ELLIE: CHAPTER 24: The Truth
Ellie was now at the Capitol Building, back at Boston. Fireflies rushed to the front of the building near the doors. She looked around in confusion.
A Firefly walked by her with his legionnaire cap covering his face. Carrying his M4 rifle, it was clear that he was in charge.
"Alright men! Prepare to hold the line!" the Firefly in charge said.
About 15 Fireflies were present. Most were behind cover. They were either behind walls, pillars, or the crates at the center. Majority of them were in the center behind the crates. A Firefly was even on the top of the balcony facing the door.
One of the Fireflies got out of cover and walked to a window to his left. He looked through the window. He then turned around towards the Firefly in the legionnaire cap.
"Johnson! Militar-" The Firefly's words were interrupted by a bullet through his neck. The bullet had broken through the glass and hit him. The Firefly held his neck as he fell on his knees.
A Firefly then began to get out from cover to aid the wounded Firefly, but was stopped by Johnson.
"Leave him!" Johnson ordered.
The Firefly followed his order and went back into cover. By this time the wounded Firefly had already been in contact with the floor, dead. Now in a pool of blood around him. The Fireflies just looked at their now dead comrade and focused on the door.
The Fireflies stood there waiting. Behind cover aiming their rifles towards the door. Most wondering, if this would be their last day on this doomed planet.
The door breached forward caused by C4 explosives. Military soldiers began to storm the building.
Most of the Fireflies in the front, flinched. This would cause their ultimate demise. The front Fireflies were gun down. About five now joined their dead comrade on the floor.
An exchange of bullets began. The soldiers that lead the breach, were now taken down. After about taking out five soldiers, the Military's troops began to overwhelm the Fireflies.
Another Firefly was hit, around the chest area. He then slowing fell.
Johnson then gave the order. "Fall back!"
The first couple of Fireflies to fall back were shot in the back. Hitting the ground and dying shortly afterwards. The remaining Fireflies rushed out from the back exit.
Ellie was now in the center of the Capitol Building. The soldiers avoided her as if she were a ghost.
The Capitol Building was now fading away. She was now pulled back and into a bed. She looked at her body to find that her clothes had changed. She was now wearing the same hospital clothes she had worn when they were supposed to get the vaccine.
She looked back up to find Marlene and the head surgeon.
"…hopefully she does end up like the last ones," the surgeon said with doubt.
"She won't." Marlene began, "I have faith in her. She will be the savior of the Republic."
Marlene then noticed Ellie laying back on the bed, looking terrified.
"There's nothing to worrying about, Ellie." She now walked closer to Ellie and toyed with her nose. "You're a part of something bigger," Marlene let go of her nose. Giving her one last smile.
Marlene all of a sudden, shot in the stomach area. She fell on her hands and knees. One hand on her wound, the other on the floor. She looked at the person who shot her. It was Joel.
Joel walked closer to Marlene to finish the job. One more bullet. Right through the head. Parts of her brain splattered on the floor.
The bed now folded in a 90 degree angle. Joel and the dead Marlene began to fade away. Ellie was now sitting down, leaning against a trench wall.
She looked up to find a dark, cloudy sky. Rain began to pour on the trench. Making the dirt mixed with blood, muddy.
She looked at the opposite trench wall, which was reinforced by wooden planks. She found Joel finishing off a Texan soldier. Biting his face right off. Ellie gave Joel a disgusted look. Ellie now walked toward her father-like figure.
Joel just gave her a disgusted look. She walked closer. A soldier then popped out. He was outside of the trench, about to swing a machete at Joel.
Ellie then realized, Joel was infected.
"Ahh!" the soldier yelled. A spear was now through the soldier's chest. The soldier's face was now visible. The soldier was none other than Captain Pineda. With a crack on his glasses, he now looked down at the spear.
The spear was then pulled out of the Captain. He fell forward and was now hanging at edge of the trench.
Ellie now began to look around the trench. Dead soldiers everywhere. Some laying on their stomach, others on their back. She then noticed Commander Jett.
His helmet gave it away. Jett was masked, with the lens cracked open. Commander Jett was leaning against the opposite trench wall with a pool of blood accompanying him.
Ellie then paid her attention to Joel. Joel just stared at Ellie. Joel began to move towards her. Before he could get to her, a bullet hit his head.
Shocked for a bit, she then crawled out of the trench. She realized, she was in Jackson. Houses around her, blacken. She then focused her eyes on the group of people in front of her.
Black legionaries stood there, about a platoon of them. The legionaries carried spears, riot shields, and others carried rifles.
The shadow legionaries began to focus on Ellie.
"What about the girl?" the legionary asked.
"We don't need her." The voice of the leading legionary, was familiar. It was Johnson.
"Yes sir." The legionary said as he walked closer to her with his M14. He was now at point blank range. He cocked the rifle and shot her.
Ellie rushed up from her bed. Breathing heavily and trying to realize, it was just a dream. She noticed that the lights were off when she woke up.
She looked at her door to find Captain Pineda standing guard, with his hands behind his back.
Captain Pineda just looked at her with an unsure look.
"Damn it, Eddie. I thought you were someone else." Ellie said breaking the silence, getting out of her bed.
Ellie got out of her bed. She was wearing a regular t-shirt and some boxers. However her shirt was covering her boxers.
"Can you pass me those pants?" Ellie asked pointing her finger at the end of her bed.
Captain Pineda grabbed the pants and handed them to her.
"You were wearing something under that shirt right?" he asked.
Ellie just lifted up her shirt to reveal her boxers. Captain Pineda looked away for a second, but then realized the boxers on her.
