Notes: Post-Game, but not by much. A few days, a week, a month, take your pick; it's a bit inconsequential.

The Protector

“Sleeping on the job, Private?” That voice could send chills down anyone's spine. The Rubinelle man in charge of guarding the front door of the base is no exception.

Suddenly, he's awake and on his feet, “No ma'am!” Lie, he was half asleep on his chair when she had startled him. A couple seconds pass before he remembers to salute, even though he can't see his Commander. Unlike other soldiers on base, he is not wearing a combat helmet; so his buzz cut brown hair is completely visible to any onlookers.

Of course, Lin has probably been watching him, but that thought crosses his mind after he lies to her, “Since you find guard duty so boring, maybe you'd like something more interesting?” As she speaks, she moves around from behind him to his front. When she stops, she turns and looks him in the eye. That gaze would make a lesser man wet himself.

Despite the fact that he can keep his pants dry, the rifleman turned guard just can't form a yes or no quickly enough; both sound like wrong answers in his head. Even though he has served in battle before, he doesn't want to get sent back by answering improperly. The major war may be over, but there are probably other raiders out there willing to take a shot at Brenner's Wolves, despite their reputation. Even some of the bravest soldiers don't want to sign up for another tour of duty when they can serve their country without getting shot at.

A few, short seconds pass, “Come with me, soldier.” Not quite the answer he had been expecting, but he carried out the order anyway.

He doesn't get to answer again, but he follows her anyway. He has to hustle a little to keep up with her, because she is walking very quickly. Luckily, the way to the main security room is short. She enters the code, then steps inside.

Before he can enter as well, the normal security team scrambles out at her command. Knowing that this is a matter of urgency, the Private rushes in and stands at attention. Maybe she won't make his punishment too bad, though if it's going to take place in here, it will be quite unorthodox.

“At ease. If I wanted you to do that, I would have yelled so loud that your D.I. would sound like a librarian by comparison. Sit and watch monitor #6, Evans.” The dark haired commander orders, as she messes with some of the controls.

A little amazed that she called him by last name instead of rank, he complies. The screen is blank for a few seconds, then a black and white security feed shows Will, Isabella, and a little girl walking through the base. The time stamp shows that it is from yesterday. The soldier observing this past image is only familiar with the first two. The youngest is carrying a bear in one arm and holding the older female's hand with the other. Occasionally, she tugs, as if halfheartedly trying to get loose.

“That little girl is a security risk, but Will refuses to allow her to be contained. She may not be a combat ready soldier, but she knows how to use weapons; Caulder surely taught her that much.”

Evans knew that all too well; Tabitha had shot five soldiers, killing four, before she escaped the HQ that she made her last stand at. He had been the fifth soldier and the bullet had been stopped by his body armor. If she hadn't been on the run, she might have gotten off another shot and killed him. They never captured her, though reinforcements came quickly enough to secure the building before it could be retaken.

“If Penny isn't a danger to others, she's definitely a danger to herself. She needs as much protection, herself, as others might need from her. That's where you come in.” She pauses and the soldier sitting before her stands and turns to face her.

“Yes, ma'am?”

“You've been a Private since the meteors hit, right?”

He nods.

“Well, you certainly have proven yourself...or so the records are wrong. Whether through luck or skill, you have survived ten battles in which you served on or near the frontlines, or at least your record says so.” Lin states.

As any good soldier would, he remains silent; he knows his commander is about to get to the point.

“Consider this an opportunity, then. Guard her and I'll see that the next promotion is yours. Refuse and I'll let you go about your business and some other lucky soldier will get your promotion. You'll have to go back to that boring posting at the door, by the way.”

Such a promotion could take a little while, especially with the system still processing casualties of the final battle. There had been some mutterings about Penny around the base, but he had learned not to take rumors seriously, “I'll take the job, Ma'am.” Anything, he wagers, will be better than eight hours of guard duty everyday until his term of service is up.

She sounds satisfied by that answer, though her expression remains just as cold, “I thought you'd say that. Ten minutes from now, wait down by the front entrance to the mess hall. Stop by the armory to turn in your pistol. Dismissed.”

The final part of the order shocks him, because relinquishing his weapon, for any reason at all, sounds like a mistake. When he doesn't leave immediately, she raises an eyebrow at him. Before she can say anything, he about-faces and quickly heads for the door.

