chapter two   /     shallow waters
(  ep one    /    season one.  )

Gunshots rang out in the bellowing hallways that could barely sustain the people standing on it. Isabella dropped to a crouched position, slowly making her way towards the chained teenager who looked back and forth between her and the door.

"What's happening?" Ellie whispered, allowing Isabella to unlock her chains and taking notice of how soft her hands seemed to be compared to the rest of the world. Her touch so light it barely registered in her mind.

"I don't know." She mumbled, her voice as light as her touch.

After unlocking the chain, Isabella pulled her hands away from Ellie's as if she'd burned her, but stood in front of her in a protective stance. Hand on her side, hovering over her gun and watching the door like a hawk.

The two held their breaths when the gunfire stopped abruptly, the mumbling of voices from a distance being the only thing to discern from the deafening silence that permeated the room.

Ellie stood up slowly and hovered over Isabella's right arm. "What do we do now-"

"Shh..." Isabella cut her off, straining her ears to hear something, anything.

"We have to do something." Ellie whispered again but was met with silence. She sighed and leaned back, her hand slowly leaning toward the book bag behind her back.

Her nimble hands gripped her trusted pocket knife and pushed past Isabella, despite her attempt to grab the sleeve of her shirt, it remained in vain as Ellie yanked open the door and was immediately shoved into a wall. The back of the man was the only thing she could she and still, she knew.

"Joel!" Whipping around at the sound of the voice, Joel was quickly met with a gun to the face by the woman he loves.

His eyes flickered between the fallen teen and his wife- er ex-wife in confusion. Ultimately, he turned his attention towards a beaten down Marlene. The worst he'd ever seen her look.

Ellie seemed to only now notice the firefly's state. "Oh shit!"

"No, it's okay. I'll be all right. And you can't be stupid like this." Marlene reprimanded her softly.

"So this is who Robert screwed us over with? The Che Guevara of Boston?" Tess spoke up. "I mean, war must be goin' pretty shitty for you to be buying from scumbags like him."

"Yeah, it kinda has been. The merch was bad, and he obviously didn't take "fuck off" for an answer."

"Gimme my knife." Ellie said, going unnoticed by the other adults besides Isabella, who now stood closer to the doorway next to Joel upon lowering her gun.

"What do you need a car battery for?" The man questioned, his peripheral vision catching the movement of the young girl leaning forward for her knife. "Don't." He switched his safety off and pointed it in her direction.

Before she could consciously move, her body shifted next to Joel's outstretched arm, her hand pushing the top of the weapon downward and away from Ellie. She didn't say anything but their eyes met in a heated conversation that nobody could understand but them.

"Not at her. Point it at me." Marlene interrupted, causing the man to focus on her again. "And to answer your question, I need it for a better reason than you do. No offense, but Tommy's just one man." Joel's angry but surprised expression said everything. "It's our business to know things."

"To know things? You're the cause of it. You turned my own brother against me." He argued

"Okay, Joel." She nodded nonchalantly and shook her head clearly not about to engage in more conflict than necessary.

"That was a lot of gunfire. FEDRA's gonna be on the way." The shorter woman whispered to Marlene

"I know." The leader bit her lip in concentration, eyes lighting up with a last minute idea. "We were gonna move Ellie outta the zone tonight. But we won't make it anywhere like this. Not for a while anyway. So now I'm thinkin'... you're gonna do it."

"The hell we are." Joel protested

"I'm not goin' with them!" Ellie cried

"Let me take her." The other firefly pleaded

"Tess... we don't have time for this."

"Oh, you don't have time?" Marlene quipped sarcastically

"Who is she?"

"To you? She's cargo."

"We don't smuggle people. Sorry."

"I can do it."

"Kim, you don't have a fuckin' ear on your fuckin' head. Could you please?" She cursed.

"I'll do it." Isabella spoke up, all parties now focusing on her. "Marlene-"

"There's a team of Fireflies waiting for her at the old State House. I know what's out there. We were going with an entire squadron for that very reason. But now I don't have a truck, I don't have a squadron, FEDRA's five minutes away. What I do have is you. Three of you." All parties shifted uncomfortably.  "And I know what you're all capable of. For better or worse. The killers and the healer, what better option do I have?"

"What are they capable of?" Ellie mumbled, looking between everyone in the room.

"You get her there safely, and they'll give you what you need. Not just a battery. The whole thing. Fueled-up truck, guns, supplies, all of it. Isabella, you go with them make sure Ellie gets there unharmed and when the time comes...maybe you'll get a promotion."

"Wait-"

"Done." Isabella agreed, ignoring Joel's interruption.

"Joel, I swear." Marlene's usually serious eyes turned desperate. "I swear."

Taking the distracted moment, Ellie once more attempt to grab the knife under the boot. Cursing Joel when he slid it behind him. Joel gave Isabella a longing glance but stepped back to speak to Tess in hushed whispers, turning away from them, Isabella held out her hand for Ellie to take and pulled her up to a standing position.

Although she didn't say it verbally, Ellie could see Belle's light brown eyes gliding through her body, checking for any injuries before nodding to herself and shoving her gun in her back pocket, putting some distance between them.

"Y'all talk it through, but please remember that I'm bleeding out."

Joel stepped away from Tess. "Okay. Here's the deal. We'll get her to your crew at the State House. But before we hand her over, they give us everything that we want. If not, we kill her, there and then." Isabella's face remained neutral but the urge to roll her eyes was near overwhelming. Joel's protective nature vs his morality never failed to shine through.

"Deal." Marlene agrees.

"Really? That fast?" Ellie asked incredulously.

"You are all that matters. My team will not jeopardize that. Remember what I told you?" The leaders eyes zeroed in on the doctor, a mutual understanding. "Now go get your backpack. Now, Ellie. Let's go."

The teenager complied...rather reluctantly and pushed Joel's shoulder as she passed him, silently gaining a snippet of Isabella's respect.

"Joel..." Marlene captured his attention once more, her desperation now blending with warning, "don't fuck this up. Please. Isabella, well, I trust you. It'll do you good to remember that."

Her eyebrows scrunched together for a split second before returning to their natural state, although her eyes held suspicion, she nodded gently. Isabella could feel Joel's gaze against her cheek, though she did not reciprocate it. As much as she pulled away from him, looking into the eyes of Joel Miller was a certified way to end up drowning in the shallow waters of his being.