Who We Were (Abby Anderson x FemOC)

Chapter 2: The Stadium

 After 10 minutes of walking and tripping in relative silence, they reached the gate. They could only tell by an increase in noise, people yelling commands to others, discussing patrols, chatting about other Wolves. She tried to imagine the gate based on what they'd seen before. A giant, protective, cement gate from the olden days and, based on their way of operation, she'd guess with modern improvements. Even though they'd known it was a large community, the variety of voices still surprised Jess. She could barely believe that places like this could exist. Eventually, they were nudged through an entrance.

"Hey guys, what's up? New recruits?" a new voice asked. The implication made Jess feel more comfortable. If the blindfolds were standard procedure for recruits, then they weren't necessarily prisoners. It seemed they were at least relatively safe for now.

"We'll see," Lee said.

Before they knew it, they were being poked and prodded with various instruments they hadn't seen (or in their current, blindfolded state, heard) in years. The infection scans came back with a negative beep. Then, it seemed, the soldiers searched their packs. Jess knew it would be quick, considering that by this point in their trip, hers had about three things. Shit. Her journal. She listened hard for the rustling of pages and heard nothing like it, but found it surprising they'd respect her privacy. She tried to remember exactly what she'd written down about what Chris Marsh had told them.

Soundview Stadium in Seattle. Occidental Avenue. Should be highway signs that point in the right direction. Headquarters/main base for a group calling themselves the Washington Liberation Front. Took over after the FEDRA fall. Heavily armed. Lots of resources. Like an army. Owen Moore, former Firefly from a group in Salt Lake. Other members also at the stadium. Regrouping?

She remembered those cursory notes best and hoped she hadn't written anything inflammatory. Luckily, they hadn't much left behind at home, and certainly nothing that the Wolves would be interested in finding. Her earlier entries about their settlement beforehand were mostly filled with boring recaps of days and occasional visits from traders in the area. She didn't have any real friends back in Colorado, but she still didn't want to send in a militant group to pillage the community's resources. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anything a group this big would be interested in traveling all the way to Colorado for.

Still, she almost wished she hadn't brought the journal along at all, just in case. After the inspection, they were led, presumably, farther into the stadium. They made several turns and walked down a few different hallways. Everywhere they walked were voices, seemingly unconcerned by their appearance and going on about their regular business, as far as Jess could tell. Finally, they were guided to a stop.

"Hey," Lee said, apparently talking to someone new again. "Is Isaac around?"

"Uh... there was a meeting about tomorrow's patrols that started a little while ago, but he should be done soon, why?"
"Just some people he needs to talk to."

"Recruits?" the woman asked.

"It's a possibility," Lee said. Jess noted that this was the second time that someone had mentioned them being recruits. It seemed like a good sign, one that said that the people here weren't too violent or untrusting. If they had been, surely they'd have just been killed by now. But if recruiting was normal, they had a way better shot at making it out of this, whatever that meant.

But did they want to stay? When she'd brought up this possibility on the road, Ethan had simply shrugged and suggested they see what the Wolves were like. But would they have a choice to leave after this? After being brought inside? Jess doubted it but still wasn't sure how much she cared to choose right at this moment. They had nowhere else to go anyway besides back, and there wasn't much to go back to.

The woman was now whispering something to Lee. A few seconds later, the hushed conversation had come to a close.

"Okay...you two are gonna go sit and wait to talk to Isaac," Lee said.

"... Okay," Ethan said in a questioning tone.

"We're going to need to tie you up."

"But–" Ethan began.

"Just because I believe that you don't seem to have bad intentions, doesn't mean everyone does. It's not protocol to leave visitors, recruits, or whatever you are out in the open. We have other shit to worry about."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Ethan asked. "How do we know you'll let us out?"

"You don't, but if I have any say in it, we will," Lee said. She paused, seeming to wait for their agreement. Somewhere below all her annoyance and unease, Jess appreciated that Lee didn't point out the obvious: she and Ethan had no other option but to agree in the first place.

"Okay," Jess said simply, eliciting a sharp inhale from Ethan. And they were led to what they could only assume was a cell. She was half tempted to ask for the blindfold to be removed but knew it would be futile.