"See this revolver, Five?" Jenny cocks her gun, a twisted smile on her face. "It's loaded. You might be a traitor to your country, but I'm going to make sure you work for Her Majesty for me."

I sigh heavily. Will she ever understand that I'm American?

"Don't think for a second I won't shoot," She snarls. "You sided with the people who-who turned my brother into a monster. There's nothing I wouldn't do to you. Get out of that metal suit."

I obey, knowing it wouldn't be wise to tempt her. It's why I don't say Thomas turned himself into a monster. Jenny watches me closely as I remove my suit, left in nothing but flimsy fabric.

"Now start moving. We're heading for the surface, and if that's not to kill you, you need your heart pumping. The Atlanteans-murders and liars. Nice friends you have. Well! I'm not stupid enough to think they won't be coming after us in more of these living submarines. I believe I heard her tell that Peter to get the defenders and head out after us before she was smart enough to cut communications. But we have a head start.

"I've stolen enough Atlantean blueprints and formulas to convince even the Royal Geographical Society. We'll mount an expedition, overpower the city, uproot the anemone, and all that power will be mine."

"Jenny, please," I say, moving from side to side to get my blood pumping. "You don't have to do this. I know you're hurt and grieving, but this isn't-"

"Stop! You're pathetic." She sneers at me. "You so desperately want to help the people who've made you a prisoner. Do you not remember Solus' recordings? Their medical technology could save thousands, could've saved thousands. It's easy enough to pick out how your husband died. He'd still be alive if we'd had the medical knowledge that the Atlanteans hoarded."

I flinch at the mention of Wesley, but I don't back down. "It still doesn't make it right. And-and we still have that compound in us. We'll explode if we try to return to the surface."

The glint in her eye makes my blood curdle, and I pale as she grabs a hypodermic needle with her free hand. "Oh, I believe I've found the answer to that problem. Hold out your arm."

"W-what-"

"Hold it out!" She places her finger on the trigger of the revolver, smiling when I obey. She presses the needle against my skin and pushes it forward, and I wince as she injects me with whatever compound is in the needle. "Before you barged in, I'd synthesized two vials of a new compound to allow us to live on the surface again. I was resigned to testing it on myself, but since you're here, you can make yourself useful. Keep your heart rate up, or you might not survive the change."

She takes a seat at the pilot's console, and I continue jogging in place. Fear sends ice spiking through my veins, and my heart already feels like it's pumping painfully. Is it supposed to feel like this? I hope Peter reaches me soon, not that it matters if whatever Jenny injected into me fails and turns me into an anthropolyp.

The change when Nikita was bitten was fast, but I don't know how long it took for those experimenting on themselves to change. I blink back tears, knowing it will do me no good to cry. I must hope for the best and do anything I can to stop Jenny from reaching the surface, no matter the cost.

"Jenny," I say, still shuffling my feet. "Listen, I know-I know you're upset, and you think the Atlanteans are responsible for what happened to Thomas, but if that's true, then they are horrible people, right? But what you plan to do-what you've done-is the exact same thing. You want to destroy an entire nation. You got two submarines and Nikita killed yesterday! You killed Captain Solus!"

"I didn't believe anyone would get hurt yesterday, truly. And I didn't want to hurt Solus. You must believe that," She professes, and her features harden. "But by refusing to take me to Atlantis, he left me no choice. I made it quick for him, and I cut this... thing out of his head and threw him overboard."

She holds up her arm, the coral key still snaked around it. "Look at it. This is how they live. They're not human at all. Subhuman. They should be grateful to bend the knee at her Majesty. I made one mistake. I thought this... snake thing would be enough to control the Bellerophon, but some of the doors were so heavy that I had to recruit a second person if I was to make it to Atlantis." She smirks. "Luckily that storm made it look like it was an iceberg that hit your ship, not an Atlantean submarine."

I stop moving. "What?"

