chapter 2 - boston QZ

20 years later.

sam smirked as a fedra soldier pulled her down an alleyway, he was desperate. he always was. john was a specific type, the type sam could manipulate easily. he would do whatever she wanted if he got what he needed in return.

"you got it?" sam scoffed at the question. hidden away in an alley, sam was completing a deal with him, of course she had it. but did he have what they agreed on.

"have you got my stuff is the question?" the soldier sighed looking at sam with desperation, he reached into his pocket digging around before pulling out a few ration cards, sam counted them before holding her hand out waiting for the other part of the deal, as she raised her eyebrow the scar running through it raising too.

"don't get caught with this" this solider warned pulling a serrated Ontario MK 3 Navy Knife from the holster and handing it to sam. she took the knife in awe, admiring it for a second with a smirk on her face before tucking it away in her pack. reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small bag of oxycodone.

he took the bag and a smile appeared on his face, sam nodded before turning on her heal and walking away, she wasnt one for chitchat. she had more important things to deal with. she was owed a lot. about 13 guns, and 6 bags of oxy. not for her but being a smuggler if you loose that amount of product that's a dent sam was not willing to just let go.

but sam always got what was hers, one way or another she always got what she was owed. sam made her way back to what was supposed to be her apartment but she spent most of her time outside the QZ.

entering her apartment she prepared for what was bound to happen. shrugging her backpack of her shoulders sam took her new knife from her bag with a smirk, a knife enthusiast some would say. placing the knife on her kitchen side for a moment she began stocking her bag full of supplies as it was possible she might end up stuck somewhere for the night.

fucking firefly's. she'd kill every firefly in boston if that's what it took. once she'd put food, water, and first aid kits in her bag she picked up the knife and her bag walking further into her apartment to her room. going up to her closet she sat down on the floor, moving a box from the bottom of her wardrobe.

sams fingers ran across the wooden planks on the floor feeling around for a loose one, when she found it her fingers slipped beneath the wood moving the slab out the way so she could reach down into what she called her makeshift safe.

reaching into the hole in the floor sam pulled out two pistols and a revolver, tucking one of the pistols into her waist band of her black cargo pants before hiding the other in her bag. always had to have a backup plan, or a few backups.

sam then lifted the bottom of her pant leg up, just high enough to show her ankle and reveal another hidden holster. securing the revolver in the holster she let her pant leg fall back down covering the gun before reaching back into the floor her hand grabbing two knives.

a swiss army knife she'd had for over 20 years and a switch blade her classic. keeping both knives close she put them in her pockets. sam then placed the loose plank of wood back into its rightful place before covering it with what was previously there.

getting up, sam picked up her pack returning to her joint kitchen and living room, glancing at the time she decided it was best to start moving. grabbing her oversized leather jacket sam shrugged it on her shoulders before securing her pack on her back and walking over to her window.

opening her window she carefully climbed down to the fire escape, scanning the area she decided to stay off the streets as fedra had almost doubled the security in the past week, making her way up to the roof was her best bet at not getting caught.

crouching she slowly made her way to the roof, trying not to draw any attention. she knew where she had to go, she needed to make it quick. picking up a long plank of sturdy wood she always left on the roof she walked over to the edge, lining it up with the roof on the building next to her. letting go of the plank it fell perfectly into place, a small smirk showing up on her lips as she jogged across the plank to the other building.

leaving the plank there as she knew she could make the jump to the next building over. she again scanned the street before making the jump, once she had. she climbed back down onto that building's fire escape which connected the next three buildings together.

getting closer to her destination, sam stayed low and quiet. reaching the building all she had to do was get inside, searching the outside she climbed up the stairs on the fire escape until she reached a window.

carefully pushing the window open she slipped inside, light on her feet she walked down the corridor. as she came to a corner she heard unfamiliar voices. her back going flat against the wall as she peaked around the corner. marlene gripping her stomach her blood stained shirt difficult to miss. a kid, a little girl sat against the wall where a man had his gun pointed at her.

sam assessed her options deciding the woman stood behind the man closest to her seemed to have an emotional connection to him, reaching into her pocket she pulled out the switchblade.

light on her feet, sam rushed over to the woman pulling her into her, sam firmly pressed her switchblade to the woman's throat as the woman tried to escape sams grip to no avail. she was stronger.