“Wait. Take this.”

When he turns around, he sees her holding a knife, in its sheath, toward him. He takes it, feeling a little bit of confidence returning to him. Though he had not been formerly trained in the use of a knife, it is a fairly simple device to understand.

“If she becomes a threat to anyone, use whatever means necessary to stop her. I will ensure that you are protected from punishment if it comes to that. Now, you're dismissed.” She remains behind in the room, watching him as he leaves.

After surrendering his pistol to the armory supervisor and returning to his bunkroom, he takes the holster off and places the knife sheath on his belt in the same spot. Satisfied with the arrangement, he arrives at the mess hall just in time.

Will and Lin arrive by themselves, no other soldiers or officers are in the area.

Naturally, the Private salutes when they arrive.

After all salutes are given and the soldier is permitted to be at ease, the raven haired commander gestures to him, “This is the soldier I was telling you about: Private Evans, his combat experience speaks for itself. He has served in combat many times and has protected civilians in worse circumstances.”

The male officer looks apprehensive for a moment, then speaks up, “I don't think she needs a personal guard. The distribution of soldiers that we have for civilians already should be enough.”

“Sir, with all due respect, Penny is a special case. Unlike other civilians around here, she has several mental disorders and you refuse to have her confined for treatment.”

“That's true, but what if-”

“Evans has been trained for this; I saw to that myself.” The aforementioned soldier resists the urge to look at her incredulously. He didn't expect Lin to lie to make sure that this went through. While he does have experience, he has no formal training. More over, he is concerned that the other commander would want to see that training in action.

Will seems to consider this for a moment, before addressing the non-officer directly, “If Penny isn't happy with you being around, for any reason, you are to immediately leave her alone. We have soldiers around the base for a reason and I really don't think this is necessary...but if Lin does, I'll allow it. If anything goes wrong, you report it to me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, come with me. I'll take this from here, Lin.”

Lin nods, salutes and walks away. The young cadet turned officer leads the way to the sector of the base where civilians, survivors, and other noncombatants are kept.

All of a sudden, the commander stops, turns around, and states to him, “Be kind to her; crazy or not, she's just a kid. She's in there.” Again, Will turns around and points to the door in front of her, “Good luck.”

“Thank you, sir.” As those words leave his lips, the Private's superior leaves and, seconds later, rounds a corner.

Carefully, the soldier walks up to the door and knocks, “Penny?” The door slides open, most likely controlled by some sort of internal release.

Isabella answers the door, not Penny, “Hello. Why are you here, sir?”

“I have received orders to guard Penny. I was told this is her room.” Evans answers honestly, a little bit confused now.

The uncertainty shows, in both her voice and tone, as she answers, “Well...all right. Come-”

A cheerful voice calls from within, “Tee hee! Who's at the door smelly jacket lady?”

“A friend.” The older of the two females answers as she backs out of the doorway and gives a sign for the soldier to come in.

From what he can see, the room is only a step above the accommodations that soldiers possess. It has mostly gray colors, just like a lot of the other rooms of the base, and there's a poster on the wall of a flowery landscape. From what he can see, the Isabella had been reading a book, while her sister had been...sitting on her cot...with nothing but that stuffed bear.

Her eyes light up as she sees him, “He's a soldier! Things going to go boom now?”

Another chill runs down his spine; she associates soldiers with explosions and explosions with fun! Maybe accepting this job had been a mistake...

“No, Penny, no boom. He's here to make sure you don't get hurt.”

“Mr. Bear does that.” She smiles as she says that, content as ever.

Isabella thinks for a moment, then says, “Mr. Bear asked for him to come and help keep you safe.”

The child laughs a little bit, “Mr. Bear didn't say that, he says you're lying! He doesn't hate you, though, so it's okay.” Then she bursts into giggles, as if laughing at a joke that only she could hear.

For a moment, the soldier seems content to allow this happen, but then remembers a part of his orders that would allow him to get out of this while he still can, scot-free. He has dealt with children before, so he knows a little bit about how to communicate with them. Getting down on their level, sometimes helps.

Evans kneels down where he is and speaks to her from halfway across the room, “Does Mr. Bear want me to leave?” Mentally, he crosses his fingers and prays for the best.