"I'm sorry about your shipmates, Five, but they died so I could bring the devils who run Atlantis to justice and use their technology to change the world."

My breathing stutters, and I stumble back in horror. My back hits the wall of the ship. This whole time I was so sure Jenny didn't mean to harm anyone, that she just wanted to get home. I was shocked that she killed Solus, but I didn't think...

She intentionally brought me into this. There were thirty people on that cargo ship, and she killed all of them but me, because she needed me. My blood roars in my ears, and Jenny tips her head at me.

"Huh. You're going a funny color."

What?

I look down at my hands, horrified as my skin turns a dull gray. It's snaking up my fingers, my hands. The veins in my arms are becoming darker and more prominent.

"What's happening to me?!" I scream, and Jenny grabs a few papers from the console.

"According to the lab notes, this exercise should keep you alive while your body mutates. Get on your hands and toes. Keep your back straight and move your right knee up to your chest and back. Now move your left knee up to take its place. Keep doing that in quick succession. One minute of these mountain climbers should prevent an adverse reaction to the antidote. Go."

I do as told, too afraid of turning into some monster to really argue. As I move my legs and feet, my eyes stare down at my gray hands. They don't feel any different, but it looks as if the skin is dying, as if I'm dying.

"Think of humanity, Five. Think of how Thomas' memory will finally be honored as it should." She frowns as I start to pant. Whatever this antidote is doing is causing me to tire more quickly than normal. "Lift those knees."

"I am," I growl, but I don't look at her, since that would put more strain on my neck. I can see the color starting to return to my fingers.

Jenny hums. "Halfway there. Come on, Five. If you die, I won't know if the antidote failed or if it was just your weakness."

Her words make me grit my teeth, especially since her tone is so mocking. I keep moving, angry at her for doing this and angry at myself for having trusted in her. I should have told Zala about Jenny the moment she ran off and asked me to cover for her.

"Done," She states, peering down as I finally lift my face. She looks satisfied. "You're looking better, but keep doing those mountain climbers until you're sure you're not going to die on me."

I do a couple seconds more, going until I can't see even a trace of gray on my hands, before I stand. Upon seeing that I'm alright, Jenny writes something down in her notes. How she managed to do this, research and look through it all so quickly is beyond me. I doubt she'd tell me if I asked. She refuses to listen to anything I say, even as I try to reason with her.

I know what it's like to feel loss, to be angry at the world and want someone to blame. But you must let that pain and grief go and move on as best you can. There's no use in hanging on when there's nothing left to hang onto.

As the words pass through my mind, a realization dawns on me, and I reach up and grasp my locket.

Oh... I suppose I should take my own mind's advice.

An odd tinking sound pulls me out of my thoughts. It's coming from the engine room, which, unlike the Bellerophon, is just down the hall and through a door, only a few quick steps from the main console. Jenny notices the noise as well, her eyes narrowing before looking accusingly at me.

"What?" I ask. "I've been here the whole time. Couldn't have been me."

She hmphs. "I suppose. Your color's looking better, at least. Stay here and rest for a moment. I'm going to go see what's caused that odd noise."

She does something on the pilot's console, probably setting it up so I wouldn't be able to tamper with it while she's gone. Then she stands and walks towards the engine room, the door shutting behind her. She made sure to take her gun with her.

"Five, it's Zala."

I flinch at the voice that echoes in the room.

"The Al Nahash is allowing me to whisper just to you for now. Through its eyes we can see where you are. If you remove that small sucker from the main console, we can talk directly into your ear."

We?

I grab the sucker and place it into my ear, shuddering at the feeling.

"Callie!" Samuel shouts, causing me to jump nearly six inches into the air. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright! I rushed over to Zala as soon as I heard the submarines were being sent out."

