Disclaimer: I don't own the Division. Ubisoft owns it.
~TRB~
Ryan's eye fluttered open. The sun had managed to find a spot between the clouds and shine through his window. He surveyed his surroundings. He was still in the same room, obviously. There was one notable addition however.
Faye was still asleep, lying next to him on his bed. Evidently, they had not moved positions at all. His arms were still around her, and she was snuggled up right up to him. He took this time to go over the events of last night.
I can't believe it. She did it. What does that make us though?
He continued to ponder over this for a little while. His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. He turned towards it to see Jessica walking through. She seemed to be looking at something on her clipboard, and hadn't noticed Faye inside the room.
"Well Ryan, although I hate to admit it, you're all healed up. You can go….."
She had finally looked up, and saw Faye and Ryan, all cuddled up. She started to smile.
"Finally admitted it, eh?"
Ryan opened his mouth to reply, when he heard Faye yawn. He looked down, to see Faye's eye slowly open. She looked up and smiled.
"Morning Ryan."
She got up, her legs still surrounding his, and stretched her back. He turned to look at Jessica, and saw that she was trying to hold in her laughs.
Faye leaned back down.
"I can't wait till we're able to head out."
Jessica couldn't hold back anymore. She started to laugh. Faye's head whipped around, and her eyes widened.
"I-I can't believe you did that! It's s-so unlike you!"
Jessica managed to say those words before she lost it again.
Faye buried her head into Ryan's chest as he laughed as well.
The sound of laughter was heard throughout the base, and all who heard it perked up. It looked like there was some light in the dark world they lived in.
~TRB~
Ryan zipped up his jacket. They were getting ready to go out on patrol.
The first of many with Fay.
He smiled at that.
She turned to see his smile.
"What's got you in such a good mood?"
His smile grew.
"Just realized that you'll finally be out there with me."
She grinned.
"It'll be just like the old days, right?"
"You and I remember the old days very differently. For one, I remember us going out to get McDonalds, not morphine supplies."
She punched his shoulder and laughed.
"You know what I mean."
He let out a long breath, and stretched. His body healed at an abnormal rate, and this would be his first patrol back.
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, do you remember when we first met?"
"Why the sudden nostalgia?"
"After last night, I went over a lot of the shit we've been through."
"And?"
He stayed silent for a while, collecting his thoughts, before he spoke again.
"If you think that after all the fights we've been through, after ten whole years of being thicker than thieves, that I'm gonna leave like that. That I'm gonna leave you alone after I promised I wouldn't, then you've been meeting up with the wrong person."
She ran up to him, and pulled him into a tight hug. They rocked back and forth for a little while. The numerous JTF soldiers around watched and smiled. These sights were few and far between, and it raised their spirits to see the two agents act as a normal couple, which was quite possibly the only normality they had in their lives at the moment.
Ryan and Faye slowly pulled apart. They nodded to each other. They had work to do.
~TRB~
"Come on man, hurry up!"
"Calm down, there's no one around. Now come on, help me get this shit into bags."
Ryan and Faye slowly snuck up behind the two looters. They were currently standing over a fallen civilian.
"These pricks make me sick. Killing a lone civvie for what, a watch and some food?"
Ryan replied. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Let's take them out."
Two quick shots, and the looters fell. They continued forward in their patrol, before they got a call from Rhodes.
"Hey. You remember Captain Benitez? He and his men are being overrun at the Lincoln Tunnel. Head over there, and fix it. Rhodes out."
They looked to each other, and nodded. Faye set a waypoint, and they went.
~TRB~
"Hey Faye?
"Yeah?"
"What did you do after I was brought in? I know you left, but where did you go?"
She sighed sadly. "After they pushed me out of the emergency room, I was so pissed."
"At who?"
"You, the Cleaners, whoever decided to modify smallpox into a weapon, at everything."
She slowed to a walk. "I kept thinking of the worst possibilities. The JTF losing, my sister turning up dead…"
She stopped, and Ryan turned to her.
"You not making it…"
Her last statement was nothing but a whisper. Ryan had to strain his ears to hear it, and once he did, he immediately wanted to forget the desperation and sadness in her voice.
"I went around for a while, and found my old house. Stayed there for the night."
He moved closer to her, slowly shortening the distance between them.
"When I woke up, all I wanted to do was go back. But I didn't want to find out if you didn't make it. It would have destroyed me."
"And then?"
"I shot every looter and Cleaner I saw. To me, it was the closest I could do to sort of, I don't know, 'avenge' you."
