The Protagonist System

The meal passed in companionable silence for the most part, except for some small talk between the four women friends. It was gentle ribbing about me and it just made me smile. It was like they were trying to encourage each other to gather up the nerve to do or say something to me that wasn't sanitized for the general population.

When the lunch break was over, I stood before they could and walked around the small table to give each of them a kiss on the cheek and I whispered a thank you for making me feel welcome, despite being a filthy and dirty criminal.

The four of them had bright blushes as they carried the chairs and empty food trays away and I sat back down with a smile, ready to face whatever judgment the five judges had come up with. The five people entered the room and everyone else quieted as they sat down behind the front table.

“We have a few points to clarify.” The man in the middle said and looked at me. “Firstly, why did you come here? We know the message you said you were delivering was false.”

I shook my head. “It wasn't false. I wanted to tell Tammy that her sister was dead. She was just too smart for me to deceive her about how Joan died and why.”

That surprised everyone, including the judges.

“The reason I came here specifically was because I agreed with Tammy's philosophy about survival. It's better to create a place well removed from all the shit that the government and the resistance are spreading around and being caught up in their stupid battles. That's not living. That's slowly dying.”

The judges exchanged looks and the middle man spoke again. “Why did you destroy the town's protection by smashing through the doors blocking the road?”

“I was going to rebuild them anyway. They were too flimsy to stand up to a harsh storm, let alone an old FEDRA transport. I took the doors out from a dead stop in under 30 feet. What would a concentrated attack from a determined enemy have done to them?” I asked and that really had them all thinking.

“Is that why you made those suggestions to Jenkins?” The woman at the end of the table asked.

“Yes, it was. I would have been there to help if I hadn't been slightly inconvenienced at the time.” I said with a smile and a few people let out muffled laughs.

“Are you saying you could have left your jail cell at any time?” One of the other judges asked.

“No.” I said and they relaxed. “I could have left at any time. Period. End of story.”

“How?” Several people asked from the crowd, as did two of the judges.

I chuckled and tapped my temple, indicating my memories. “I've attended a federal military academy for several years and I've been under a resistance leader for several years. I know all kinds of ways to handle different situations.” I explained. “I even know proper police procedures from before the outbreak, which was why I didn't resist when Tammy performed a proper citizen's arrest on me.”

“That's why you didn't try to escape?” Tammy asked me and no one called her out on not being allowed to speak during a trial.

I turned in my seat and nodded at her. “You were well within your rights to detain me and to bring me to the authorities. Besides making myself look even more guilty if I escaped, and believe me I debated heavily about doing just that, then I realized I didn't want to make you look bad in the eyes of everyone else.”

Tammy looked stunned after I made my point, so I turned back to the judges.

“Is there anything else you need clarified?” I asked them.

“The supplies and things in the back of the truck...” The middle man started to say.

“I can honestly say I had no clue what was in there. Joan and Ted loaded it up while I was inside the cab of the truck, and that was before we left Boston. I didn't even see what was there when I opened the back doors and the townspeople here took everything.”

“You didn't even... why would you do that?” The woman at the end of the table asked.

“I honestly didn't care what was in there.” I admitted and everyone stared at me like I was crazy. “I mean, I was sure it was stolen or contraband, since that was all Joan and Ted dealt with. They were unscrupulous smugglers and made deals with everyone, including the feds and the fireflies.”

No one seemed to know what to say to that.

“Besides, I was going to hand the truck over to Tammy anyway.” I said and took out the keys and placed them on the table. “I'm sure she can put it to good use somehow. The gas tank is full and I thought I heard someone say there was more fuel in the supplies I gave away.”

“You're not going to use it?” The middle judge asked, surprised.

“What for? To head down to Colorado in the hopes the resistance still has a base there for the winter?” I asked and shook my head. “After what Jenkins said about the last time he passed through there to get back here, I would be an idiot to try and go there looking for something I don't really want to find anyway. I already told you I want to live and that's all that matters.”

The judges nodded as one and gathered together to whisper. I didn't try to listen and I also didn't turn around to look at anyone's faces. My worry about what I was going to be sentenced with was difficult to fight against, especially after I admitted I could leave at any time. I just hoped that whatever they decided wasn't too harsh of a punishment.

The judges sat back down at the table and the middle man knocked on the table. “We've made a decision.”

Everything slowed down and then came to a stop as the world greyed out slightly.

A pivotal point in the story has been reached and the World Pause feature has been automatically activated.

Thank fuck! That was nerve-wracking and really stressful. I thought and let out a sigh. Does this mean the Unpause Feature has finally been installed?

It has! You can now choose between 4 different worlds to travel to.

I stared at the words and didn't understand them. Wait, 4? How did that happen? I asked and then my eyes widened as I remembered the other worlds I had gone to. No, wait! Why is it only 4?

