The Protagonist System

145 Let’s Play A Game (The Last Of Us TV Show)

My eyes fluttered open and I had no clue where I was. I didn't try to move, because I knew what was coming. My brain was going to be hit with however many years of memories I needed to catch up to the life this body has lived and I didn't want to be moving when that happened.

“That's not possible!” A male voice said loudly. “Check it again!”

“I did! Three times! It's the same result!” An irate female voice shouted back.

“It can't be true!” The man shouted back and I heard pacing steps. “It's been 20 goddamn years since the Cordyceps biological outbreak. How can anyone have complete immunity?” He asked and stopped walking. “I knew it was odd years ago when I found him and he had never been sick. I just never thought...”

Outbreak? What's going... My thoughts stopped as a flood of 14 years of memories was dumped into my head. I was shocked by both the content and the delivery, because it hadn't slammed into my forehead or cause me immense pain like usual. Oh, for fuck's sake! Again? I'm in another world that's having a zombie apocalypse AGAIN?

“We need to keep this quiet.” The man said, his voice low and threatening. “No one can know that Eli is immune to the fungus.”

My thoughts were running wild as years of military training, from an official FEDRA military school that the resistance set me up in, went through my head and I barely managed to not react at seeing exactly what I was trained to do.

I knew how to scavenge and make ammo, service every type of weapon that existed from swords to 50 calibre rifles, perform medic-grade first aid in the field, and how to operate various vehicles and service them, too. The fighting lessons weren't the best because our young bodies couldn't handle the intense training.

“He can heal the smaller bites, too.” The woman offered. “It's not like regeneration or anything, though. It's just the body's normal ability to heal things like scratches and cuts. It'll scab over and be gone after a few weeks.”

“Fuck.” The man spat and started to pace again. “Fucking fuck.”

“What are we going to do?” The woman asked and seemed unbothered by the man's cursing.

“We need to figure out how to get him to the main compound out west. We can't do anything here, since we barely have any working equipment. If we can somehow get him there, they have a full medical production lab set up and they can use his blood as a primer. Maybe, just maybe, if we use up the last of the luck in this world, they can somehow create a vaccine and we can start having some fucking hope that the world isn't ending.”

I was only half-listening to the man's rant as chemistry, physics, math, military history, and tactics for both ground and air superiority filtered through my brain. It was a huge amount of knowledge, actual practical knowledge, that I now had full access to in the back of my head. I pushed my awe of how smart Eli was aside and took the chance to move my head slightly. I glanced around and saw I was inside a kind of medical room and that made sense.

The last memory I had was being attacked by one of the blind zombies called Clickers that had somehow stumbled into the secured compound behind the building where I lived. Three of my classmates were dead, four of the adults were bitten and one died right away, and I was the only one that didn't show any visible symptoms immediately after being bitten on my shoulder.

I was really glad that one of the remaining resistance fighters that put the small pack of Clickers down, had only knocked me out with the butt of his rifle and hadn't shot me in the head... and then I realized Ellie had probably died in order for me to arrive here and take over. How did they manage to pull that off again?

A man's haggard face came into my view and I remembered. This was the man that had rescued me years ago and hid me in plain sight at the military academy. Merle was a man and the leader of the local cell of resistance fighters called Fireflies, instead of being a woman named Marlene.

“Hey there, kid. How you doing?” Merle asked me, his voice and face normal and not showing anything like the emotions I had heard a few moments ago.

“I wish I was older so my balls can finish dropping.” I snarked back, trying to lighten the mood.

There was a muffled laugh from behind him as Merle grinned at me.

“Yeah, yer fine.” Merle said and patted my shoulder with his large hand. “Get yer ass up and get dressed. We need to move out before they come calling.”

I knew he meant the local Federal Disaster Response Agency, or FEDRA patrol. I hopped up and held my hands out to the woman, whom glanced down briefly at my nakedness, then smiled as she handed me my clothes.

“Sorry, Lindsey. I'm a grower, not a shower.” I joked and Merle laughed.

Lindsey gave me another once-over as I pulled on my boxers. “Good choice. There's more room for your balls to keep dropping.”

Merle kept a low chuckle going under his breath while I finished dressing.

