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Right Side of Rock Bottom

Summary:

Hope County Sheriff's Department's newest deputy, Kenna Bishop, had a habit of running away from her problems throughout her life. Whenever things got hard or complicated, she would leave. But when the world goes to hell during a botched arrest, she's forced to confront one of those problems she never thought she'd have to face again. And this time, instead of running, she'll have to confront it. This time, she just might have to say yes...
(Currently re-writing to make it first person instead of third person - most of it has been edited and just needs to be uploaded, so stay tuned!)

Notes:

I was inspired to write this by my love/borderline obsession for the Far Cry 5 game and all of the amazing writers who have already written FC5 fics on this site! The story is mainly focused on my female deputy, and I've made up a bunch of backstories for many of the game characters as well since I would have loved for them to have been a bit more fleshed out.

(Obvious disclaimer that I don't own Far Cry 5, any of the characters other than my original characters, etc etc etc.)

Chapter 1: The World Is Gonna End Tonight

Summary:

The Rookie is left out of an important strategy meeting.

Chapter Text

“If you’re watching this, then you already know what’s happening.” He was running, terror evident in his eyes as beads of sweat from the exertion dripped down his forehead to his goatee. “Eden’s Gate is here. They’re real. I don’t know what they’re trying to do. They’re taking people. They have Linny, they have Sara. Not sure what’s going to happen to us, but please - don’t forget about us. Don’t forget about them. Come stop them. Please-”

His next plea was interrupted by a single, high-caliber gunshot. The man’s face contorted in pain and disappeared a fraction of a second later, replaced by a mixture of dirt, dead grass, and leaves. There was no further movement on the screen. A different voice, muffled by the soil in which the live-streaming cell phone had landed, could be heard in the background over the man’s pained groans.

“Do not fear, my son. You will be cleansed of your sins, and you will join me in Eden.” The video cut to black just after the beginning of a guttural scream.

Joey Hudson turned her head, eyes wide as she watched United States Marshal Cameron Burke turn off the projector and stride to the front of the conference room, his forearms finding a comfortable position to rest on the podium in front of him. Deputy Hudson and the other three members of the Hope County Sheriff’s Department who were present for this spontaneous gathering sat in stunned silence; if faces were physically able to change color, theirs would certainly have matched the forest green of their uniform shirts.

She turned to her right at the sound of accelerated breathing to see Nancy, who seemed to be overly affected by the shocking video. Nancy’s pulse was rapid, visible in her wrinkled neck above the hand that trembled as she literally - and figuratively - clutched at her pearls. Her lips were pressed together tighter than the many times she tsked at Joey's plunging tanktop worn beneath her frequently unbuttoned deputy shirt.

Well bless her heart, Joey mockingly thought, imitating Nancy’s southern drawl in her mind. She was secretly thankful that the sexagenarian was past her prime and reduced to sitting in the dispatcher’s chair. Judging by what the video had managed to capture evidence of, Old Nancy had far too delicate of a composition to assist in this matter, whatever this matter would end up being; Burke had yet to explain anything. He had simply strutted into the building and introduced himself, demanding that Sheriff Whitehorse and any available deputies join him in this room.

The rookie should probably be here, too, she mused, feeling guilty for a moment - but only a moment - for sending her new partner to get everyone coffee. Shrugging the guilt off almost immediately, Joey reasoned that she would have plenty of time to fill her in upon her return. Caffeine was a must right now, unless they wanted to fall asleep soon after this meeting tonight.

“This is your jurisdiction, folks,” Burke began, his pale eyes stopping on each member of his audience as he addressed them. “I don’t think I need to lecture you on the finer points regarding a little group called Project at Eden’s Gate, I’m sure you’ve all heard the stories.”

Everyone who lived in Hope County had by now interacted with the religious group that had set down roots in their county several years ago. It was common knowledge that at the top of the hierarchical pyramid was Joseph Seed, dubbed “The Father” by his devoted followers. The Heralds were the next step down, and were comprised of Joseph’s brothers John and Jacob, and a mysterious woman named Faith. Not many other than Eden’s Gate members truly knew what she looked like, as the physical description given in the reports frequently changed. The only consistency in the reports seemed to be where the people had encountered her: in hallucinations.

The reports were sporadic at first, but became more frequent as the years went on. Each claim seemed to get more and more unbelievable as time passed: shady business dealings allowing the group to buy land and property they shouldn’t have been entitled to. Drug trafficking. Kidnapping. Slavery. Torture. Murder. Each time these allegations were investigated, Eden’s Gate was the epitome of helpful, going above and beyond to welcome the deputies and assure them said accusations were false.

The most recent report had been initiated by a man seen earlier in the video, Mark, who was insistent that his sister Linny had been kidnapped. When Joey and Deputy Staci Pratt were sent to follow up on these reports, Joseph Seed himself had appeared with Linny. The mousy girl informed them she was perfectly safe, she had joined the convent willingly, and she was happy. Even when Joey ordered Joseph to allow her to speak to the girl without him present, her story didn’t waver. In fact, the girl had even attempted to convince Joey to join the project, clinging to her arm and telling her all about how ‘the bliss would set her free.’ Joey had a gut feeling that something was off, but ultimately they were forced to close the case as the girl had left home of her own accord. The brief investigations never led them to any concrete evidence, so no legal action had ever been taken against Eden’s Gate.