"You didn't need to do that…"
She snapped back at him.
"What would you do? If I were in your position?"
He sighed and looked away.
"I'd go spare."
He heard her let out a breath.
"To me, losing you would be worse than losing the city. They made me forget everything about my old life. They told me it would be easier. You are that last link. The last thing I have to keep me grounded."
He looked up at her, and looked in her eyes.
"You're the same to me."
They stood quietly for a while, before Faye continued.
"When I was out there, I realized how much you mean to me. When I came back, I feared the worst. Jessica pointed me towards your room, and when I heard you talking to Rhodes, I was ecstatic."
"Enough to scream at me and nearly throw me off the bed?"
They shared a laugh.
"Yeah, that happy."
They stayed there for a little while, before the task at hand came back to them, and they sprinted towards the tunnel.
~TRB~
Private James Horton thought he had seen it all. He had been here from the beginning of the outbreak, and he had seen many things.
So imagine the look on his face when he saw two Division Agents completely tear through the numerous rioters trying to enter the base.
"C-Captain?"
"What is it, Horton?"
"You might want to take a look at this."
Captain Benitez looked through the only window they had open, and saw the two agents.
"Looks like back-up is finally here."
He heard behind him an argument go on.
"Just two people?! Where's the rest of them, huh?!"
He turned around and yelled.
"Those 'two people' are Division agents! They're better than any of those rioters outside. Now let's give them a warm JTF welcome, huh?"
The soldiers inside roared their answer.
~TRB~
Ryan had flipped over a rioter that was rushing him, when he heard the roar of gunfire erupt from the barricade the JTF base. The rioters outside were caught off guard, and were quickly dispatched.
"Agents? This is Captain Benitez, and let me tell you. You two are a sight for sore eyes!"
Ryan grinned. "No problem, Cap'n!"
Faye laughed, and they pushed into the tunnel itself.
"We've got a situation down by the gates. Those rioters brought a bomb into the tunnel, and are trying to set it up. If that bomb goes off, the tunnel floods, and we lose the only supply line we have!"
"Got it!"
They arrived at the end of the tunnel, to see two rioters planting the bomb.
"Quick man! We gotta go!"
"Alright, alright! I'm almost do-"
They were cut off by the bullets entering their brains. They were both taken out cleanly. Ryan reported it to the Captain.
"Hey Cap? The guys are dead, but the bomb is armed. Do you have someone who can defuse bombs by any chance?"
"I'm sending her out now. You've got a lot of rioters on the way. Defend her while she defuses it!"
They saw a JTF soldier run out of the hall to their right.
"Should be two minutes, cover me!"
"Got it! Faye, cover the left side, I got the right!"
They could hear the wave of people heading towards them, and the bunkered down. Ryan saw them appear.
They opened fire.
A few were taken out immediately, while the rest ran for cover. He saw Faye throw a grenade from the corner of his eye and watched as it landed next to a car. It exploded, making several rioters go flying.
He kept firing.
"One minute!"
He turned to look at Faye, only to see a man with a baseball bat about to swing. He spun towards him, and fired a bullet directly into his brain. Faye turned to see the man fall.
"Thanks for the assist!"
Ryan sent her a thumbs up.
"Captain! We're getting pushed back! We need some back up!"
Ryan and Faye retreated a few feet, closer to the hallway. They heard the stomping of boots, and saw half a dozen soldiers file out.
"Thirty seconds!"
Just a little while longer!
"Faye! Need some ammo!"
She tossed a magazine over to him.
"Last mag! Make it count!"
He slammed the magazine in, and sprayed towards the oncoming wave.
"Ten seconds!"
Ten…
"Ryan! I'm down to my pistol!"
Nine…
"Shit! Ramirez is down!"
Eight…
"Push forward guys! Those JTF are on their last legs."
Seven…
"Faye! Get back!"
Six…
"Come on! Just a little while longer!"
Five…
"Grenade!"
Four…
Ryan threw the grenade back.
Three…
It detonated in the air, sending shrapnel everywhere.
Two…
Ryan gritted his teeth as shrapnel grazed his shoulder.
One…
"RYAN!"
He looked to see a bat swing into his arm. He felt his arm buckle and nearly break.
"Bomb defused! Retreat!"
Faye rushed the rioter and placed a couple bullets into his chest. She took Ryan's arm and helped him back into the hallway. The remaining rioters retreated back, and they made it to the base safely.
"How's the arm?"
Ryan gritted his teeth.