That question elicits nothing but silent confusion from Penny. She holds the stuffed animal out in front of her and looks at it, as if listening to it. The 'discussion' is a bit on the long side, as she nods, shakes her head, and sometimes even mutters back to it. Once or twice, she even turns the toy around so that it can 'look' at him.

Then, she holds it close to herself again, looking back at the male visitor, “Mr. Bear says he doesn't hate you...and you'll help keep me safe.”

The brown haired young man smiles gently, though on the inside he's slapping himself in the head for not just taking her original apprehension as a reason to leave, “All right, then. I'll guard the door, then...if you need me or want to go somewhere, please feel free to ask.” Being in their quarters with them would probably make all parties involved uncomfortable.

Before he gets out of the door, “Stop! Mr. Bear wants play! Is there a place to play, sister?”

Isabella contemplates things for a moment, before saying, “I think I know a place...”

Minutes later, they were in a part of the compound that Evans hasn't seen before. It is like an old, large gymnasium, with a wide and long room and a very high ceiling, but it has some playground equipment in it. Judging by the condition, it had to have been manufactured recently... It's just another reminder; without the war, the factories can go back to making things for the good of society. That makes him a little happier...

Most notable are the slides, swings, merry-go-rounds, and, of course, the kids. There are only a few dozen of them present, but he knows that isn't all of them. At least now, they're happy and their parents are too; the adults present aren't all looking around nervously or chattering about dark topics. From here, only a few are actually close enough to see well, but they look content.

He doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary as he watches Penny run to one of the slides, climb to the top, and slide down. He even smiles a little bit, because he had expected her to do something crazy or to antagonize one of the other children. Quite the opposite, however, she seems to behaving normally, aside from talking to her bear. For one moment, he lets his guard down and looks back to Isabella, who is joyful that her sister is having a good time.

The soldier gives her a nod and tells her that it's okay if she leaves. The cloned girl thanks him, reminds him to bring her back when she's done playing, and does so, not even glancing back at her sister. When she's gone, he looks back to the little girl and...she's gone!

It seems that he took his eyes off of her for a moment too long.

“Damn it.” On the inside, he's frantic, but he maintains a somewhat calm exterior as he scans the surrounding area for her. The fact that the playground seems rather empty now, save for a large gathering of people a fair distance away from him, makes it difficult. He decides to move around and try to get a better view. When he gets within several meters, he sees a bunch of children, and a couple adults, crowding around something, at the distant end of the room, with the center of the crowd near a jungle gym of sorts. Those parents and children that aren't involved are few, but they are staying out of the way.

“You're ugly!” “Beat up the freak!” “She killed my daddy!”

That is just what he hears over the rest of the crowd and the fact that parents are urging them on alarms him even further. Only thinking about what will happen if he doesn't intervene, the Private dashes at the group. As he rushes into the crowd, he knocks several children, and one adult, aside. Finally getting to the center, he stops and catches sight of Penny, collapsed on the floor.

“Get back! Get back!” He can't throw punches at the children, but he can push them away and try to shield his charge. Despite his presence and his efforts, the attacks keep coming. With no way of calling for back-up, he's between a rock and a hard place.

“Where are the soldiers who are supposed to guard this area?”

A quick survey of the room reveals that none are around...and a feeling of hopelessness descends upon him. Is there no one that will help him? The adults and children that aren't participating are doing nothing to assist!

Some of the children are smaller than others, but quite a few of the blows still hurt him. Determined to not let himself be beaten by people cowardly enough to have their children attack another child, he tries to pick up the fallen girl.

From a crouch, Evans tries to get a good hold of her and protect her at the same time. He looks down at her, for a moment, among the chaos, and is shocked by the state she's in. She's curled up in a fetal position and weeping. Judging by her apparent wounds, she wouldn't survive another minute or two if left in the middle of this. The brown haired man feels anger rise up in him; even if she is crazy, she never deserved this.

“Drop her, bastard!” He looks up from where he is and sees a rather tall and large man coming at him. Thankfully, the crowd works against him, as he tries to step through without hurting any of the children in his way.