“The U.S. Marshals have been investigating Eden’s Gate for years, shortly after their beginnings in Rome, Georgia. We followed their movements as they made the trek to Montana, their numbers growing larger along the way - along with the stack of claims against them. Before this video, we never had enough evidence to take them down - and it appears you didn’t, either.”

Burke stepped from behind the podium and approached his audience, holding up a crisp sheet of paper as reverently as if it were a lottery check.

“This is an arrest warrant for Joseph Seed that I personally volunteered to come here and execute. We’re going to arrest that son-of-a-bitch, we’re going to find out what happened to the kids in that video, and…”

Staci Pratt turned around and made eye contact with Joey, who was momentarily distracted from Burke’s energetic pitch.

“We?” He whispered, expression full of mocking indignation. “Why are we doing his dirty work?”

Joey rolled her her eyes at his antics; his cocky countenance was constantly getting him in trouble.

“You’re just begging to get your ass kicked again,” she whispered, miming the throwing of the object that had left the nearly healed laceration under his right eye.

Pratt winked at her and smiled, his frat boy good looks on full display.

“There’s no martini glasses in here. Plus, I’m not asking the Marshal for hate sex, so I think I’ll be-”

“Is there something you want to share with the class, Deputy?”

Pratt grimaced, slowly turning around to became face-to-face with the Marshal who had lowered himself to his level. The senior deputy casually reclined in his chair, lazily raising an arm in the air.

“I’m just wonderin’ if this is so important, why you’re the only one here. This too small of a job for the Marshals to handle themselves?”

Burke’s eyes changed, once clear blue skies were now dark and cloudy, impending storms.

“This is a religious, backwoods cult in the middle of nowhere, Montana,” he spoke slowly as he emphasized each word, giving the impression he believed Pratt would have trouble understanding otherwise. “Trust me when I say my singular presence here is more than enough. I think the real question here, pretty boy, is whether you have the cajones to be my backup.”

“Pratt, that’ll be enough. Stand down, Marshal.” Sheriff Whitehorse spoke for the first time, the air of authority surrounding him palpable.

Though his place at the top of the chain of command had been temporarily usurped by the Fed for this mission, there was no denying his clout; he had the most respect in this room. He stood up and returned his large hat to its resting place on his head, the barren top and long salt-and-pepper sides both fighting for dominance of his scalp.

Whitehorse had been a surrogate father to Joey since he hired her four years ago, putting up with her good intentions but questionable methods when she was sure that any other precinct would have fired her. She was also fairly certain he should have arrested her after she leapt over the railing of a witness stand to accost an overzealous defense attorney during a heated cross-examination. Instead, he had managed to paint her in a positive light when it came time for his testimony; she was traumatized, and this spiteful attorney had overstepped his bounds. She had been forced to check in to the department’s therapist for a few weeks, but at least she had managed to score some paid time off out of it.

The Sheriff had a tendency to see the best in people and notice their potential shining through the cracks in their faults. This carried over to his endeavor to find balance between the locals and Eden’s Gate, a line she had seen him walking precariously for years. Joey knew he’d be happy when this was all over; unfortunately, he wouldn’t be around to finally see peace between the cult and the locals. This was his last night as Sheriff. He would be retiring tomorrow afternoon, and moving to Idaho soon after.

“Y’all may have investigated Eden’s Gate from the comfort of your offices in Missoula, but dealing with them personally is another matter,” Whitehorse began, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops under the slight potbelly that had developed slowly over the years. “They’re more sophisticated than you realize. It takes a careful, delicate hand, and I don’t think rushin’ in like this is-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Sheriff,” Burke interrupted, his mood matching the black of his tactical clothing. “I think I can see where this is headed. Refusing to assist in the execution of this warrant will leave me no choice but to slap obstruction charges against you and your staff. Now, you’re not asking me to do that, are you? We certainly don’t want to end this night with you in jail.”

The two men stared each other down until the conference room door clicked open.

“Room service! Sorry I’m late.” Kenna Bishop announced as she walked in from her coffee run, balancing two cardboard drink holders filled with everyone’s orders. She sat the caffeinated drinks on the nearest desk and turned towards Pratt, hands finally free to brush back the sideswept bangs that had fallen in her eyes.

“Sorry Pratt, they couldn’t make your usual non-fat-sugar-free-no-foam-mocha-choco-latte so I just had them make the lowest calorie, girliest drink they had on the-”

“Kenna, sit down!” Joey hissed. A rosy hue crept up Kenna’s normally fair-skinned face. The light dusting of freckles nearly disappeared into the blush as she looked around, belatedly noticing her interruption, and quickly sat in the empty seat on Joey’s right.

“I think we’re finished here.” Burke grabbed the cup with his name on it and dumped it in the garbage can next to the podium. Before Kenna could voice a protest, he marched towards the exit, turning to address them one last time as he stood in the doorway.

“Get some rest. We execute this warrant tonight.”

Everyone groaned as they, too, decided to forgo the caffeine jolt that would hinder the short amount of sleep they were going to get this evening. The five remaining coffee cups sat untouched in front of Kenna, mouth open in confusion as she watched Whitehorse and Pratt file out the door, followed shortly thereafter by Nancy, who began digging through her purse just before she disappeared from view. The rookie swept her eyes back to her left, meeting Joey’s sympathetic gaze.

“What the hell did I miss?”