"It's not broken, but I can't move it too well. Feels like someone Charlie Horsed my arm."
She laughed. "You'll be fine in a minute. Come on. Benitez wants to see us."
They walked towards the Captain.
"Damn good fighting, agents. Wish I had people as good as you."
Ryan waved his working arm.
"These men are great. We wouldn't have made it without them."
"Well, rest up. I've got an announcement to make in five minutes."
Faye tugged at Ryan's arm, and led him towards one of the benches. They sat down, and relaxed for a little while. Faye placed her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"You all set up?"
She nodded. "Grabbed enough ammo for both of us."
He sighed.
"Want to just take a few days off after this? God knows we all deserve one."
"I'd like that. We'll see though. This city never sleeps."
"Good point."
She shifted in her spot.
"Give me your arm, real quick."
Ryan gave her his unusable arm, and she started to massage it.
"Oh god, that feels good. Where'd you learn to do this?"
She smiled.
"My sister decided to take a course for it when we were in high school. She taught me."
"Why?"
"Probably because she really wanted us to get together and she thought that me massaging you would make you ask me out."
He chuckled at that. Amanda was all for Faye getting together with Ryan ever since the day they met, more so than Jessica when she found out.
"You remember that bully in Grade 10?"
"Alex?"
He nodded. Alex was, in Amanda's words, a 'failed science experiment that gained conscience.' He was also Faye's ex.
"Whenever you were out while I was with Amanda, she would rant at me about how I should just sweep you off your feet while Alex was around."
"Why didn't you?"
"Well, you seemed happy with him. Also, I'm much too nice for my own good."
"You really are, Mr. Canadian."
He rose an eyebrow at that nickname. She giggled as soon as she saw.
"Then you found about what happened."
He nodded quietly. Turns out, Alex had a short fuse, and had punched Faye after a date.
"I was so angry. All I saw was red when I saw him."
"Did you really need to break his collarbone, though?"
"Hell yeah, I did. The guy deserved way more."
She let go of his arm and looked into his eye.
"It was a shock to everyone when you did."
He smirked at that.
"I'm quiet, and you know what they say."
"It's always the quiet ones."
They sat quietly for a little while, the only sounds being the soldiers around them conversing.
"You know Faye, now that I think about it, I've had a crush on you for the longest time."
"Must have been my charm."
He smiled at that.
"I was never the type of kid to work hard until I met you. Something about you made me want to do my best."
"Trying to impress me, maybe?"
"You say that as if it's a joke."
She laughed heartily. As she calmed down, she held his hand.
"I was always drawn to you when we were younger. Back then, I already knew about the Division. I was already training when I met you."
"I know. You were faster and stronger than kids our age."
"I was training my whole life, and for some reason, when I met you, I ignored everything they told me and I became connected to you."
She squeezed his hand tight.
"I still trained, but you were what came first in my mind. I still don't know why."
She turned to look into his eye. She rubbed a finger over his eyepatch.
"When I found out you were still alive, and in the Division as well, my heart jumped. When I didn't hear anything from you, I thought you were a victim of the Green Virus."
Ryan looked ahead.
"I remember when I saw you at base for the first time, back in Brooklyn, all I wanted to do was run to you."
Ryan picked up from here.
"They separated us for a while. My squadron got split up really quickly, and then I ran into you on the streets. I couldn't believe it was you."
Her face held a small smile.
"Look at us now. Could you have imagined us being like this when you first deployed?"
His head shook in the negative. His only reply was to bring his face closer to hers, and they brought themselves into a kiss.
It brought many emotions to each other, with happiness and love being the biggest ones. They stayed like that, until they were interrupted by Captain Benitez saying something.
"…got two Division agents with us. With those two, we'll be able to get the hell out of here."
"What's the bad news?"
BOOM!
They all ducked as the barricade was destroyed, and two rioters filtered in.
"That's the bad news!"
Ryan and Faye flew up from where they were sitting. Ryan's gun flew to his hands, and he opened fire. Two bullets flashed out and impacted the two rioters. Faye and Ryan moved forward as one, and the pushed through the newly formed hole.
"FAYE!"
He grabbed her collar, and pulled her back in time to see a bullet impact behind where her head just was. They ducked behind cover, and they hid from the oncoming fire.
"Thanks for the save!"
She was barely heard over the gunfire, but she got a nod in response. They saw the JTF push through the rioters, with the JTF effectively making a wall with multiple picked up shields. The rioters retreated towards the abandoned checkpoint, when Ryan spotted a glint of light in the distance.
