Flash had been surprised, and he didn't consider himself to be a dragon that was surprised easily. When Richie had told him that all the dragons had chosen her to lead them, he'd thought it a mistake. There was of course no doubting her confidence. But being a leader was more than just that, and goodness knows he'd been around a few. But this, this was something else. Despite her outward facade, he could tell that she wasn't happy about what she'd just done. Not that she looked happy in herself, she just looked kind of blasé about the whole thing. Most of the others would think just that, but he recognised the turmoil she was in.
'This,' he thought, 'bodes well. If she's willing to recognise what needs to be done, and has the courage to take the responsibility herself in doing it, despite the fact that it goes against her very nature, she could well be the only being to lead us to any sort of victory.' Things were looking up.
Almost exactly the same thoughts were running through Gee Tee's mind. He knew, of course, that there was little choice but to kill the dragon Casey. For a start he was far too dangerous to keep alive, but also there was nowhere to hold him, and he'd seen far too much of what was going on here to be regarded as anything less than a massive risk. A tinge of guilt and sadness ran through him at all this. Guilt because he was primarily responsible for getting her into it... well, the leader part anyway. And sadness for the gruesome act which she had clearly not wanted to commit, but had done so anyway. He didn't doubt that she would be a fine leader, but worried that she herself would pay a high price much further down the line.
Looking down at the blade of the laminium dagger in her hands, she watched as tiny streams of green blood dribbled down it towards the tip. She'd never killed before. Never even thought about it before today. When Peter had described his battle with the evil dragon Manson on the Astroturf, she'd wondered what she would have done had she been in his position, considered the moment when he'd thrust the deadly looking icicle into what was supposedly Manson's weak spot. It hadn't turned out to be, but Peter hadn't known that. When he'd spoken about it all, she'd just assumed she would have done the same thing, with hardly a thought. But it had all played on her mind for days afterwards. Normally so sure of herself, she worried that she wouldn't have been able to do it, that she would have frozen at the last minute. Well, now she knew for sure. There was no turning back. She could kill if she had to. It felt horrible but... she could do it. Wiping the thick green blood off the shiny blade with the bottom of her T-shirt, she tucked the dagger back in place, and turned to face everyone.
Taibul, Sam, Emma and Angela were all comforting each other as best they could and had moved away from the rest of the group. The dragons stood straight and tall. Everyone looked as Richie turned around.
"Whether you agree with me or not... it had to be done. All we can do now is move on. We need to act on everything he told us if we're to stand any sort of chance. You've elected me as your leader, and as such I've come up with what I feel is the best way to deal with the situation. We will take two forces up to London. When we get there, I will lead one with the aim of saving the king and the council, seeing what help we can pick up on the way. YOU, master mantra maker," she stated, pointing at Gee Tee, "will lead the other. Your task will be to get the telepathic crystal nodes working so that we can spread the word across the planet and coordinate our efforts."
Both Gee Tee and Flash were surprised in equal measures. Gee Tee, because the last thing he felt qualified to do was lead anybody, especially given that he wasn't a people or dragon person and always much preferred his own company. Half thinking that this was Richie's revenge for him putting her in that position, he dismissed that almost immediately, knowing that she was only doing what she thought best. Flash's surprise was because he hadn't been chosen to lead the other group. Of everyone here, he was easily the most qualified, knew London like the back of his hand and had already proved his worth many times over today. I mean... he'd saved her life when Casey was about to finish her off, hadn't he? So why on earth hadn't she chosen him?
Looking across at Flash, as she knew he would, the ex-Crimson Guard was having trouble processing the fact that he hadn't been asked to lead. It was time to, quite literally, ask the world of him.
"Flash! Step forward," she commanded. He did so straight away, not knowing what was going to happen next. Keeping her voice strong, resolute, calm, but with just a hint of emotion, she spoke loudly enough for all to hear. "Your skills and experience have gone far in helping us achieve this small victory today. You saved my life, and countless others too. My respect, admiration and love for you is beyond measure."
Flash could hardly believe what he was hearing.
'Where on earth,' he thought, 'is this going?'
"And so it pains me," Richie continued, "to make this request of you. And yes, it is a request. You should feel free to turn it down, and know that it's not something I ask lightly. I believe you are the only one qualified and able to see it through, and ultimately think that its success is the key to returning the planet to some sort of normality."
Listening intently, Flash chided himself for believing briefly that Richie hadn't trusted him. From her words, it looked as though she trusted him only too well.
"Our deceased friend here described the army of nagas at Manson's disposal as titanic. I find it difficult to comprehend. But if it is as big as he described, then a dragon force a thousand times bigger than ours would have trouble defeating it. There seems to me to be only one way to counter this: to take away the threat hanging over their heads, and in doing so, stop them from working for Manson."
Now he understood. She was going to send him back to Antarctica. A cold shiver of fear ran up his back and arms at the very thought of returning. He'd had nightmares about his time there since returning. Not every night, but a few times a week. He'd wake up screaming, covered in sweat, his back burning with pain. And while the pain had subsided a little, the images that swam in and around his subconscious were as clear and frightening as ever. If there was one place on the whole of the planet that he never wanted to see again... IT WAS THERE!
"So you see, while you may have thought that I didn't trust you enough to lead the other London group, I actually need you to do something far more important... far more dangerous! And it's something I know you don't want to do because of your previous experience there. But it is precisely that experience that makes you the perfect dragon for the job. No one else knows what you do. No one else can make the rescue of the naga king work. So my mission for you, should you choose to accept it, is to make your way to Antarctica with all haste, via the latest monorail test borehole in Northern France, gathering help along the way if at all possible, and free the naga king from his icy hellhole. Hopefully, once this is achieved, the naga king will have some way to warn his race and can nullify that part of Manson's plan."
Richie made no mention of Peter's grandfather Fredric, but didn't doubt for one second that if Flash made it as far as the bleak, icy prison, he would go to great lengths to try and free him as well.
"So... what do you say?"
She made a compelling case, Flash thought, and knew that what they were trying to achieve would be almost impossible without somehow removing the naga threat. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't think of another way of doing that. And having been there already, he most certainly was the best dragon for the job. He just wished he wasn't. Reluctantly he nodded.
"I'm in," he declared.