I couldn't resist one last zinger as Merle led me out of the room. “I'll call you if I'm ever back this way.” I said with a crooked smile and winked at her. “We have to ensure the continuation of our species.”

“HA!” Merle barked and grabbed my shoulder to haul me along.

Lindsey's laughter followed us down the hallway.

“You heard some of what we said?” Merle asked me and let my shoulder go.

“Only the last bit where you started shouting and woke me up.” I admitted and he gave me a pointed look. “What?”

“Why aren't you arguing about making a long distance trip like that across all the infected areas between here and there?” Merle asked me, his face guarded.

“Why would I argue? You're right. If my blood can somehow lead to a vaccine for the survivors... and maybe a cure for the infected... then I'd be the second biggest asshole in the world if I refused.” I said as we left the building.

“Wait, second biggest asshole?” Merle asked me and stopped walking.

I turned to face him and gave him the biggest tooth-bearing grin I could.

“Fuck you, you little bastard.” Merle said with a laugh and pulled me into a one-arm hug. “Come on, we've got plans to make and people to contact. The sooner we can get you moving, the sooner we can get you there.”

That was a great idea, except I had a gut feeling that whatever plans we came up with were going to hit a snag somehow. Since I always trusted my feelings, I mentally prepared for the worst.

*

Joan Miller, and her partner in smuggling contraband Ted, made their way to their contact. Bobbie was a piece of scum that dealt with everything illegal within the military controlled city of Boston, so they had to go to her for what they needed to head to Wyoming. A car battery. They had already paid for it and just had to pick it up.

When they arrived at the designated meeting place, an old hotel, they saw scattered bodies and blood everywhere. The signs of a military raid were common and both Joan and Ted knew this place had been hit hard. They drew their handguns and slowly searched floor by floor for who they wanted, hoping it wasn't too late. On the third floor they found the corpse of the woman next to the battery that they bought.

Ted knelt by the thing and examined it, then he sighed. “The battery's no good. It's corroded and the posts are gone.” He said and looked at Bobbie's bloody forehead where a bullet had killed her. “It looks like she tried to sell it again.” He said and shook his head. “The stupid greedy bitch.”

A soft groan of pain came from down the hallway and both Joan and Ted tensed. Joan took the lead and they made their way down the hall, their guns aimed around the corner, and Joan saw two men struggling to stand and stem the flow of blood from a gunshot wound in the bigger man's side.

“Unblock the door, goddammit!” A young male voice said from behind one of the barred doors and a bang sounded from behind it. “Oww, fuck!”

The two men turned at the sound and saw Joan standing there, her arms tensed and holding her pistol at the ready.

“J-Joan?” Merle asked. His voice was a little shaky and he aimed his gun at her. His hand wasn't shaking, though. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for a little bitch that stole our property.” Joan said and motioned back down the other hallway. “That was supposed to be our battery. Bought and paid for.”

Merle laughed and then groaned as a spurt of blood came from between his clasped fingers. “Ah, fuck. I'm bleeding out.”

“I can help, for fuck's sake!” The young voice shouted and there was a louder bang from behind the barred door and then a dull thump. “FUCK!”

Merle chuckled and gripped his bleeding side harder. He nodded at the other man, whom knocked on the door for him. “You okay in there?”

“Yeah.” The young man's voice answered.

“You can't be stupid like this, Eli. What if there were still troopers around?” Merle asked.

“I would have kill them...” The voice responded confidently and there was a soft bang on the door. “...if you hadn't locked me in here!”

Merle smiled and leaned against the wall. “You're what's important here, not me.”

Ted stepped into the hallway and looked angry. “This is who Bobbie screwed us over with? The Che Guevara of Boston?”

“Who?” The guy with Merle asked.

“He was a revolutionary leader that deposed the Batista regime in Cuba.” Joan and Merle said at the same time.

“The war must be going pretty shitty if you're buying from scum like Bobbie.” Ted pointed out.

“Yeah, it kinda is.” Merle said and tried to look weaker than he was. “The merchandise was bad and she obviously didn't take 'fuck off' as an answer to buying it, then she called in some... friends.”

Joan nodded and lowered her gun slightly. “What did you need a car battery for?”