"Yes, he came in rather loudly and without being invited," Zala grumbles, "but that doesn't matter now. Five, I don't know where your loyalties lie, but you are Atlantis' last hope. We are a small nation, only 100,000 souls. The might of the British Empire-their weapons, their soldiers-would crush us. If there is any way for you to stop Jenny from taking the Al Nahash farther away from Atlantis, you would be saving our lives."

"She's done something to the pilot's console to lock it. If I tried to change course and she came back..." I press my lips together. "I'll have to find a way to stall her. She has a gun, but she's using me as a test subject. If she can, she'll hold out from killing me. If I can disarm her and tie her up, then maybe I can work on getting the Al Nahash turned around and headed back to Atlantis."

"Are you sure you want to risk that?" Samuel asks, and honestly, I'm not sure. But what other choice do we have?

I answer by walking down the hallway and stopping at the door to the engine room. Of course, it doesn't open for me.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't like the idea of hurting the ship now that I know that it's alive, but-"

"Do it," Zala interrupts. "We have no other choice. Kick the door down, and kick as high as you can without losing your balance. The door is weaker higher up."

I nod, putting one leg slightly forward so I can stay balanced, before kicking my leg up, my foot slamming into the door. It's made of the oyster shell material, same as the engine room door in the Bellerophon. I kick the door again, and again, the door chipping away bit by bit. I can feel my leg beginning to tire after a minute or so, so I switch legs, letting out a little grunt as my foot slams into the door again.

"Five, is that you?" Jenny calls, and I kick enough of the door in to leave a little hole. She looks furious when she sees me. "Stop!"

I don't.

"Every kick on that door is an attack on the empire!"

I deadpan. Now I'm beginning to see why my ancestors poured the tea into the harbor.

It takes only a few more kicks and the door collapses, and I look at Jenny, who's seething at me. She's placed her revolver down on one of the side tables. I could lunge for it, get it before her, make her submit and tie her up so I could change the course of the Al Nahash.

But I never get the chance.

"How dare you!" She shouts. "As soon as I've seen what the compound has done to you, I'll throw you back into the ocean where I've found you!"

She doesn't grab the revolver, but she does charge at me. I do the first thing that comes to mind, which is kick her. As my foot slams into her chest, she's sent sprawling backwards, her head banging into the floor so hard I fear I may have killed her.

She doesn't move, but the rising and falling of her chest tells me she's alive, just unconscious. I grab the gun and hide it in a cabinet in the engine room. I don't plan on using it, but I don't want Jenny to try to grab it in case she suddenly wakes.

She doesn't move as I approach her, and I believe she'll be out cold for a while, which is good since I don't have any rope to tie her up. I know I can't just leave her here to attack me when she wakes up, but I don't-

An idea pops into my mind. A terrible, terrible idea, but it's the only idea I have.

I take of my locket and use the chain to tie her hands together.

"I'll help you log into the pilot's console," Samuel says. "If you change course, the submarines will be able to rescue you. Don't worry, Callie. You're going to be okay."

•

"So," I say as I look through one of the portholes, "how long will it take for you to reach me?"

"Well, you've already changed course, so it should only be a few minutes," Peter assures through coms. "You're waiting by the airlock, yeah?"

"Yes, I-" A gunshot cuts me off, the bullet just barely missing my head.

"Blast," Jenny growls from behind me. "Missed."

My heart stops in my chest. I didn't think she'd wake up so fast. How did she get her hands untied? Where did she get that gun?

"Didn't know I had this sidearm, did you, Five? Foolish to not think of searching me. And did you really think that stupid necklace would hold me? I may not have the strength of an Atlantean, but I am strong enough to break a cheap chain."

For emphasis, she tosses my locket forward, and my heart breaks when I see the chain is broken and the edges of the locket itself is slightly cracked. I don't let my eyes linger for long, instead jumping behind a couple of crates for shelter as Jenny fires at me again, cursing when she misses. She tries to fire again, but the gun simply clicks.

"Blast! It's jammed!"

I send a silent prayer of thanks up to God.