The current worlds to have access to are:
The Walking Dead (As Rick Grimes)
The Last Of Us (As Eli Williams - Gender-Swapped)
Worm (As Taylor - Gender-Swapped)
The Incredibles (As Hank Parr – Gender-Swapped).

The other worlds you have accessed no longer have a body within them for you to return to.

My brain kind of stuttered at those last few words and I had to think about it. The first one I visited, High School DxD, I blew my body up and it disintegrated, so that made sense. The second one, Danmachi, I had been shoved through a portal to die, so... yeah, okay. I couldn't return to that body, either. It was the same with Familiar of Zero, since I flew a plane into the void gap between dimensions and paid Karma Points to close the world behind me.

My reward world after that was Harry Potter and I stepped through the Veil of Death, which sent me to Konosuba. In that world, my body was consumed by the Demon General named Sylvia and I didn't have anything to return to, unless I could become part of her conscience or something and I really didn't want to do that.

My choices really were limited in where I could go back to and it wasn't just semantics keeping me from going back to where I had been before. I would need to find or buy some kind of portal power or something and then maybe it would let me go back and visit those worlds again.

When I looked back at the notice, I read the last two options again. Hold on, why are those two also Gender-Swapped?

They were unlocked for free when you accepted going to another death world.

I almost yelled in anger at that, then calmed down when I realized they were right. I had asked to go somewhere else and it was only chance that had sent me to another zombie world. It also let me think things over and see that The Walking Dead wasn't really that bad in comparison. I had also made mistakes that I could easily correct when I went back.

Now I just had to choose if I wanted to stay here, go back to The Walking Dead, or head off to another adventure in a different world. Is there a time limit to when I can leave or are all these worlds paused when I travel to a new one?

It depends on when they are paused. If you die or are shoved through a portal, then the world isn't paused because you don't have a body there for the system to work through.

What about the time differential? Does it move faster or slower or what?

All time progresses at the same rate across different earths, since time is relative. A minute here is the same as a minute there. Only the observations from outside those time differentials would see things either speed up or slow down in relation to the observation point.

Which is me. I thought and nodded in understanding. Everything hinged on me because it was my system, The Protagonist System, that everything was dependent on. All right, then I'll consider all the facts before I make my choice.

*

Amy's tears were just starting to fall and she hugged her sister when Rick's ragged breathing suddenly evened out and became a soft and comforting sound. It wasn't stressed or laboured at all and her grip around Andrea became tighter.

“He's going to be okay, Amy. He's okay.” Andrea whispered and kissed her forehead as she held her crying sister. “Everything's going to be okay now.”

Her words were prophetic as Rick seemed to recover much faster than he should have. His week of restriction from leaving the camp ended without notice and he stayed there and didn't complain or said anything about ever leaving. He started working out again when he was mobile and Amy couldn't stop herself from admiring how much his body changed over that first month.

Everyone else at the camp worked their assess off to get the farms and the feed animals set up properly and working at a self-sustaining capacity, thanks to Maggie's expert advice. She seemed quite proud to be the one everyone went to for advice and then she and Glenn moved into the fifth van permanently when everything was up and running smoothly.

Only a few people were surprised that Rick didn't offer to help with anything and no one asked him to do more than what he was already doing to keep the water running and the power going. Only Amy and Andrea knew that Rick has resolved to never put himself in danger for the camp ever again and that if he ever did go back out, he would scavenge only for himself and for them.

It wasn't until May that Rick announced to Amy that he was leaving for a quick trip and wouldn't be back for two days. He had been in peak physical condition for several weeks and Amy had taken full advantage of his stamina and strength. He never demanded anything from her and she appreciated that, while at the same time she was starting to resent it.

Amy didn't realize she had wanted to feel needed by him until he left. She confessed this to Andrea and she said she had noticed the same thing. Rick was living his life as best as he could and Amy was only a part of it, as was Andrea. They were somehow getting the feeling that they were not quite necessary for him to enjoy his life and it was not a nice feeling.

It surprised both sisters when Rick showed up in the middle of the night 2 days later without alerting anyone else at the camp. Not even the man on watch had seen him or the truck returning. He unloaded the truck full of supplies and stashed them all over their living area and both women were appreciative when he gave them a whole crate full of feminine hygiene products.

It didn't distract them from their concerns, however. Amy confronted Rick about how she felt and he looked apologetic before he said he loved her and he was only here for her. He didn't want to be a burden on her like he had been a few times already and his behavior was just him trying to give her a break from everyone else asking her for things they could easily do for themselves.

Amy was really embarrassed after hearing his explanation and that made Andrea feel worse about encouraging her to confront him about it. Andrea said she supported Amy and hadn't meant for it to turn out badly, because all she wanted was for Amy and Rick to be happy and that was all.

