Chapter 1: Seeking the Light

Ellie traced her fingers over that familiar scar over her forearm as she sat in the driver's seat of the car. Only the sound of the hood slamming got her got of her trance as a burly voice addressed her.

"Well... looks like we're walking." Joel stated as he headed towards the woods. "Should be a straight shot through here."

"Alright." Ellie shut the door and followed him.

"Actually kinda pretty ain't it?" It actually really was.

"Yeah."

They came to a barbwire fence, and Joel kindly lifted it up so that she could squeeze under.

"Alright, now watch your head going through."

She came out on the other side and held the wire for Joel. "Here... Got it."

"Oh... Feelin my age now..." They continued on their way when Joel started talking, feeling a conversation would liven things up.

"Don't think I ever told you but Sarah and I used to take hikes like this." Joel fondly remembered. "I think ah... I think the two of you really would've been good friends. Think you really woulda liked her. I know she woulda liked you."

"I bet I would've." Ellie replied quietly.

He pointed. "Wow. Look down there. Just a little bit further now."

The two came up to a cliff and Joel hopped on a log into climb himself up, but his weight toppled the wood down just as he jumped. He spun around then offered his hand to help Ellie up. She jumped and she grabbed hold and they were both on top of the hill, relived to see Tommy's settlement, Jackson, in the valley before them.

"Alright, come on." Joel affirmed.

"Hey wait." Ellie stopped him. She needed to get this off of her chest.

He turned to face her. Damn this was going to be hard...

Ellie sighed and began her confession. "Back in Boston, back when I was bitten, I wasn't alone. My best friend was there. And she got bit too. ...We didn't know what to do... ...So, she says 'Let's just wait it out. Y'know, we can be all poetic and just lose our minds together'. I'm still waiting for my turn."

"Ellie-"

"Her name was Riley and she was the first to die. And then it was Tess. And then Sam."

Joel responded in comfort as he crossed his arms. "None of that is on you."

"No you don't understand-!"

The old man before cut her off and actually began to confess himself now. "I struggled for a long time with surviving. And you... No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for." He was being direct now, but he didn't get... "Now, I know that's not what you want to hear right now, but it's-!"

Enough.

She was tired of it, she needed a straight answer. "Swear to me! Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies is true!"

Joel stood firm but his heart was hesitant. "I swear..."

Those green eyes were piercing but accepting... "Okay."

Marlene lied dead in a pool of her own blood in the parking lot of St. Mary's Hospital in Salt Lake City. An hour had passed when her corpse was quickly surrounded by boots wore by the militia that wore that Firefly sash. The platoon of soldiers looked down at their leader's body, all more than likely frustrated that they were not with her to change things.

It wasn't until they turned their attention to the man that strides calmly, his footsteps echoing across the parking garage.

The men stood at attention, saluting their superior with loyalty. "Sir!"

"At ease..."

The man stopped to examine woman's body. The tall broad-shoulder white man covered his mouth with horror. His clear blue eyes scanning, memorizing every detail, while he combed his shaggy black shoulder length hair behind his ear with his fingers as he turned his head and noticed a vehicle was missing.

His dragged over his short black beard as the superior also noticed only two shell casings from a pistol around the body, so he picked up Marlene's gun and checked the clip. "She didn't fire a single shot..." He whispered to himself.

She surrendered to him... she pleaded with him to give her back... to do the right thing... and still...

His blood began to boil. "How could one man... do all this damage?" He turned to his men. "How could ONE MAN best all of you?!"

They had nothing to say; they just had their eyes downcast in shame, how could one man really do this?

His eyes glared back at the dead woman. "My God..." He sniffed. "Marlene was generous; she was a fair leader with a just cause! But... look what he has done to her... shot her like a DOG!"

They just continued to listen being rallied by his words.

"HOW DARE HE?!" His voice boomed.

A lone corporal stepped forth. "Commander Devlin, the smuggler she recruited... I heard her mention his name earlier... an old man named Joel."

"Joel, you say?" He raised an eyebrow at this information. "And how did this 'Joel' come in contact with Marlene?"

"...His brother was one of us." He revealed.

"Was?" Devlin pried. "Did he go AWOL?"

"No sir, he was discharged a few years back, under Marlene's discretion."

Now it clicked. He remembered now. "Was his name Tommy?"

"Yes sir." The corporal nodded confirming his theory.

He smirked to himself at his right assumption. How convenient for him to actually know about him. "Of course..."

It really was a small fucking world...

"Pull up his file and have it on my desk in an hour." Devlin ordered as he walked back to the exit. "And take care of her body... real good care, you hear?"

Commander Devlin paced himself through the Hospital floors; he needed to think... he needed to make plans, crucial plans.

She told him she wanted him to patrol the city, secure the perimeter around the base, if he was here, if he was in the parking garage with her... there would be no question...

He stepped into the office of the Hospital Manger, his own private place of study. He turned on the desk lamp and sat in the tattered leather chair.

...But then his eyes wandered to the far wall that he personally decorated... he turned on the light...

Dozens of jars lined the shelves in front of him, their contents filled with preservative liquids and little spheres...

From infected, and unbeknownst to anyone else non-infected as well, these little spheres were the extracted eyeballs of Devlin's victims...

Hundreds of eyes with some of their optic nerves still attached to them stared back at him... lifeless...