"Um, Callie," Peter says, "and everyone else on coms, we have a problem. One of the other submarines reported seeing a school of anthropolyps approaching the Al Nahash. Sound travels quickly through water. They must've heard the gunshot."

No sooner does he finish speaking does an anthropolyp slams itself against one of the portholes, making Jenny flinch. Her eyes suddenly grow wide when she sees its face.

"Oh, God. It's-does it have... that one looks like Thomas."

My stomach drops as she steps closer to the porthole, looking at the creature snarling and clawing at the glass.

"His hair, his bearing. It can't be... Tommy? What have they done to you?"

I hear more of them beating against the submarine, some of the clawing at the airlock door, trying to pull it open.

Oh, no, no, no!

"Five, the Al Nahash is out of the fleet's harpoon range," Zala says. "Jenny is consumed by her grief. You must brace the door against the anthropolyps."

I nod, passing by the first door into the airlock and pressing myself against the second, sitting halfway as if there is an invisible chair. I push my back against it, gritting my teeth. I push down to keep them from getting even the slightest grip on the door to pull it up. The anthropolyps don't like my resistance, beating on the door and snarling angrily.

"His name!" Jenny cries. "It's on his uniform. Playfair. There! Five, it's him."

I barely listen to her, too focused on keeping myself pressed up against the door despite the burning in my legs.

"We're not far from you now, Callie. Just keep holding on," Peter instructs, and I bite back a whimper of fear as more anthropolyps beat on the door while Jenny just stares at the twisted form of her brother through the porthole.

"His smile is as wide as his jaw," She says, flinching when another anthropolyp joins Thomas and beats on the porthole. No sooner than it arrives is it speared through with a harpoon, causing it to fall into the depths below. Thomas doesn't even give it a second glance.

But Jenny-her eyes have gone wide in panic.

"A harpoon? No. No! No! No! No!"

I hear one spear through one of the anthropolyps beating against the airlock door, and I nearly sigh in relief now that the cavalry is here.

"He is a British subject! I will not allow the treacherous Atlanteans to kill him." She rushes over to a console at the far end of the room, away from where I am at the airlock. What she says next makes my heart stop. "But we have torpedoes."

"Jenny, wait!" I scream, but it's too late. One of them has already been sent flying, and while I don't see it, I hear the distant explosion and Samuel's cry of terror.

No, no, no!

"Peter?" I call out, my throat clogged with tears as panic sets in. "Peter, please come in."

"I-I'm here," He replies shakily, and the relief of hearing his voice is like a weight off my chest. "But she took out one of our ships. And we can't retaliate, not while you're on board."

"So, what do we do?"

"Zala?"

"Keep bracing the airlock, Five," Zala says. "Samuel and I will think of something."

I keep myself braced against the door for what feels like hours, although I'm sure it's only been a few minutes. With each second that passes, I lose a bit more hope of being saved from these things, and from Jenny. But eventually, after painful agonizing minutes of me bracing the door and my legs shaking from the strain, the anthropolyps swim to another part of the ship. I sink to the floor, but I'm only allowed a minute of two of rest before the lights flicker, and I stand in alarm.

"Look at the anthropolyps, Five," Jenny says, looking out at some of them swimming around the porthole. I don't know where Thomas went, but he's no longer banging at the glass. "They have intelligence. I can see it in their eyes. Look at them unhinging their jaws."

I take a step towards her, my hand raised, but she simply glares at me.

"No, don't come near me. I still have my gun."

I cock a brow. The gun that's jammed?

There's a scream of metal tearing, and looking around at some of the portholes, I see anthropolyps biting at the rivets, tearing at the boltheads. There's screeching from below as they tear through the bottom, and I'm sure the Al Nahash is working to keep the water from coming in, trying to seal off the tears, but one is already through. A hand shoots upward, messing up the panels in the floor as it pulls itself up to meet us.

I see the black hair, the uniform. Jenny gasps as it snarls, standing on shaky legs, unused to not being in water after the years.

