To Be A Warrior

Chapter 69: CONTROL

Her face doesn't change. "I'll explain it as we go. I have something you should see. We need to be quick. Come with me." She turns on her heel and heads out, looking at us over her shoulder. "Run!"

Peter and Sam share a look of confusion mixed with annoyance, but they follow. Although Peter grabs my wrist and pulls me along with them first.

"Are you sure you want me coming along? She said she only wanted to have you two with her-"

"Oh please. Since when have you ever listened to Amelia?" Peter asks, and I shrug because he's got a fair point.

"It's actually a good thing you brought her along," Amelia remarks, looking over her shoulder. "The more people that see this, the better."

Sam bites the inside of his cheek in discomfort. "That's not something I'd like from you."

I tap Peter's shoulder, raising up my free hand. 'What do you think this is about?'

He shrugs, and I don't know what I expected him to say. He doesn't hang around Amelia for good reason. None of us do. I can't understand why she would want us at this hour, but I don't see how it would be for anything good.

'Do you think it would have anything to do with the peace conference tomorrow?' I sign, and both Peter and Sam scrunch their eyebrows in thought.

'I don't know why she would do that. This would be a help to New Canton,' Sam signs, but Peter quickly gives a reply.

'She's always been one to stab others in the back though.'

'I guess we'll find out.'

Oh, how I hate this, but we continue to follow Amelia down the stairs. We don't see anyone, besides the few people heading to bed, but almost everyone has already turned in for the night, knowing they'll have a long day at the peace conference tomorrow.

It's going to be an extremely long day for me and Peter, between going and telling him about the nanites, to going to certain meetings, to going to the medical block after the nurses get those nanites so they can give them to Peter, to patrolling and making sure no V-Types get close to the rig.

I mean, Peter won't be patrolling with me, not after he receives the nanites. I don't want him getting sick. It's been refined to the point that the weakening agent isn't necessary, but that just means he'll have to spend less time waiting to become mortal again.

I probably should be more worried about whatever Amelia wants to show us, since it could put the peace conference at risk, but honestly, as long as she doesn't do anything that could ruin my surprise for Peter, I'm not too worried.

She leads us to a settlement built on top of floating oil drilling machinery. The street Amelia is leading us down is completely empty, with our footsteps being the only thing to fill the aching silence. It's something Amelia comments on.

"Temporary curfew?" Sam suggests. "Sage said they'd set up new security measures."

"There's more to it than that. Sage isn't what he seems."

Judging by how tightly Peter's grip gets on my wrist, he does not like that. I barely hold back a wince.

"Is that what you got us out for? To tell us some crap about Sage? Of course you don't like him, Amelia. He's everything you're not. Brave, self-sacrificing, compassionate."

"Peter," I whisper softly. "You're hurting me."

He snaps his gaze to me, eyes wide. He pulls his hand away from me completely, his shoulders scrunching up a bit in guilt. I rub my wrist, making sure to keep my opposite hand slightly hidden since I still have a band aid on it.