The Fools of Amphidor

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We stopped in front of the statue, staring up at it. I didn't even realize that it was my grandfather, but it made sense. He did look like the giant painting hanging in my office. Claire walked over and climbed up onto the platform and started to examine the heels of the statue. She gasped a little and pressed down on one of them. Her fingers sank down on the button and the ground rumbled. She jumped down quickly and ran over to me.

Much like the staircase into the city, the statue parted and revealed a staircase. We descended down the stairs. At the bottom was an obelisk with a hole cut out of it, perfectly fitting the award in Claire's hands. She put it into the slot. The hole closed and the obelisk sank into the floor, opening a door behind it.

The door opened to reveal... an escape pod. I grabbed her hand, tugging her as fast as I could toward the escape pod. Freedom was so close that I could almost taste it. My fingers brushed against the cold metal of the door's latch. Just then, I hear a gunshot. I feel Claire's legs give out as she screams. I whip around to see Octavius standing at the end of the hall, brandishing a gun that was still smoking.

"You're not going anywhere," His voice had lost its cheery demeanor.

I quickly open the hatch, pulling Claire in with me despite the gaping wound in her thigh. Her pained cries racked against my mind. They were almost too much to bear.

Octavius banged his fists against the door of the escape pod as I stood and quickly pressed the eject button.

The pod exited the city at speeds that were incomprehensible. The g-force of the pod caused both me and Claire to pass out.

When I woke up, we were on a beach. I could see a city in the distance. Claire had obviously tried to leave the escape pod and crawl away, but she wasn't able to. Blood stained the sand where she sat.

I walked 3 miles in order to get back to civilization. I was overwhelmed with guilt. I told my story to whoever would listen, presenting the notebook Claire had grabbed as evidence. Thanks to her, I got into the NERDS association for the discovery of the city, but I still can't stand the guilt of my teammates being dead. They deserved to be in my place. They should be standing at the podium with me. I think of myself as just as bad as the man who'd directly caused their death every time I give a speech.

Sometimes, if I go back down to that fateful little town and I listen hard, I can still hear the beckoning call of a ship's horn, approaching the dock, begging me to finish what I'd started. Begging me to go back to where I'd left my friends-turned-family to die. Claire, left to bleed like a stuck pig. Max and Alfie, frozen to death, still holding each other. And what am I, but the grandson of Ulysses S. Larken... and the fool of Amphidor?