"The girl is still alive... we can still save humanity. I promise you with my word and my life that I will bring her back and avenge you..."

Shit just got personal...

Three Months Later...

"Joel! I'm home!"

Ellie slammed the front door shut as she jogged through their little house in the calm community of Jackson. Joel was in the kitchen making dinner. "You home? Hope you're hungry."

Ellie yawned as she sat herself down at the nearby table. "Damn that smells good. Hell yeah."

"Good." Joel nodded as he picked up the pot and placed it on the table in front of her. "Dig in."

Her face scrunched up as she examined her meal. "What the hell is this?"

"Peaches and beans." Joel smirked at his cooking skills. "I did with what we had. It's a real shame ain't it? Food supplies are running low lately and will just have to make do."

"What?" She whined. "Then let me go out hunting and I'll get us some real meat, not this shit."

"Hey, don't knock it still you try, anyway you got that there school thing to worry about."

"I hate school." She spat.

"You make any friends?"

"What do you think?"

"Don't get smart with me girl" Joel warned as he piled his plate with his concoction. "Eat up, it's the weekend tomorrow so be thankful."

"Could have come sooner if you ask me," Ellie sighed as she grabbed a helping of food. "School sucks."

"How you doing in the classes?" Joel pried but then it occurred to him. "Wait, where have you been since they let you out?"

"I was just out for a walk. Classes are boring by the way." She had her first bite, not as bad as she thought.

"Where?" He glared at her.

"Just around town." Ellie vaguely answered.

"Were you with a boy?" Joel bluntly guessed.

Ellie dropped her spoon with a clank. "No! Why would you think that?"

"I was just asking." Joel receded. "Can't be too careful..."

"I can take care of myself!" Ellie defended. "For your information I was up by the cliffs. Honest!"

"Well, alright..." Joel nodded seemingly satisfied. "Just tell the truth and you won't get no spit from me. Deal?"

The truth? Coming from him? Yeah right... "Deal."

And their conversation faded to sounds of eating, the sun had already set and the two of them went to their own bedrooms, saying their mutual goodnights. Perhaps a day of fun was in store for their Saturday tomorrow...

Ellie got in her modest pajamas and hopped in her bed. Her t-shirt revealed the aged bite on her arm. She then turned her head and gazed out the window to see a crescent moon in a clear sky.

Ellie sighed. "Why me...?"

"Ellie!" Joel was already knocking on the door. What the hell was it six in the morning?!

"Ellie, get up and get dressed! Double time!"

She put the pillow over her face muffling her words. "It's fucking Saturday Joel! Come on!"

"I need you to listen to me! Be downstairs in five minutes. I ain't kidding. NOW!"

She was thankful he wasn't busting through the door, but his seriousness finally alerted her as she jumped out of bed and put her regular clothes on. She put on her backpack and was by the door in four minutes. "I'm here. What's up?"

Joel opened the front door for him. "Tommy n' Maria called us to head towards the dam for something private. We gotta go."

Another stupid meeting... what was it this time?

"What for?"

"I don't know the details, but we just gotta go." Joel motioned her to move forward. "Go on, scoot."

Ellie agreed and the two of them were outside and they crossed a few dozen houses until they meet with guards which patrolled the outer wall of Jackson and the precious power-producing dam. Eventually, they arrived by the front doors and a guard saw them and called out to them.

"Joel!" The guard called. "Tommy wants you to follow me. Alright?"

"Lead the way."

The guard led them through the dam towards the back office where Tommy worked. He opened the door and let them in only to close it behind him and keep watch outside.

Tommy was his desk looking stressed while Maria was right next to him, her gun was out... and she held the barrel firmly out of arm's reach at the hostage they had on his knees and his hands tied...

Joel and Ellie's eyes' widened in disbelief at the black man in front of them... he was in a Firefly uniform...

Tommy chimed in. "Thought I should call you two in first... this could be a real problem..."

"No shit." Maria added as she cocked her gun. "Now tell us! What are you doing here?!"

The Firefly looked up at his new visitors, but his gaze leaned more towards Ellie, he gave a smug smile.

His voice was deep. "Goddamn... haha, do I have some news for ya girl..."

"Don't you talk to her!" Joel barked as he pulled out his gun.

"Wait!" Tommy was one of the few people who had a chance of stopping the gun from going off. "He's a messenger, let him talk Joel!"

"Yeah, let me talk Joel!" The Firefly mocked.

Tommy took command and non-verbally told Joel to holster his weapon. "What's your name?"

"Lesher." He introduced himself.

"Why are you here, Lesher?" Maria pressed the barrel to the back of his head.

"Oh, well I can get used to this. ...I've never been the one on my knees before." Lesher chuckled.

"Keep talking like that and see what happens." Maria threatened.

"All kidding aside..." Lesher went on. "I thought it would be fairly obvious as to why I have made my presence known. Better words for ya, sweetheart?"

Maria was not amused. "Get on with it!"

"He's here for me..." Ellie gasped and then her disappointed eyes fell on Joel who avoided her glare.

Lesher laughed. "Ding ding ding! We have a winner!"

Her eyes began to water. "Joel..."

A/N- And so, Joel will have to pay the consequences for his actions. What news does Lesher have in store for them? And will Commander Devlin's wrath be made known? Find out Jackson's fate, next time on The Last of Us II...

Review for support, pretty please with fungal spores on top? ;)