Rick's answer to that was a promise to get Amy pregnant and to track down the ambulance he said he should have found months ago. Lori was about to give birth, too. So, he left again for two more days without taking the truck and came back with a working ambulance that was fully stocked with medical supplies and the medical books he found were added to the library.

Two weeks later, Lori went into labour and she was brought to the ambulance by an anxious Shane. The vehicle was heated inside and both Lori and Shane relaxed when Rick entered the back wearing a full surgeon's outfit, with the gloves and the mask, and had a confident look on his face.

Six hours later, a little girl was born and the whole camp celebrated. Lori was well on the way to recovering, much faster than a woman normally would be after a difficult birth, and that made Amy want to have a child even more.

The farms were also working out well, thanks to Maggie's efforts, and one of the cows were expecting to give birth soon, too. It had been a chancy thing until Rick proved he could handle the medical needs of the camp and he reassured everyone he could keep doing it. Maggie appreciated it, because she and Glenn were pregnant, too.

Amy ended up pregnant in September and she couldn't have been happier. Andrea was just as happy, because she had been worried that Rick had still been shooting blanks like he usually did. It also gave her some very naughty thoughts about doing something she really shouldn't do. At least, she didn't think anyone else would understand her decision, except for her sister.

Andrea approached her a month later and she asked her for a present that would just keep on giving. Amy listened to her proposal without being angry about it, like she would have been if things had been different in their lives, and she asked to take a day to think about it. She eventually agreed that it was the best thing for their family and she brought her sister to Rick.

Amy had to spend a few minutes trying to gather up the courage to ask him to do what Andrea didn't want anyone else to do. “Rick, will you become a sperm donor for Andrea?” She asked straight out and didn't bother trying to sugarcoat it.

“Of course I will.” Rick said and they both gasped. Unlike what they thought, he hadn't tried to argue that it was a mistake. “I love her almost as much as I love you.” He said and gave Amy a kiss. “Just because I don't love Andrea in that way, that doesn't mean I don't want her to be happy.”

The three of them went to the ambulance and Rick gathered the supplies needed to do the implantation. Because Amy wanted to be a full participant in the act and didn't want Rick and Andrea to do anything behind her back, she spent a good fifteen minutes jerking Rick off into a specimen cup. Both women hadn't realized exactly how much Rick usually shot out and stared at the half-full cup.

Rick softly laughed at their expressions and used a syringe with a long needle-like attachment to suck up a good portion of the sample. “You're going to have a feeling of being full for a while.”

Andrea nodded, remembering all the times Amy had told her how it felt when Rick had filled her up. “Do it. I'm not getting any younger and I'm ready to be a mother.” She said and pulled her skirt up and spread her legs.

Rick smiled a crooked smile and knelt between her legs. “It's all warmed up, so you're not going to feel anything until it's all the way in.”

Amy laughed and smacked the shoulder not holding the in-vetro needle. “Stop teasing her.”

“Sorry, I couldn't resist.” Rick said and used his free hand to spread Andrea open and slid the needle inside. Like he had with Rias Gremory, he paid the points to guide it into the right spot and injected it inside of her to guarantee pregnancy. “There, it's done.”

“That's it?” Andrea and Amy asked, their voices full of disbelief.

“Yes? What else did you think was going to happen?” Rick asked and pretended to dispose of the needle and stored it instead. He didn't want to leave something like that out and exposed. To his surprise, the residual sperm in the needle had stayed and the description said so.

It gave Rick an odd thought and he picked up the sperm sample and closed the top. He pretended to throw it in the trash and stored it instead. It worked and he smiled. Finding loopholes in not being able to store living things in his inventory was always enjoyable.

“How many times do we have to do this?” Andrea asked as she pulled her skirt back down.

“That was it. You don't need any more treatments.” Rick said and both Amy and Andrea stared at him. “What? I do great work.” He said and gave Amy a quick kiss. “I would have had you pregnant right away if that was what you really wanted.”

Amy blushed at the reminder. He had spent more time making her feel loved than he usually did before he gave her a shot that he said was to get her pregnant. It just turned her on so much that she kept going back to him and asking him to keep going, just to make sure she had been knocked up properly. The thing was, she wouldn't have changed what they did if she knew it was that easy to get pregnant.

Rick and Amy also had a lot of fun together in every way possible. Even the sex had felt better for her after her body started changing to become more accommodating for motherhood, which she assumed was going to keep happening as her breasts continued to grow and her belly would keep expanding over the next few months.

Amy's eyes met Andrea's and they both smiled happy smiles, because they were both going to become mothers. It was no longer going to be just them as they became a nice big happy family, just like they used to be before the outbreak.