books that were at the bunker.
But he never thought he would see one flying in person. "How is this possible," said Philip stepping forward.
"All civilians stand down now or you will be punished severely," a man said from the middle of the helicopter holding a megaphone.
"Who are you," Joel said looking annoyed.
"I'm the commander of this area, your group is invading and I suggest you surrender now," he said.
"So you're the one who's been hurting the people here," Johnny said looking annoyed. He clenched his fists thinking of the people in the resistance base. He then stood ready for a fight.