To Be A Leader

Chapter 62: A Real Hero

Everything hurts, but ignore it best I can. I think about other times I pushed myself to my limits and made it through. It doesn't help much, but anchoring my mind seems to be the only way I can keep going.

I count my steps, count the seconds, count until numbers don't feel like actual words anymore.

Jaime's eyes are wide when he looks back. "It's gaining on us. Janine, you sure we can get there in time?"

"You're doin' well, Your Maj," Jody answers. "You should be able to see the sprinkler override right at the end of that tunnel. The big blue handle."

A hopeful smile appears on his face. "Oh yeah. I see it. We can make that. Just don't look back, Five."

I swallow dryly. "Wasn't planning to."

"It does seem appropriate to me, King Jaime, that you are going to be eaten by your very own country," Sigrid taunts over the speakers. I grit my teeth and run faster. "Meanwhile, I go from strength to strength. I have the finest weaponry, the finest minds with me. There's no problem here, believe me. Tell them, Veronica."

"Oh," Veronica sighs. "I'm just in the middle of doing this. Do I really have to... oh. I see. Um, it's quite interesting. I have one of those neural nets that Mr. Kytan used with your Moonchild problem, Five. I think I can use it to interface directly with A.N.N.I.E. and bring her under my control permanently. It's quite exciting! She's a very advanced machine."

"Oh, Veronica," Sam says, and my heart breaks at the pain in his voice. "We had all those conversations about right and wrong. We watched 12 Angry Men together like, six times! And talked about standing up for what's right. I really thought she'd got it."

"You can't blame yourself, Mr. Yao," Janine says, and my eyes widen. "We relied on Miss McShell too much because we had no choice. We knew she would always go where the most interesting problem was. Even this morning she was trying to talk about researching the Viking zombies again. She's unpredictable! None of this is your fault, Mr. Yao. The responsibility lies with me."

"Yeah, well, we can have the 'who's the worst mentor' competition after we save the UK," Jaime snaps, "but right now, we're about to get roasted alive! Five, grab that lever and pull it!"

I surge forward, grabbing the lever and using all my strength to pull it down. It takes more energy than it usually would. I'm drained, and the heat isn't helping, but I feel a slight breeze as water gushes through the pipes. It's more of a downpour than a sprinkle.

The relief only lasts for a second. It hits the lava, turning it to rock, but also creating a large cloud of steam that will make this place the hottest sauna on earth.

"Come on," Jaime yells. "We've gotta get through that next steel door before that steam hits us and turns us into human steamed buns!"

I grab Milo's arm and pull him along. He's keeping a decent pace, but he's looking worse and worse with each passing minute. Jaime's not faring well either. He's swallowing far too often, his throat dry and parched. His face keeps scrunching up, as if he's feeling sick. Nausea is another symptom of heat exhaustion.

We're running out of time. The added humidity because of the steam, even though the cloud itself has not reached us, makes it feel all the worse. I wish I knew how this suit worked in drawing water. I'd even take a sip of hot water right now.

I can see the door up ahead, getting closer, closer, closer. We won't be able to stop when we get through it, but we will be able to escape an immediate threat of death. It's better than nothing.

Just stay alive. Keep moving and stay alive.

My legs ache, and I let out a huff to mask the pain as I force myself to go a bit faster to get to the door. I swing it open, ushering Jaime and Milo inside before closing it. It clangs shut, and the sound reverberates against my skull. My head pounds, and I wonder if I'm still suffering from that concussion or if my body has already healed itself. It's hard to tell. It's hard to think, and I have to run.