Chapter 4: Welcome to Antarctica:
We immediately began a great strategy session. After many failed plans, most involving siege engines, we managed to come up with a successful plan.
"We storm the castle," Adam said. "We come to where Tyler is, and we take Lynn back."
"Where is Tyler?" I asked.
"I have an idea," Rose said. "He's fundamentally you from a different timeline, so, despite the bleach, he thinks like you. If you were taking a hostage, where would you go?"
"Antarctica," I said.
"Where in Antarctica?" she said.
"I don't know," I said. "Anywhere in Antarctica."
"Okay then," Rose said. "We're going to the South Pole. We'll search outwards from there. I have coats in my house. I'll go get them." After a moment, she handed us two of her winter coats, then teleported us to Anartica.
When we got there, I decided to take charge. "Okay," I said. "We're going to split up into two teams: Rose and I will go North, and Adam and..."
There was an awkward pause as I realized we were a group of three.
"...just Adam, actually, will go other North. We'll spread out from there."
Having cemented my position as the de facto leader, I set out into the vast and cold winter expanse, my coat not being enough to withstand the freezing chill of the Anartic. How I wish I had thought differently.
"Great job back there," Rose said, sarcastically.
I said nothing as we trudged on.
"Why are you writing in your journal in past tense?" Rose asked.
"I'm writing my autobiography," I replied.
"Why don't you write it after we're out of the Arctic?" Rose said.
"I'll forget," I said.
"Oh," Rose said. A while later, she added,"We should split up," and began walking in a different direction.
After half an hour of walking, I found a research station with a cell tower. I pulled out my cellphone to call Adam, only to discover that the effects of FTL travel had fried the antenna. I was getting 3G though.
After another hour with internet memes to keep me entertained, I found Tyler's hideout. I went down to prepare for the fight. I found Tyler with a hole in his shirt, but no sign of the injury that came before.
I wondered how he had healed so quickly, until I saw Scarlett, aka miss healing power. I realized that in order to make it a fair fight, I would have to incapacitate her. I hit her with my cellphone. Out cold. I then tried to shoot Tyler again, but realized I was out of bullets.
Tyler tried to shoot me, but time slowed down and i dodged the bullet. Rose appeared.
"August," she said, "I found the hideout." She then shot a beam of power at Tyler. The beam of power obliterated him, blasting him to bits with the concentrated power of a nuclear bomb. She then collapsed.
"That drained me," she said, shortly before she fainted.
I picked her up. I was wondering what just happened, and if it was some stereotypical tropey thing. But those thoughts were pushed aside by more pressing concerns. With Rose gone, I had no way to teleport out of Antarctica.
I rescued Lynn by unlocking her cell with Scarlett's key, as Tyler was vaporized. I never thought she would need to be rescued, but I guess that's what happens when you bring someone into the world of the supernatural. We'd all probably get captured in time.
"Let's leave," Lynn said. "Where's the teleporting girl?"
"We split up," I said.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were dating," Lynn said.
"No," I said, "I mean we walked in different directions."
"So how are we going to get out of here?" Lynn said.
At that moment, Scarlett awoke. "I'll help you," she said.
"You can get us out of here?" I asked.
"No," she said. "I just heal people and turn them into things. But I can still help you. Do you need a sweater? I can crochet."
"Why do you want to help us?" Lynn asked. "You just imprisoned me for five whole hours!"
"I was just following orders from Tyler," Scarlett said. My only personal enemy is Rose, and she's not here right now."
"Why were you following orders from Tyler?" I asked.
"He's pretty nice," she said. "He seemed like the hero, you know, what with you shooting him unprovoked."
"I didn't shoot him unprovoked," I said. I showed them the section in my diary thing where Tyler shot first.
"I'm gonna back August up," Lynn said.
"Eh," Scarlett said, "I've been pretty forgetful lately. Let's go outside. I can give you guys fur."
"Do that. We'll find the others," I said.
*****
Half an hour later, we found Adam.
"Yetis," he said. "Hi."
"It's just us," I said. "Scarlett joined the team, and she can shapeshift other people."
"Shapeshift is transitive," Lynn said.
"Whatever," I said. "Rose is getting a bit heavy. Can you shapeshift her into, like a rat?"
"Sure thing," Scarlett said. She transformed Rose into an mouse.
"Thanks," I said. "And can you transform us back while you're at it?"
"Sure," she said, doing so. Little did we know she was out of transformations, and Rose would remain a mouse.