"drop the gun!" sam called out, the man almost instantly turning around and distinctively pointing the gun now at sam, sam didn't care, she knew she could move faster then he could pull the trigger considering his bitch was in the cross hairs.

sam ignored the initial call of her name, only for marlene to shout it again louder. the woman in sams arm again trying to escape only for sam to tighten her grip and press the knife firmly into her neck.

"sam! they're fine! let her go" she called, and sam scoffed looking over at marlene before looking down at the girl sat on the floor. sam hesitantly released the woman pushing her towards the older man.

sam walked closer to marlene, stopping infront of the girl putting distance between her and the man who had his gun pointed at her seconds earlier in a subconscious attempt to protect her.

"you alright kid?" sam asked the young girl still sat on the floor, she only nodded with a look of anxiety on her face. sam held out her hand to help the girl up, which she took. getting up from the floor.

"where's my shit?" sam asked looking back to marlene. ignoring the presence of the other two adults in the hallway, marlene only looked at sam and gave her no response.

"we're smuggling her?" she heard the older man behind her question, sam glanced down at the kid on the floor. the man who had a gun pointed at her? smuggling her?

"all three of you are" sams head shot over to marlene in disbelief, before glancing over at the man. hell no. was not gonna happen.

"there's a crew of fireflies that'll meet you at the capital building." marlene explained, sam scoffed the look on her face one of disbelief. she was not working with them, she was better on her own.

"how about you give me what you owe me and i don't kill every firefly in boston." sam spat, she was didn't work with or for anyone. that wasn't how she did things.

"that's not exactly close." the woman sam previously had in her arms spoke. sam nodded in agreement, it wasn't impossible, in fact it was quite easy for sam alone anyway. marlene chose to ignore what sam had previously stated.

"i've seen what you two are capable of, and sam you're the smartest and fastest one in this room you're doing this whether you like it or not. do it for ben and charlie. all of you will get double of what your owed" those words stung sams heart, ben and charlie. sam sighed the small ounce of remembrance making her breath get caught in her throat.

"we're not smuggling shit until i see them" the woman demanded, sam looked at her carefully nodding in agreement leaning against the wall, but the difference between them was sam knew she would get what she was owed, one way or another she would and if she really had to do this she wanted to make it quick.

"you'll follow me. you can verify the weapons. i can get patched up. but she's not crossing to that part of town. i want joel and sam to watch her" sam scoffed watching the full grown man's reaction.

"whoa whoa, i don't think that's the best idea!" he reasoned his hand flung up into the air, sam rolled her eyes at his actions before getting interrupted by the young girls voice.

"bullshit! i'm not going with him!" the young girl spat, oh sam could tell they'd probably get on very well. but if she was going to do this. she couldn't care for the girl, not even a bit.

"ellie." marlene warned, ellie stepped closer to marlene with panic in her features. ellie's emotions weren't noticeable but they were to sam. sam noticed everything.

"how do you know them?" ellie asked, marlene looked over at sam. sam did not need everyone knowing how the two of them met. not some random fucking strangers.

"i was close with his brother, tommy. said if i was ever in trouble i could count on him" marlene looked back at ellie explaining how she knew the older man, sam looked at the man wondering if she was about to be a third wheel for the next however many days.

"was that before or after he left your little militia group?" the man challenged the talk about his brother, sam could tell it wasn't the easiest of topics for him.

"he left you too joel. he was a good man" marlene challenged, the woman moved to stand infront of the man who sam had just leant name is joel.

"look, just take her to the apartment wait for me there" sam ignored the two's conversation and looked back at ellie and marlene, this had to be done quickly. as soon at it got dark, they'd have to move.

"and her?" ellie asked looking at sam, sam took a deep breath hoping marlene wouldn't tell the group the truth about how she met the queen of the firefly's.

"i knew her best friend" sam felt a ounce of relief at the woman's words and nodded in agreement, sams story, sams past was something she never planned to share. the humanity she'd lost in the past 20 years was not something she would ever get back.

