The Nephilim Protocol

Invasion

"No. I just don't see the point in talking about it anymore," says Dolphin. "The last two days, you guys have been all 'Oh my god. We might die!', 'Oh my god. They have trackers on us!', 'Oh my god. What's a De-Escalation Protocol?'"

"Keep your voice down, moron," Ball Buster hisses.

"What's the point?" Dolphin asks. "We know all we're going to know; all we can know. Speculating on all sorts of stuff like the UN nuking the island isn't getting us anywhere. Why bother looking for the little beast?"

"Please tell me that's an idiom," I say, because I don't think I could take some sort of gremlin creeping around the camp at this point."

"I think we should talk about the food." He pushes around the dry oatmeal on his plate. "If those planes don't show soon, we're going to die a lot sooner."

"What I don't get is why we go crazy and then die," Sue says. "Like that's messed. Y'all sure you heard that right?"

"Yes. We're sure," I say. "Thinking back, it's actually what Wolfe told us on our first day here—the chest caves in, the pain drives us crazy and eventually kills us."

"But she said the implants would stop that," says Mouse, just out of the clinic, still looking horribly pale and sickly. "Why didn't Destro say anything about it?"

"He probably hasn't seen it happen," Ball-Buster is unusually serious. "He said a lot of campers were taken away last year. They didn't have time to go crazy."

"Destro's still here, and he's not crazy." I say.

"Eh..." Dolphin seems skeptical. "He's a bit in the West." We all look at him. "Spaced out," he clarifies.

"Destro's not crazy because he didn't get his unique ability," Ball-Buster says. "That's why the others were taken away. So the unique ability must speed up whatever-it-is that kills us."

"That's great," says Mouse.

I think he regrets saying it, but Bally's not the sort to apologize. "Anyway," he says. "I'd say it's time to revisit the escape plan."

"Did we ever un-visit it?" I ask.

"I'm in," Mouse says. "I mean, for the record, I still think you Americans are whiny. This camp is easily the nicest time I've had, apart from the pneumonia and the freezing cold."

"And the lack of actual food," I say.

"Three meals a day isn't a lack of food, American." Mouse takes another bite of oatmeal. "But I don't like the idea of dying, so ... let me know. Whatever you need."

"I'm still out," Dolphin says. "You guys are nuts."

"Fuck you, rich boy," Sue says, leaning in. "Now what about them cameras? What we gonna do about those?"

"We could meet in the ice cave," I suggest.

"Perfect," Ball Buster says. "We'll need a signal to gather."

"One other thing," Sue says. "Ain't none of y'all gonna escape with the shape you in. We need regular workouts."

"Dude," I say. "Give it a rest."

"You guys have been out running every night," Dolphin says. "I tell you, you're not going to find a plane just sitting around."

"I don't give a shit about running. I'm saying y'all need to pump some iron," Sue insists.

"We can lift about 200 pounds each," I say.

"Yeah, for seven minutes," Sue says. "Then you's a bunch of limp spaghetti. That's weak, man."