JOEL: CHAPTER 14: The Capital
Joel woke up in the transport helicopter. The pilot had woken him up. The pilot then said, "Sorry sir, but this is your stop."
Joel then nodded back at the pilot.
Joel exited the helicopter, a soldier was awaiting his arrival. Soldier looked like any other Texan soldier, but it seemed like he was in his early 20s, dark skinned, and had a mustache. "Let's go" the soldier said. Joel followed his into an army jeep. The soldier started the jeep, Joel sat in the back.
Joel couldn't believe what he was seeing. It seemed like no pandemic hit them, soldiers weren't harsh to citizens. Soldiers still walk around, to look for infected though. The soldier drove all the way to the hospital, where Ellie was being kept.
Joel got off the jeep and walk into the large hospital. He walked up to the desk. A man sat there. "I'm looking for Ellie" Joel asked.
"Second floor room 267," a man in navy blue scrubs said.
Joel thanked the man behind the desk. He entered the elevator with both of the backpacks, and ascended.
Joel walked into the second floor. 264… 265… 266… 267! Joel thought to himself. A soldier stood guard at the door. The soldier look like any other Texan Assault soldier, but he had an orange painted helmet. To signify his high rank. Joel walked up to him, and said, "I'm here to see Ellie"
The soldier then responded. "Yes sir, General Tommy told us we'll be here." The soldier then opened the door.
The soldier walked in first, and looked at Ellie on the hospital bed. She had a bandage around the back part of her head. "Ellie, you have a guest." The soldier said. Joel now entered.
His eyes darted at Ellie. "Ellie" Joel said softly
"Joel" Ellie said.
Joel ran towards her on the bed. Joel hugged her on the bed. Tears of joy streamed from both Joel's and Ellie's. "Oh baby girl, I thought I would never see you again." Joel said to Ellie.
"Joel… I missed you."
Their reunion was short lived. The soldier that had let Joel in then grabbed his radio. "What?! Jackson is under attack! Let's go people you guys need to get back."
All that went into Joel's minds was the Fireflies. He had lied to Ellie, he knew she would never forgive him. "We got to go," said the soldier.
"All 3rd Battalion members, report to Austin Air Base! This is not a drill!" said a huge speaker in the hospital.
"How are we goin' to get back?" Joel asked.
"It's your lucky day, Marshall Commander Jett, Commander of the 3rd Battalion," Commander Jett said and shook Joel's hand, "I can get you two to Jackson. Ellie the nurse should have cleared you, so you should be able to checkout without any problem. Alright follow me!"
The three left the hospital, taking to the stairs. In no time, they stood at the entrance of the hospital. "Come on, get in that jeep!" Commander Jett pointed to a jeep. Commander Jett got in the driver's seat, Joel in the passenger, and Ellie at the back.
Commander Jett drove as fast as could. Along the way they saw other jeeps make their way to the air base. After a couple of minutes they arrived. There was at least 500 Texan soldiers, all in formation and ready to fight.
A Texan soldier handed Commander Jett a rifle (M4). "Thank you, Lieutenant," Commander Jett said. Five huge warplanes were ready to fly, capable of carrying at least 100 soldiers each, all on the runway. In each warplane was carrying an M1 Abrams tank.
"Alright men, you know the drill, get your parachutes, Lieutenant Ajax hand Joel a parachute" Lieutenant Ajax is an African-American, but had the same equipment as every Assault variant soldier does.
"Yes sir," Lieutenant Ajax said.
Ajax handed a parachute to Joel, the rest of the Texan soldiers grabbed a parachute themselves.
"What about Ellie?" Joel asked.
"We're running out of parachutes, sir, our soldiers need all they can get, here these parachute belts will have to do, that girl would be able to attach this clip to yours" Ajax had as he held a clip in his hand.
Joel placed his parachute belt and the parachute itself. The belt wrapped around the whole body, around his waist allowed the clip to be attached. Ellie attach the belt around her body, a rope with a clip attached to it was located at the waist. It would allow the belt to be attached to Joel's.
"Everyone!" Commander Jett began, "We'll be air dropped above Jackson, and Baker Company [Baker Company was 5 plane squad made up of A-10 Thunderbolts or Warthogs] will escort us Jackson. Now everyone in your assigned planes! Joel and Ellie, you're coming on my plane! Let's go!"
All the soldiers got into their assigned planes, Ellie and Joel followed Commander Jett into his plane. And in a matter of minutes they took off to Jackson to reinforce the Jackson Texan Army Encampment.