"Yeah I was totally masturbating before I fell asleep." Ellie said with sarcasm. "Of course I am wearing something under this shit! It's not like you haven't seen a girl naked before."
"It's not that, it's just having respect." Captain Pineda said cringing.
Ellie now slipped the pants on, pulled up the zipper, and buttoned the pants on.
"Back to the topic!" Ellie told Captain Pineda. "So you have seen a girl naked before?"
"Well of course I have. I'm like 33 years old! Why wouldn't I have?"
"Oh, I was just curious." Ellie said blushing a bit.
"Okay…"
"What time is it?" Ellie said trying to change the subject.
"About 4 am." Captain Pineda said looking at his watch.
"And you're still awake?" Ellie asked.
"Orders. Commander Jett and General Tommy had to, all of sudden, talk about stuff. They saw me walking towards my quarters, and then told me to make sure you didn't leave the house."
"Well, Eddie, it's official, your life is worse than mine." Ellie joked.
"Well… the army does have its perks."
"As much as I want to know these perks, I have more important things to ask about."
"Like…"
"Was there more immunes than just me?"
"Well Texas was isolated for quite a while, so I have no doubt. I mean they're should be more than just you. It's just probably very rare. And you were the only immune we knew of. And we didn't want to waste any resources looking for any."
"How about the Fireflies?"
"What about them?"
"Did they stop looking for a cure?"
"No, of course not."
"Why do you say that?" Ellie asked.
"Because, Project Firefly."
"Project, what?"
"Project Firefly. It was started by Marlene. We sent a group of about 20 volunteers to the outside world about 10 years ago. They were tasked with finding a cure, or any resistance against the infection."
"Do you know anything more?"
"No, sadly I don't, the rest is classified."
Ellie then started to break down. She slowly fell on her knees, and then placed her upper body on her bed.
"What did I do?" Captain Pineda questioned.
"He swore to me. He looked me in the eye and swore." Ellie said brawling it up.
Captain Pineda then walked closer to Ellie. Captain Pineda got on one knee and looked her in the eye.
"He…" Ellie said trying to catch her breath.
"Who swore to you?"
"Joel." Ellie was now curled in a ball.
"I'm sure he did it to protect you."
"After all we've been through. He just threw it all away. I knew the Fireflies attacking was too suspicious. Why else would they've come?" Ellie said throwing her hands in the air.
"Ellie, calm down," Captain Pineda began, "I'm sure he didn't do it purposely. From what I know, you're like a daughter to him."
"I'm not a little kid," Ellie said in a bit of rage, "I deserve to know the truth."
"Truth sometimes causes panic, something we don't have time for."
"I'm pretty sure, he could have told me, and I would have understood."
"What was the situation of when he told you?" Captain Pineda asked.
"Well…" Ellie said finally wiping away the tears, "we had just got back from the Fireflies, he informed me of what happened. I then asked him to swear to me once we reached Jackson."
"I'm pretty sure he did what he did, to cut loose ends."
"What do you mean 'loose ends'?"
"Well it's pretty obvious, Ellie."
"What's pretty obvious, Eddie?"
"Joel killed Marlene." Captain Pineda said coming straight forward with it.
"What?" Ellie said now leaning against her bed.
"Marlene was loyal to the Republic, she wouldn't have ordered the attack on Jackson?"
"Then who did?" Ellie asked.
"Johnson more likely."
That name again.
"What made you ask about this anyway?" Captain Pineda asked.
"I had a dream." Ellie admitted.
"A dream?"
"Two parts of the dream were kind of like flashbacks, relived. The third and last was different though. It could have been a potential future, but I doubt I have the power to look into the future."
"I doubt that as well." Captain Pineda joked as he got up.
"Where you going?" Ellie asked.
"Going to get myself a drink."
"Can I come?" Ellie asked.
"I mean, you can't leave the house, but they said nothing about going into the kitchen."
The two headed downstairs. But before Ellie walked downstairs, she looked at the door of Joel's room. She then focused on her thirst and headed down stairs.
The two were now downstairs, they could see through the windows, and by the looks of it, it was still dark outside. Some of the windows were covered by some blinds.
"Where do you have the cups?" Captain Pineda asked.
"In those cabinets over there." Ellie said pointing at one of the cabinets.
Captain Pineda grabbed two cups and placed them on the table. Ellie then pulled out a pitcher of water and placed on it the table. She then poured the water into the cups.
"A toast." Captain Pineda said raising the cup.
"To what?"
"To surviving the first battle of this 'vaccine war'."
"Vaccine war?" Ellie asked.
"Well that's what they're calling this coming war."
"Huh." Ellie said and afterwards just gulping down the water.
The door then opened. Commander Jett followed by Tommy entered the house and found the two drinking water on the table.
"Enjoying the water, huh?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, sir." Captain Pineda said serving Commander Jett and Tommy a glass of water.
Tommy and Jett took a gulp of the water.
"Spoils of war." Captain Pineda announced.
"Not yet," Commander Jett said looking back at the Captain. "That reminds me, you're being reenlisted into S.O.C."
"You're kidding." Captain Pineda said with disappointment.
"Tomorrow we will begin training potential candidates."
"Isn't tomorrow Monday?" Captain Pineda asked.
"Yup, so that means Allen will be getting extra training. He will become a S.O.C. heavy trooper."
Captain Pineda just stood silent for a whole two seconds.
"Met me near the communication uplink center tomorrow," he said after finishing his cup of water and slamming it on the table. "See you tomorrow." Commander Jett said walking out of the house.