To Be A Champion

Chapter 36: It's All Futile! It's All Pointless!

"I am aboard a nuclear-armed submarine, and if I don't get the Edda soon, I am going to launch a warhead and destroy the entire archipelago. You have been warned."

As soon as those words leave Amelia's mouth, the temperature seems to drop by at least ten degrees. I look at everyone around me, all wide-eyed and shell-shocked.

"Amelia," My words come out slowly, my tone shaking in horror, "what the hell have you done?"

"What I had to," She replies, voice holding no remorse. I'm assuming she switched back to just our private coms. "I will do whatever is necessary to protect the mainland, and I'm tired of waiting on you lot to pull yourselves together and actually do what needs to be done."

"And you think threatening to blow us up will do that?" I shriek.

"My patience has worn thin, Runner Five."

I clench my fists. "We've been here for five and a half weeks! I know it probably feels like it's been, I don't know, ten months or something, but this has literally been the fastest and shortest 'long-term' mission we've ever had! Not to mention you'd destroyed any trust anyone here might have had in you!"

She scoffs. "Please. They never trusted me to begin with."

"That doesn't mean you can just threaten to kill us all!"

"I can, I have, and I will if I don't get that Edda soon."

I open my mouth to reply, something horribly nasty threatening to leave my mouth before I hear what I think is a little click. An offended choking noise rips itself from my throat.

"Did she just freaking hang up on me?"

"Yeah." Sam sounds exhausted. "She did."

"That bitch! I swear when I get my hands on her-"

"Let's just focus on getting out of this hut for now," Jody says, looking around at everything that's been destroyed in the skincoats' search for the fake Edda. The blonde still has it in her hands, despite it having no value to us.

I let out a breath, my anger dissipating for the moment. "Yeah, yeah, you're right. Sorry."

"It's okay," She says, and behind her green eyes I can see a fury simmering. I guess she's just better at keeping it in check than I am, although I remember how much Amelia riles her up. She's probably thought of a million ways to kill her in the past thirty seconds.

Jody turns to Rory, who has gone pale. He's biting the inside of his cheek, eyes flooded with guilt and barely held back tears as he blames himself for this. It was an honest mistake. He would know enough about the Edda to recognize key elements because of his grandfather, but seeing his face, it's obvious he had no clue a fake one had been created.

"Rory, you'll be staying with us at the med bay from now on. I doubt there's enough room for us at the Webster's, so it's easier if you just come here. That we way can protect you."

He nods frantically. "That's completely fine. Th-thank you."

She smiles sympathetically. "We need to get back to town. We need to be on the watch for any skincoats. Nicole, if you see someone who even looks like they might be wearing gray-"

Nicole pulls out her pistol with lighting speed. "Don't worry. I won't hesitate to take them out."

"I know you won't."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asks as we leave the hut and start heading back towards town. "I mean, if you do end up killing someone after Amelia's message-"

"They've already shot at us, Sam," Nicole interrupts. "If we manage to kill one, then that's one we don't have to worry about. Obviously, they don't have the Edda, but we're now racing against them and now against time to get it so we can stop the red fungus. And I can't shoot time. If I see a skincoat, I will not hesitate to put a bullet into their head. And I don't think Singer will either."