"It's you," She says. "Thomas. I knew you'd find me."

She takes a step towards him. It. But I scramble away, as far away as I can.

"I knew we'd see each other again. You recognize me, don't you?"

The anthropolyp stills, just for a moment, and I watch with bated breath. Maybe it does have some sentience. Maybe we can stop this madness, stop Jenny from hurting Atlantis by uniting her with her brother.

That hope is bashed as soon as it appears in my mind as the anthropolyp lunges for Jenny, sinking its teeth into her arm and letting glowing liquid flow into the wound. She cries out, dropping to her knees in pain and shock. As if the anthropolyp knows what it's done, that she's infected, it turns its eyes to me, its mouth open wide as it lunges.

I act on instinct and punch it in the face, just below its left eye. It's easy to move when I'm not underwater, and my blows are stronger. I hit it again, careful to stay away from its mouth. The anthropolyp almost looks surprised that I've hit it, but that doesn't deter it for long.

"Whatever Jenny wanted to believe, those things don't have intelligence," Samuel says as I switch arms to confuse it. "But I suppose it's poetic justice that she'll die this way, given what she did to my sister."

"Why won't you stay down?!" I shout, swinging my arm again and hitting the anthropolyp across the chin. It's already hard enough because it's so tall. Why does it have to have such great stamina?! I hit it again, and it's enough to knock it down. It already starts trying to stand a few seconds later.

I rush over to the ballast tank nearby, pressing myself against it like I did while bracing the airlock and pushing it towards the anthropolyp. I grit my teeth so hard I fear the bones may crack, but I'm able to tip it over onto the creature. It slams down on its foot, making the anthropolyp screech out an unearthly sound, but it still claws at me as it tries to free itself.

So I kick it. It snarls and growls at my foot slams into it again and again.

"Just stop moving!" I scream, nearly faltering when I hear Jenny cough. She still hasn't changed yet. Maybe the virus works differently in humans than Atlanteans. Maybe they change slower.

"Ignore Jenny, Five," Zala says as I kick the creature again. "I know this can't be pleasant, but the creature has lost its mind. You are showing it mercy."

I shout as I deliver a final kick, and the anthropolyp goes silent. I pant heavily, nearly screaming in frustration when I see it's still alive. I can see the pulse point in its transparent skin, near the neck. The heart is still beating.

But I hear more anthropolyps trying to get in through the bulkhead. More tears burn my eyes. We can't fight them. I can try to go back to get Jenny's revolver, but it only holds a few bullets, and the second side arm Jenny has is jammed. I beat one into the ground and it still hasn't died. We can't fight them off!

"What do we do?!" I exclaim, my breathing quickening.

Jenny coughs painfully as she stands. "The surface is our only hope."

I look at her with wide eyes. "But-"

"They mutated because they failed to formulate an antidote to Zala's injection, but-" She coughs. "You are alive. My test worked."

She rushes into the next room, where her lab was, and grabs the second syringe. Without hesitation, she injects herself, and I'm forced to follow her as she rushes towards the pilot's console. She collapses at the door, too weak to get to the console.

"I need you to pull that lever there. It'll shoot us to the surface. These monsters won't stand a chance." She scowls when I hesitate. "What are you waiting for?! Do it!"

I still hesitate. Her injection may have not killed me, but that doesn't mean it will work in keeping us alive as we reach the surface.

"She is right, Five," Zala says. "I'm afraid she's also unlikely to survive, but you might. You must choose between certain death in the hands of the anthropolyps, or possible survival on the surface."

I grab the lever and pull it, nearly being thrown to the floor as the submarine shoots upward.

"I'm glad you pulled that lever. I would not have wanted to see your story end here. You must try to keep moving so that your physiology withstands the drop in pressure and final stages of the mutation."

"Just keep moving, Callie," Samuel pleads. "For just a bit longer, keep moving."

