The Golgotha Initiative

Chapter 6: Kiko

"Where's Ave?" Logan asks. I rest my head on Caleb's jostling shoulder. He runs, up down up down, thumping against linoleum.

"Ave?" Logan's voice rises. "Kyle, we can't leave yet. We have to get Ave."

"We're at the helicopter pad," Kyle says, and types in a key code.

When the door opens, Logan grabs Kyle roughly by the shoulder and pins him to the other side of the wall. I slip off Caleb's back and we file into the room, slipping between large metal gates as they reclose.

"Where's Ave?"

"Who?" Kyle looks genuinely confused. It might be genuine, or he's acting. But I haven't seen Ave either.

"Ave! She's got yellow hair with a pink streak- or at least she did- and she's short and threatens to boil people for looking at her and she fights with katanas and she's amazing and one of us and we have to find her before we can leave!"

I walk over to a helicopter and strap into the pilot seat.

"I'm sorry," Kyle says. "I don't know who your friend is but we have to go."

"But-" Logan looks wildly around and finds me. "Kiko- what are you doing?"

"Get in, Logan-kun."

"What about Ave?"

I don't say anything. Kyle climbs in next to me and keys in the code to start the chopper.

"Ave's alive too, right?" Caleb asks, one arm supporting Eric. "I mean, someone has to hot-glue my elbow to my knee cap."

"Kiko-!"

I hate how desperate Logan sounds. I hate that I can't do anything about it.

"Let's go," Eric says.

"But-"

Eric spins on Logan, still awkwardly clasped to Caleb. "She's dead, okay? That's the only reason we're leaving without her. So shut up, get in the frikin chopper, and cry about it on the way."

Logan's mouth drops open, eyes spinning from Eric to Caleb to Kyle to me, and I stare back at him until he gets in the helicopter.

No one chases us as we fly away. No sirens go off, no missiles arc in our direction. We're on autopilot, which is good, because all the windows are shaded out.

"Hey," Kyle says. "So I know you probably have some questions and want to share your stories, but-"

"How are we all alive?" Caleb asks.

"Not all of us."

"Look, Ahmed-"

"Not all of us."

"Fine. But it's better than- it's better- Mate, what happened to your leg?"

"Shark week."

"Hey, guys, if I could just-"

"She's not dead. Kiko-chan, you know where she is, right?"

"If you don't want to tell me-"

"I really need to interrupt here."

"Or you can figure it out? We can go back and get her-"

"SHUT UP!" I shout. They all look at me.

"Um. Okay," Kyle says. "We'll be there in about six hours. I'll brief you first, which will hopefully explain most of what's going on, and then you can catch up with each other."

Caleb squints at him. "How come you get to make the rules?"

"I'm the one who sprung you from Compass!"