"Sniper! Get your heads down!"
He saw a bullet pass clean through a JTF soldier, with her falling to the ground, lifelessly.
"We have to take that guy out, before it's too late!"
Ryan nodded at that.
Shit, how are we supposed to take him out….
His head perked up. They had taken out a few snipers earlier that day. On top of the checkpoint. He turned to Faye.
"Distract them! I got to get up there!"
Her only response was to toss a grenade towards the rioters. With them panicking and running away from the grenade, Ryan pushed forward. He climbed up the ladder, and he hoped that the guns were still there…
They were!
H e grabbed the nearest one, and pointed it towards the direction of the sniper. He fired a shot towards him.
T he bullet impacted next to the sniper, alerting him about Ryan. The sniper quickly moved positions, with two bullets impacting behind him.
R yan fired towards him again, just barely missing.
Fuck. Last bullet. Here we go. One bullet and a dream.
He sucked in his breath, and held it. Time seemed to slow, and all other noise was blocked from his senses. He aimed, and fired.
He saw a blood spray hit the car behind the sniper's head, and watched as he slumped to the road. With the sniper dead, the JTF pushed forward and took out the remaining rioters. Ryan heard someone climbing the ladder behind him, and turned to see Faye lift herself up. He slumped down, and sat against one of the barriers.
"Fuck, I'm so goddamn sore."
She laughed.
"Is that really what you're gonna say now?"
"Hell yeah! I'm tired as all hell."
She help her hand out.
"Well, then get up. Benitez wants to talk to us. After that, it's back to base."
He took her hand, and she pulled him up. He looked towards the sniper rifle in his hand.
"You know, I think I'll keep this."
"You did well with it. Even if you only have one working eye."
"You have the same problem!"
When the Captain walked up, the first thing he heard was Faye laughter and Ryan yelling out, "It's not my fault I broke his collarbone! Well, it kinda is, but that's not the point!"
It was amazing to see the two go from trained killers to a normal couple. He cleared his throat, and saw them both turn towards him.
"You did a hell of a job today, you two. I have no doubt that we would have lost our supply line without you guys."
Ryan scratched the back of his head.
"No problem, Captain. It's our job to help in any way we can."
He nodded his head. "I'm going to head back to base. I'll leave some men here to clean up. I'll see you there."
With that, he turned and walked away. Ryan looked at Faye, and they started walking away from the Lincoln Tunnel.
~TRB~
Ryan let out a breath as he sat down on one of the many benches that littered the base. He closed his eyes and leaned against his hands. He felt Faye sit down next to him. She sighed.
"Today was a long day, wasn't it?"
He nodded, and leaned on Faye. He felt her arm wrap around his shoulders.
"I'm just so tired of it all, to be honest."
She turned to him.
"What do you mean?"
"The killing. Too many people have died. I lead a whole squadron to their deaths."
"Hey, I thought I told you-"
"I know, it's not my fault. But I can't help but feel like shit."
He looked off into the distance, and Faye saw the haunted look in his eyes.
"This is hell. It feels like we've been dropped into a war with no way out."
His eyes started to water, and he gritted his teeth.
"I just want this this to end, and I know I'm not the only person who thinks this."
Faye wrapped her arms around Ryan, and she felt a wetness on her shoulder. She thought to herself quietly.
I've been training my whole life for this, ready to take on anyone I ran into here. But Ryan… he just got drafted for this. He can't keep going on like this by himself.
At that moment, she had decided. To stay partners through it all. Through the Division, through New York, and to stay as partners after all of this ended. She hugged him tighter, and after a while, he finally calmed down.
"I'm sorry. Not the kind of behaviour expected from a Division agent."
She just smiled.
"You're only human. We all are. No one can hide it forever."
He nodded. He took her hand, and led her to an empty bed. Together, they laid down.
"I think we should take it easy for a while. I really don't want to do too much for a little while."
She nodded, and they both drifted off to sleep.
~TRB~
"Listen man, you don't have to do this!"
*BANG*
"The Division left us for dead. If you want to live, then join up. If not, well then I'm not opposed to killing another person."
Aaron Keener laughed. Being part of the First Wave certainly had its perks. Being able to push around other agents? Definitely one. He walked away, as the LMB cleaned up any trace of them being there.
It was going to be a long winter stuck in Manhattan, and Keener was going to make the best of it.
~TRB~
Done! And we got our antagonist in play. So final word count is about 3.7k words, which is the most I've ever had. I hope you enjoyed it.
See you guys in the next one!
-MrDerper