To Be A Warrior

Chapter 37: Slow-Mo Acid

"No," Janine states in a commanding tone. "None of you are dying today. Not Runner Four, not Runner Five, and not you, Mr. Lynne. It's not within mission parameters."

"Janine!" Jody shrieks, eyes wide and full of fear. "We're on an island that was set up by a deranged megalomaniac. We're trapped in a reinforced glass walkway a hundred feet above the ground. There's a hungry V-Type waitin' for us at one end, and gas is escapin' into the walkway that'll make plants start growin' out of our livin' flesh!"

"Oh, also, I've been bitten. In case you were thinking it isn't that bad," Peter remarks with a forced shrug.

Sam shakily exhales. "Okay, so those are the problems, but you've got weapons, right?"

"We have burn cubes, but we can't trigger them in the tunnel," I reply. "That'd kill us all. I have my pistol, but I've only got a few bullets left and I think this glass is bulletproof. And if that V-Type gets through it's not like bullets will hurt it! I doubt this flower gas will stop it either!"

"I've got a crossbow," Jody says, pulling it from her bag. "I nabbed it from Sigrid's museum of weaponry. But you can't shoot gas! It'll just turn the arrow into flowers."

That's something I never thought I'd hear.

Peter's eyes narrow as he watches the gas that's being expelled from the vent. It's getting closer to us with each passing second. "Just a sec. I don't think that gas is the same as the other stuff. Look, it's pockmarking the metal struts. I-I think it's acid."

My eyes go wide as a lightbulb goes off in my head.

"I also can't shoot acid," Jody deadpans.

"I have an idea," I say. "Remember what Janine said. 'Every threat's an opportunity.' That gas is coming out of a vent in the ceiling. If Jody were to shoot it at an angle, acid will spray out and it'll burn through one of those struts. A pane of glass will fall, and we can climb on top of the walkway and run."

"Too dangerous," Sam argues, which makes me frown. "There'll be acid spraying everywhere."

"If we just make sure Jody isn't touched by it, it'll be fine."

Peter frowns. "Just Jody? What about you?" He shakes his head when I don't say anything. "No, actually, I don't want to hear about your need to be self-sacrificing even though that acid would seriously hurt you. I'm taller than both of you. I can shield you with my body."

My jaw drops. "No, wait-"

"It'll be fine. Painful and temporarily disfiguring, but fine."

"Peter, that's not what-"

"We haven't got time to argue or to make a better plan." Jody aims her crossbow at the vent. "I'm takin' the shot."

She fires, and the arrow flies up and hits the vents, denting the metal and causing the acid to spray out in one direction towards a metal strut.

"Right, run! I'll shield you." Peter bends over both me and Jody, not giving me any chance to argue. We run, the acid spraying all over Peter to which he lets out a cry of pain. I wince, guilt stabbing my in the gut. "Note to self, acid chafes."

One of the struts collapses from the acid eating away at it, and a glass panel falls from the window, allowing the acid to vent out.

"It worked!" Sam cheers, but I don't feel very happy about it. We're safe, but at the expense of Peter being put through horrible pain.

Jody gasps at the banging at the end of the corridor. The shutters that separates the V-Type from us shake violently. "That V-Type's nearly broken in. Five, can you give me a leg up?"