Thinking fast, the bodyguard rises to his feet and tries to carry the fallen girl out of the crowd, away from the burly aggressor. The children try to impede his progress, but he is too strong and pushes them out of the way. Some of them may be hurt, but they brought it upon themselves. As he reaches the edge of the crowd, again, he sprints for the door. Now there are no children to hold him back and the adults that might try to impede his progress are still trying to get through the crowd.

He makes it out, barely, and rushes for help...

Dr. Morris's isn't able to get even one joke out after he sees the state of the girl and the humorless expression of the soldier. Fortunately, the civilians chasing him weren't able to keep up. The white haired girl is unconscious by the time she gets to the medical center and is laid on a cot. The doctor examines her for a short while and, thankfully, finds that none of the wounds were very serious.

The door slides open and, out of instinct, Evans whirls around and draws the knife, ready to fight.

A familiar face glares at him, “Put that away, Private.”

Unlike before, she doesn't frighten him very much, “Sorry, ma'am.” He carefully puts the blade back in its sheath.

“So, it is true...” The door opens behind her, but Lin doesn't stop talking and she didn't get any less angry looking, “How did it happen? Did you get bored and fall asleep again? You were supposed to watch her and protect her.” She doesn't raise her voice, but her tone becomes more critical as she goes on.

“That's enough, Lin.” Comes a no-nonsense voice from the entrance, “This civilian has something to say on the matter.” With him is a well-endowed, blonde young woman in a tube top and skirt that shows off a little too much. Even in these circumstances, the non-officer still is tempted to look upon her body. Luckily, he tears away his gaze before anyone really thinks he's staring.

“Commander Gage!” With the army hybridized now, a soldier has to salute their Commander, regardless of who is Rubinelle or Lazurian.

“At ease. Ma'am, please tell them what you saw.”

“Well, like, I saw that kid trying to swing and, like, some boy came up and punched her. She tried to run, but then someone tripped her, then they all got around her and started yelling...it happened real fast. Then, that guy, the soldier standing there, ran into the crowd and, like, got her out. If he didn't run so fast, he would have gotten beat up too...can I go now?”

“Yes, that's all we need from you.” With that, the woman walks out of the room, “And there you have it. If anyone's at fault, it's the people. Nothing from that woman's testimony suggests that this man did anything but what he was ordered to.”

“How did they mob her, then?” Lin calms down, but she doesn't get out of interrogator mode just yet, “You were supposed to guard her, Private.”

He sighs and shakes his head, “I was watching her and...” He wants to lie or try to make himself sound less negligent, but he doesn't, “I lost sight of her for several seconds. When I found her again, she was in the crowd...it all happened so quickly...I did fail, I'm sorry.”

The two officers seem to consider this, until they are thrown from their thoughts by a yelp from across the room.

Penny's bodyguard turns around to find the little girl sitting on the cot, looking around frantically. Dr. Morris backs away from her, sporting a couple of scratches to the face. Apparently, he had been examining her when she came too.

The raven haired commander draws her sidearm, but doesn't point it at anything but the ground. At this range, it won't take her long to raise it and fire off an accurate shot, anyway.

“Penny?” Evans takes a chance and moves forward a little bit, even as the Doctor backs away.

She looks up at him and makes a sound that sounds like a hybrid of a whine and a whimper. Then she continues glancing this way and that, trying to locate something.

“Penny, it's all right, we're here. No one's going to hurt you.” He takes a few more steps toward her.

She shakes her head and starts crying, realizing that what she's looking for isn't here.

“Penny, no one's going to hurt you.” Now he's only a couple meters away.

Finally, Penny sobs and speaks at the same time, getting out only one intelligible word: Bear.

He turns away from her for a moment and, unintentionally, orders the two commanders, “Find her bear.”

If either of the two object to being addressed like that, they don't say anything.

Now that he's next to her, he gets down on his knees beside her cot, “It's all right, Penny, they're finding Mr. Bear. I'll stay here until someone gets him.” He holds out a hand to her and speaks softly, “I'll keep you safe, just like he wanted me to.”

She can't hold back her tears or talk very clearly, but the last word is intelligible, “...promise?”

He pulls her into a hug, “I promise.”

Notes: That's it, one shot and all that. I hope you review and thanks for reading. I may have made Penny less insane than she is in the game and Lin a little more hard-line, but I did my best to keep everyone in character.