inFAMOUS - Young Ones

Epilogues

Epilogue:Jeffrey:True Hero

I woke up in a hospital room somewhere, guards standing by the doorway. Images of the fight flashed through my mind, the sound of metal and rock still slicing my ears. Slicing… wait, why did my hand feel numb. When I looked down, I gagged. My hand had been sliced clean off, I remembered then and there. Desperate for a fix, I tried to shut my eyes tightly, rocks rotating around my arms as I panicked. It had to be a dream, it just had to be.

But when I opened my eyes, all of what came with capturing my friend - the sorrow, grief, and the lack of a right hand, It was all still there. 

I sighed, and covered my face with my good hand, and forced myself not to cry. It had to be done… for the good of the people, right? I just… I didn’t realise how alone I was without Zach. 

Augustine came in, and I wiped any tears away from my face. She pointed to my torn jacket, then my stub on my arm. “I’m… surprised, really. You know, I was expecting it to be two sided - Zach getting caught, and you getting killed. But you managed to persist… how?”

“It’s a passive ability thing. Reduces the pain I feel, reduces the damage I take, stuff like that. I call it the Strength of Stone ability… it didn’t protect me from that, though,” I said darkly, pointing to my stump. Augustine, to my suprise, wiped her eyes. 

“It’s a shame. You had to encase your best friend - your closest ally… It was the only way, even if it was hard. I had to suffer the same way, you know,” She added, nodding almost for me. “The struggle you must have been so furious with yourself… you must be plagued with grief.”

It’s like she was reading me like a book. I was shocked, my eyes wide as my commanding officer asked, “How do you want me to protect that girl?”

“I… I want you to make sure the D.U.P doesn’t touch her or her family… Please.” I begged her, my eyes growing wet yet again. She nodded, smiling warmly.

“Consider it done… Commander.” She said calmly, and this caused me to blink. I had gotten the offer to lead alongside her, but I didn’t think it would happen. I thought she would find someone better, someone more capable. “Your family will be taken care of, obviously. We’ll get right on getting you a prosthetic for your hand while you recover.”

I held my only hand up, shaking my head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got an idea…”

She nodded her hand, looking almost shocked that I pulled that off. “That is… shocking, nonetheless. I’m very impressed, Mr. Makowiecki.”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “Anyways, I, uh… want to know Zach is, um… Contained, so I was wondering if-”

“Trust me, he’s in the most secure prison cell that ISN’T Curdun Cay.” Augustine said, holding her hand up. “Just… make sure you keep a close eye when checking with our security. 

I smiled, and nodded. “Good… Thank you, Miss Augustine.”

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I had nightmares about the encounter for weeks. Was it the right thing to do, encasing him in stone thicker than even concrete? I couldn’t be sure if I was ever going to even see Zach again, or rebuild any bonds, but even then, I still felt guilty for betraying him. I didn’t even have to join the stupid D.U.P to encase him… would joining him have been a better option? Would trying to redeem him be any better? What if I was the bad guy? These questions would never be answered, constantly floating in my mind. 

The day I got out of the hospital, I visited Zach. I wore a black and yellow trench coat, a black glove over my stone hand. The guards opened the cage doors almost immediately upon my entrance, saluting me. Is this the kind of government official I was? Was it out of respect, or fear?