•

Light is coming through the porthole, and fast.

"We're approaching the surface," Jenny says weakly, and her head spins around at the sound of squelching in the other room. Thomas has pulled himself free, but he's too injured to come after us.

His... its body is rupturing, the cells bursting as the pressure drops more and more. The body is ballooning up in a terrifying way, and I can't bring myself to watch as its body rips itself apart.

Jenny sobs. "Oh, Thomas. I wish I had believed you so long ago."

I pull my hands to my chest, trying to grab a locket that isn't there.

"Callie, are you okay? Has the antidote worked?" Peter questions, but I don't get to answer, not when Jenny screams.

I turn my head, eyes widening as she holds her hand away from her, eyes widening as... something sprouts from it. They grow from her skin, long and slimy and gray.

They're tentacles.

My hand claps to my mouth in horror. "What's happening to her?"

"She was bitten by an anthropolyp," Samuel says. "We have no idea how their venom interferes with the antidote."

Her body starts bending in a horrific way, and she starts to shake uncontrollably. I hear bones starting to break, and the flesh on her arms start to rip and tear, with red and blue blood spilling out.

"I-I can't control it," She gasps. "My body is-and my flesh-oh, God! Five, help me!"

She tries to crawl towards me, but her legs have swollen up to the point that she can't move them. I stagger away, my eyes wide in horror.

"There's nothing you can do for her," Samuel says, and I watch as her irises become dull, the bright blue covered by a milk white color.

"I can't feel my body, Five. I can't-my vision is going dark. Five!"

She explodes.

A shrill shriek leaves my lips as I turn my head and cover my face with my hands, blood and gore spraying across the room. I just barely miss being showered in it. I keep my face covered after all the body parts hit the floor. I don't want to see it.

"Jenny was a murderer, but I cannot say anyone deserved such a death," Zala says.

"Well..." Samuel replies, drawing out the word. "What? She killed my sister!"

I'm jerked around as the submarine breaks the surface, and I'm forced to remove my hands from my face. Through the porthole, around the bits that aren't covered in blood, I can see the sky.

"Is Callie alright?!" Peter shouts. "Callie?! Tell me you're okay!"

"I-I'm okay," I stammer, and I hear all three of those on coms breathe out in relief.

"Oh, I'm so glad," Zala sighs. "After everything you've been through, we would have been sad to lose you." She pauses. "Solus was wrong to trust Jenny, but was he wrong to look for the best in people? I am no longer sure he was, and that is thanks to you. You have been willing to lay down your life for the safety of Atlantis and the wider world. I believe I was wrong to take my people's choice away from them. Once the anemone has healed, we shall begin manufacturing a working antidote for the Topsiders here in Atlantis."

I hear Peter gasp as I leave the room, heading back towards the room with the airlock. I see my broken locket, lying there on the floor. I pick it up, opening it to gaze at the picture of Wesley.

"The Al Nahash is badly damaged, but it will survive the journey to the nearest shore. You have my blessing to take it there until you can contact someone to take you to safety. I believe you will not try to contact any armies to bring down against us. Perhaps you could use our technology to solve many problems on the surface."

"You'd better have a 'but' in there," Samuel says, and Zala laughs.

"But, if you prefer, there will always be a place for you in Atlantis."

I kiss the picture gently.

"The choice is yours."

Goodbye, Wesley.

"So," Peter says with a grin in his voice, "what's it going to be?"

There's a beat of silence as they await my answer.

I smile.

A/N: Here you go guys! I hope you enjoyed the final chapter to this short story! It is dedicated to rlane43
If you go to the next "chapter" it is an updated schedule, since my last one to you guys was in October.

Another good thing to note, as it will be shown in the schedule, is after this hiatus, I will be posted To Be A Champion, book 8 in the To Be A Runner series. I suggest you start re-reading To Be A Warrior since it's been awhile and you may need a refresher haha.

Anyway, please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!