**

sam and ellie followed the other to adults back to joel's apartment, sam couldn't believe she was actually going through with this. at least she knew she could keep ellie safe better then the other two adults marlene had trusted her with.

walking into the apartment ellie and sam watched as tess slammed the door locking them inside the apartment so she could have a conversation with joel in private.

"what the fuck" the two locked inside the apartment exclaimed in unison. sam scoffed in annoyance at the immaturity of the two older adults as she took her backpack off walking over to the table and placing her backpack on it.

pulling her gun from her waistband she checked the clip ensuring it was fully loaded, ellie watched mesmerised by the weapon in the older woman's hands. sam always had a habit of being prepared that way she new what she could get herself out of.

"can i have a gun!?" ellie questioned, sam didn't look up from her gun tucking it back into her waistband and checking the one in her pack.

"no" sam answered bluntly, ellie walked across the room sitting on a chair against the window picking up an old book that was left on the windowsill.

"soo where are you from?" ellie questioned trying to find out some more information about the woman infront of her as sam tried to focus on what the other two adults were talking about on the other side of the door, sam looked over at ellie and sighed.

"chicago" sam answered bluntly again, trying her best not to converse with the kid too much. she was cargo. not something sam should care all that much about. ellie hummed flicking through a few more pages of the book before looking back up at sam.

"earlier, what you did with tess? why?" she asked, sam looked over at the kid. she needed marlene alive. but that wasn't the specific reason. sam had made a promise to herself, kids were to be protected. kids were the thing that made her feel particularly normal.

"i needed marlene alive" sam stated picking up her backpack and walking around the table to pull out a chair, to sit on getting the impression they'd be in here for a while.

just as ellie was about to press for more information the door opened, joel walking inside. sam wondered what made him agree to doing this, she couldn't deny he looked at least 10 years older then her, what would someone that age want smuggling.

"who's bill and frank?" sam asked having listened to parts of joel and tess's conversation from behind the door, joel walked over to the couch sitting down rubbing a hand over his face.

"the music, 60s is nothing new, 70s they have new stuff. what's 80s?" ellie asked standing up with the book she previously was reading. joel grunted from his seated position on the chair and stood up snatching the book from ellie's hands and throwing it on the table before laying down on the couch.

"what are you doing old man?" sam asked watching him get comfortable on the couch, he scoffed at her choice of words shuffling to
get comfortable.

"killin' time" he answered bluntly crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, ellie rolled her eyes grabbing the book from the table.

"what the hell am i supposed to do??" she questioned, sam just wanted this to all be over and done with she didn't want to waste time.

"i'm sure you'll figure it out" sam rolled her eyes the dislike she had for the man growing as she unzipped her pack pulling out a book she always had with her for moments like this.

a few hours had past, it was finally dark outside. sam was still reading, her patience wearing thin while waiting for tess to return. she didn't even notice joel had woken up, ellie's voice alerted her to the fact.

"you mumble while you're asleep" she spoke softly while glancing out of the window, sams head turning to see joel sitting up rubbing his eyes.

joel said nothing choosing to remain in silence, as ellie looked out the window. sam closed her book carefully tucking it back into her bag before ellie broke the silence again.

"you guys go outside a lot?" she asked, sam could tell she was scared of going outside. who wouldn't be especially if you didn't know that it was like.

" i guess" joel answered, ellie looked over at sam waiting for her to answer and sam nodded, sam spent the majority of her time outside of the walls of the QZ. outside was so freeing, the danger and adrenaline something that made sam feel human.

"when was the last time?"ellie asked looking between the two adults for some reassurance, sam looked over at joel waiting for his answer.

"maybe a year" sam shook her head expecting him to be outside more then that. this is really who marlene trusted this kid with.

"last week" sam saw the expression on joel's face change as his head shot to look at sam in disbelief she managed to get outside since the fedra patrols had doubled in recent months.

"so you guys know where to go? we're going to be okay?" ellie asked, sam nodded joel's eyes glued to sam his head filling with questions about the younger woman.

"yeah ellie, we're gonna be fine don't worry"