Frank had an uncharacteristic, genuine smile today. Why shouldn't he? The last three days since their return from their mission had been amazing.
Today, Ana was tossing toys back and forth with him as he relaxed on the couch he was provided in his quarters. Nobody had come to bother him outside of the occasional friendly visit from Elara, Max, or Leo, and he was enjoying every minute of the downtime.
They had been playing for the last hour, and their laughter filled the corridors of the complex with a happy atmosphere.
"Catch, Daddy!" Ana squealed, tossing a plush dragon in his direction. Frank faked not being able to catch it, feigning a loss of balance as he toppled backward.
"You got me!" he exclaimed, making a theatrical show of playing dead.
Ana giggled, her eyes sparkling. "You're silly! You can't get knocked over, you have super strength!"
"Ah, but your dragon truly is mighty, even I cannot withstand its force!" Frank replied dramatically, mocking an intense battle with the toy.
Their joyous laughter continued until a knock on the door startled them both.
"Frank! Ana! Are you in there?" Elara's voice called from the other side, like a housewife calling her children in for dinner.
Despite her teasing tone, she was obviously here on business.
"Uh oh. Looks like I need to answer a summons, my liege. Forgive this lousy knight," Frank teased, putting on a mock-serious expression, while Ana giggled.
Before he got to the door, he felt a tug at his arm.
"Can I come with you?" she pleaded, eyes wide with excitement.
He ruffled her hair affectionately. "You've got to stay here, buttercup. This is superhero business. I'll be back soon."
"Okay," she said as her expression dropped, "but as your princess, I demand you hurry back!"
"Yes, my liege," Frank gave a small bow as he moved to open the door.
On the other side, he found Elara standing there, her expression turning soft when she saw Ana tugging at his sleeve. "Hi Ana! I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to borrow your daddy for a minute, okay?"
"Okay, but you gotta bring him back soon!" Ana puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to do that." After Ana went back to her toys, Elara turned to Frank with a more serious expression. "We have a briefing, I'll lead the way."
"Great, another mission?" he replied, his expression dropping.
"Yeah, Arlo will explain everything when we get there. Max, Leo, and Jason are waiting," she said, leading the way down the corridor.
When they arrived, the group gathered around Commander Arlo in the briefing room, a space that felt more like a war room than anything else. Maps were strewn across the table, and a projector displayed the layout of a nearby location.
"Thank you for coming, everyone," Arlo began as he mentally confirmed everyone was in attendance. "We have a situation. There is a prison nearby that has been in distress for quite some time. We've received reports of a significant outbreak of monsters. They're currently besieging the facility, and they won't last much longer."
"Hold on just a second," Frank interjected, frowning as he crossed his arms, "You're asking us to go risk our lives to save a prison? You know, the place we keep criminals?"
"Frank might be right," Leo chimed in uncertainly. "Why save a bunch of people who probably deserve to be there?"
Frank felt a slight pain in his chest at Leo's comment. He thought of one particular inmate, the one who had taken Jasmine from him. There was no question in his mind that some criminals deserved to die gruesome deaths.
Max clearly was bothered by something and countered back, "You can't say that, Leo. People make mistakes; that doesn't mean they deserve to die!"
Max thought of the families these prisoners had. How could they explain to a survivor that they didn't believe their father, mother, sister, son, etc. deserved to be saved?
Arlo continued, ignoring the tension in the room. "While you're correct that there are certainly dangerous individuals within, we also believe there may be civilian staff and their families inside, people who fled to the fortified prison for their own safety. This isn't just about criminals; this is about everyone within."
Elara nodded thoughtfully at Arlo's words. "Even if it's only a handful of innocent people, it's worth the risk to save them. It's our duty to protect everyone; we can't be judgmental in this situation."
Frank clenched his jaw, trying to keep his anger in check. "But some of those criminals are dangerous, Elara! If we bring them back to the complex, how can we be sure they won't just endanger the lives of the people already here?"
Leo crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. "He makes a good point. Not every criminal deserves a second chance."
Elara shot them both a frustrated look. "But what if some do? We could get back valuable resources, information, and, most importantly, people! You're telling me you don't think the military knows how to handle dangerous personnel?"
