To Be A Runner

Chapter 49: Listen In

"Raise the gates! Runner Five, ready. Gates are open; Covering fire and... go!"

I race out the gates, the cold breeze stinging my skin making my eyes water. I'm glad I was smart enough to think of wearing my long sleeved shirt under my running uniform. It helps keep the cold from sinking too far in, but seeing how my body is always aching for warmth I can't say I'm actually warm. I can't say I've been truly warm-satisfactorily warm-since I had Sam's arm wrapped around me and my arms wrapped around him, and it's been two days since then.

Two days of constant cold, or at least, two days with the absence of warmth.

I shake my head in attempts to keep those thoughts from my head, knowing I have bigger problems on my hands. My love life-or lack thereof-can wait.

"Runner Five," Sam says, "obviously things are-things are pretty scary right now. I mean, well, the Major says fear is the greatest enemy but uh, I'm sort of thinking New Canton is kicking fear's ass on that front."

I nod. Six days until raiding day... six days until they attack us. Janine has been hoping they'll simply back out of it, but I've seen through the eyes of someone from New Canton. They won't stop. And even with the amount of time we had and still have, I fear we may not truly be ready. After all, we had so many more leads we were following we didn't have much time to prepare.

"So we need you to go out again and find out whatever you can using their headset. Go as near as you need to pick up their signal but not so close that they'll spot you," He says in a nervous laugh. "Easy, aye?"

'Piece of cake,' I reply in Morse Code, and he hums in response.

"Was that sarcasm I just heard?"

'So you can't recognize it anymore?' I grin.

"You're terrible at it, remember?" He snickers, and I roll my eyes. "Oh, and I'm sending a friend with you... for protection."

I nearly scoff. 'Protection? I can take care of myself, you know.'

"I-I do know, but you might need it and I... I don't want to lose another runner," His voice is low and sad, but he picks back up instantly, or at least, he sounds like it. He could always be faking it. "And two runners are better than one since you can keep each other safe."

"Hey there, Five! You doing okay?" Sarah calls, and I can't help but wonder how she can literally appear out of thin air.

Maybe she really is a ninja.

Although I should've guessed it'd be her. Every time Sam says he's sending me a friend or surprise it's her. I'm not sure why, since if he wanted to send me a friend he should send Summer or Jody with me, but I suppose I can trust Eight now that she really does seem genuine when she says she trusts me, and she hasn't hinted at any death threats in a while.

Although she still has yet to tell me about my mission.

"I know a lot of the folks at the base are getting nervous, but we're going to be just fine," She declares with a wide grin. "You and me, a gorgeous day like today, a little run. It'll be fun."

"Yeah," Sam agrees cheerful. "You guys are a real Charlie's Angels combo... Oh, wait, is that sexist, Runner Eight? You can be um... Mulder and Skully. I'm not saying who is who. Or like the A Team."