To Be A Hero

Chapter 50: We Are Golden

"Oh my God. This place is more secure than a military installation!" Sam exclaims. "There are machine gun nests!"

"Please, Five," Maxine begs, "keep running around the perimeter. We have to get Paula back. Her signal's stopped moving."

"They've just locked her in a room somewhere, and she's sitting down," Sam says, although he doesn't really sound all that convincing. "That's all it is."

"Dr. Cohen will be coming home to Abel and her child, I promise you that!" Janine says, determination and something else-something scary-woven through her voice. "If I have to send every Abel runner to that place, if I have to empty the armory, call in reinforcements from New Canton, whatever it takes. We are getting her back. Sam, I want you to contact Miss Al Hanaki immediately. Tell her to gather the troops. We're taking that carnival by force!"

There's a beat of silence.

"Janine," Maxine says slowly, calmly, "we've talked about this, remember? You're going through something-and that's fine-but your judgment might not be all that it usually is."

She lets out a long breath. "Yes, you are correct."

"Do you want another quarter tab of Valium?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I will take some brisk exercise in the quad. Mr. Yao, you have the coms."

The coms door clicks open and then shut.

"Okay, Runner Five, you can do this," Sam says. "Uh, look! Look! There's a door opening to the side of the mansion wall. I didn't even see it until it opened. There's a-oh, bloody hell! Who is that person? Is he... wearing a shroud?"

"Runner Five!" Dr. Necropolis yells to me, and I head over to him, albeit a bit cautiously. In the light he looks-I feel like I know him. "I'd hoped you'd still be here. We haven't been introduced properly. I mean, we have been introduced, but my name isn't actually Dr. Necropolis."

He reaches up to rub his face, cursing about the face paint. In doing so, he rubs about half of it off, and I see who he really is. I knew I recognized the blond hair and blue eyes.

"You can call me... Peter."

"Peter," I say, eyes wide. "Okay."

"Be careful, Five," Sam warns. "Don't trust him."

"Telling you not to trust me, are they?" He asks, as if he can hear what Sam just said. "Yeah, I knew those headsets weren't just a prop."

"Smart man," I reply, he smiles.

"You are quite the flatterer. You're the real Runner Five, aren't you? The hero of Abel Township. I didn't see you in the crowd, but I thought I recognized when you called out to me. Quite the honor."

"Yeah... um, have we met before?" I know that's a silly question, since I've only seen him in visions, but I feel like I know him, like actually know him.

"No, of course not. I think I'd be a man you'd remember if we had met before, don't you? But I am the man who's going to help you rescue your friend. So if you ever want to see her again, follow me. Quickly!"

The door he went out of has already shut, but he starts to lead around the mansion wall, and I follow.

Peter... Peter. This is the man I've seen in my visions-the one who claims to be a very close friend of mine. I mean, he doesn't know that now, obviously. But I trust him. Or at least, I trust him more than the usual 'ever so helpful' stranger I come across.

The only question is why he's deciding to help me.

"Uh, Peter. I have a question."

"Ask away, darling," He replies.