Jason leaned against the wall, watching the exchange with an amused expression. "I gotta ask, why waste time? Let 'em die, and we won't have to deal with them ever again. Saves us resources, makes more zombies for us to hunt, and if the system works for the monsters like it works for us, it'll make the monsters that end them even more fun for us!"
Frank paused, processing Jason's last points.
He had never thought about it too much, but the system said ALL creatures of maturity underwent evolution. Did that mean that these monsters grew stronger by killing humans and each other? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
It didn't explain some details, but in Frank's mind, the theory was all but confirmed.
'If we assume that is the case, can we afford to let these monsters level up?' It was a given that any groups still surviving at this point had to have leveled up to some degree. If they let the monsters kill the people in this prison, they might become too strong for them to handle.
"Every moment we waste matters," Max added, breaking the silence. "Whatever we're going to do, we need to decide quickly, or else we might not have a choice soon."
"I think we need to go," Frank finally caved. "If Jason is right about the monsters leveling up, we need to avoid letting them get stronger any chance we have."
For a moment, Jason seemed to be slightly panicked before calming himself. "What if they turn out to be dangerous and start attacking us as soon as we get back? How much damage could they do? Who's going to pay if they do? Will it be you, Frank?"
Frank gritted his teeth, feeling torn. He didn't like Jason, but he brought up solid concerns that couldn't exactly be ignored.
"You can't save everyone," Jason pressed, leaning toward Frank. "You know that, right? People are going to die, that's the world we're in now. It might as well be the people who have it coming."
The thought lingered in Frank's mind, Jason's words hit painfully close to home. He could think of at least one person who had it coming, and he was sure there were others.
"Frank!" Elara yelled, bringing him back to reality. "We aren't judges: if we cross that line, who's going to keep us in check? 'You deserve to die, you deserve to live,' we're not gods. All we know is by letting them die, we might make our real enemy stronger while letting innocents die alongside them."
"She's right, you know," Arlo interjected, "we're here to save lives. This isn't just about their pasts; it's about what we can do right now. It's a dangerous game you're playing, judging who is worthy to be saved. Why stop at criminals? What about cheaters? Liars? Jaywalkers? Where do you draw the line?"
Frank took a deep breath, holding his head as he tried to process everyone's arguments. These were the same kind of people who had killed Jasmine, but...
"Commander, I-" Frank began hesitantly, the words caught in his throat.
"I know this is difficult for you," Arlo said, approaching him with an uncharacteristically soft expression. "But we're doing the right thing. Just because we're saving their lives doesn't mean we're pardoning their crimes."
Frank balled his fists. He didn't like it, but he couldn't deny Arlo's words. Besides, if Jason thought they should leave them to die, then it was probably a good idea to save them.
"Okay," he said, finally giving in. "I'll help."
Leo was still unsure, but he ultimately decided.
"I trust you, Frank. If you're in, I'm in." he stepped toward the rest of the group.
Jason was clearly upset; he was now the odd man out. Pulling at his hair, he finally walked over.
"You guys are all idiots, but fine. I'm not going to be left behind as you have all the fun by yourselves."
Frank looked around; it looked like everyone was in agreement.
"Well, now that all that is settled, where to, Commander?"
Arlo breathed out with relief before addressing the group. "Thank you for your cooperation. The location in question is Ravenswood Penitentiary."
Time seemed to freeze, and Frank felt as if the air had been knocked from his lungs.
"I-I'm sorry, Commander, could you repeat that?" he managed, his determination wavering.
The room fell into a hush. He was now the center of attention. Frank's reaction didn't make any sense given his earlier resolve.
"Ravenswood Penitentiary," Arlo repeated, just as confused as the others.
Cold realization filled Frank as the name echoed in his mind like thunder.
"Frank, are you okay?" Elara ran over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I-I'll be fine," he managed, lying through his teeth.
'It had to be that prison. Of all the prisons in the world, it just HAD to be that one.' Frank's luck stat almost seemed to glow menacingly. This was cruel, even for this sadistic, messed-up world.
Ravenswood Penitentiary was the place where John White was imprisoned, the place where Jasmine had built her career.
And the place where John had taken her from him.