Merle lowered his gun to hide that it started to shake. “I needed it for a better reason than you do.” He said and Joan raised her gun again. “No offense.” He said an didn't bother trying to raise his gun again. “Tammy is just one woman and the cause is much more important than that.”

“The cause.” Joan said with a huff. “Your cause turned my own sister against me.”

Merle sighed and didn't refute it. “It's not what you think. Not anymore.”

Joan stared at him for several seconds. “Then enlighten me.”

Merle glanced at the door he was near and looked back at her face. “We were going to move Eli out of the zone tonight; but, we won't make it anywhere like this. Not for a while.” He said and his face changed from resignation to determination. “So, I'm thinking... you're going to do it.”

“The hell we are.” Joan said.

“Let me take her.” The man beside Merle at almost the same time. None of them noticed there was no response from inside the room.

Joan glanced at Ted. “We don't have time for this.”

“You don't have time?” Merle asked, his face stern. No one needed to look down at his blood-stained shirt to know what he meant.

“Who is he?” Ted asked.

“To you, he's cargo.” Merle said.

“We don't smuggle people.” Joan said, her voice adamant. “Sorry.”

“I can do it.” The guy beside Merle said.

“Ken, you don't have a fucking ear o your head to hear! Can you please...” Merle stopped talking and groaned in pain. “There... there's a team of Fireflies at the Old State House.”

Joan made a disgusted sound.

“I know what's out there.” Merle said and cut her off before she said anything. “We were going to go with an entire squad for that very reason.” He gave her a stern look again. “Now, I don't have a truck, I don't have a squad, and the federals are maybe five minutes away waiting for backup.”

“Merle...” Joan started to say.

“All I have left, is you.” Merle said and his stern look changed to pleading. “I know what you're both capable of, for better or worse.”

Silence fell in the hallway and no one spoke for several seconds.

“You get him there safely, they'll give you everything you need. Not just a battery, the whole thing. A fuelled up truck, guns, supplies, everything. I swear.” Merle said and his pleading look didn't change. “I swear.”

Joan glanced at Ted and he motioned back down the hallway.

“Do you trust him?” Ted asked in a whisper.

“No.” Joan whispered back.

“Neither do I.” Ted responded. “He seems desperate, though.”

“A firefly vehicle usually means repurposed FEDRA stuff, so there's a better than even chance in making it to Tammy in one of those. The second we hand that kid over...”

“You do realize I'm still bleeding out here.” Merle interrupted them.

Ted and Joan exchanged looks and Joan nodded slightly. Ted turned around and walked partway down the hall. “Okay, here's the deal. We'll get the kid to the Old State House; but, before we hand him over, they have to give us everything that we want. If not, we kill him.”

“Deal.” Merle said immediately.

“Thanks a lot, Merle.” The young male voice said sarcastically.

“You are all that matters, Eli. My team won't jeopardize that.” Merle said and nodded at Ken. “Remember what I told you, all right? Grab your backpack and get ready to go.”

They waited in the hallway as Ken unbarred the door. When the metal bar fell to the floor, the door was flung open and a young man ran over to Merle and punched him right in the face. He banged his head against the wall and slumped down to sit on the floor, dazed.

“That was for getting all of our people killed for no reason instead of retreating like I told you to do.” Eli said and scooped up the dropped handgun. Before anyone could do or say anything, he aimed it at the older man's forehead and fired, which blew Merle's brains all over the wall. A second later, he shot Ken in the head, too. “That was for not letting me help when you both knew I've been trained by those FEDRA assholes for years.”

Joan and Ted were too shocked by the sudden violence to do more than stare at the kid. He gathered up both guns, rifled their pockets for ammo and ration tickets, and slipped one handgun into the back of his jeans. He walked over to Joan and flipped the other gun around to hold it by the barrel and handed it handle first to Joan.

“There's a storeroom in the back on the ground floor with the rest of the squad's food ration tickets, two cases of handgun ammo, a medkit, and a small pile of guns.” Eli said and smiled. “Shall we go?”

Joan accepted the gun with wide eyes and handed it to Ted, whom stashed it in his backpack.

“Let's go.” Ted said and led the way down the hallway to the stairs.