The Questers: Spark of Madness

The Questers: Spark of Madness is part of the The Questers: Home short collection.

"So, does anyone have any idea at all as to what Zack's up to right now?" Natalie asked. She was answered by three shrugs and shaken heads. "Seriously, he told none of us?"

"Pretty much." Ava said. "Sat down in the forge before the sun came up and hasn't moved since."

"Probably trying to build a bomb, honestly." Kyra said. They nodded, knowing full well she wasn't anywhere close to joking. Ava hopped down from her perch on the kitchen counter and looked out the window.

"It's sundown. Do you think we should go get him?" Michael asked. They all looked around at one another for a moment.

"Nah." Ava eventually said. "Probably just like the time someone rigged the climbing wall so he couldn't beat it and he stayed out there until like, two to keep trying."

"I'll go make sure he hasn't overheated and passed out, first, then I'm going to bed." Natalie said.

"Good luck." Kyra quipped and left to return to the Apollo cabin. Michael scrambled out of his chair and had jumped on the couch before Ava could spring for it. Ava made a hand gesture that resembled a strangling and grumbled something expletive before taking refuge in the recliner. Natalie shook her head and left the cabin. She walked to the other end of camp and found the forge, mostly abandoned, save for one person. Zack was still sitting at his stool, trying to piece a large hunk of metal over some form of electronic contraption.

"Yo." she said, and he looked over. His face was covered in grime and soot from the forge, save for the area around his eyes, which had been covered by a set of goggles. "You alright? You've been out here for...forever." She said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just want to finish this thing before I go to bed." He said.

"The hell are you making, anyway?" She asked.

"You know how the Apollo cabin has sonic arrows?"

"Yeah."

"Thought about maybe making a bomb or landmine with the same effect." He said. "Like, plant one of these somewhere and wait for monsters to pass over it, turn it on, and watch the gold dust fly."

"Nice, but do you have to miss sleep for it?"

"Nat, I haven't had a full night's sleep in five years." He pointed out.

"Well, you're not wrong." She said. "Alright then, we're all headed to bed. Try to get to sleep before three in the morning this time." She said and left him at the forge. He waited for her to be well beyond earshot, then leaned down and placed a small camera in front of him.

"Ok, almost got caught." he whispered to it. "Let's review. I'm building a megaspeaker that should play audio to be heard quite loudly from the middle of camp to HQ. I'm gonna plant this thing in the middle of camp and make for New York in the night. Mr. D has given the go ahead, so I should die. Will probably get beat up for this. Decided on The Heretic Anthem by Slipknot and Walk by Pantera for the songs. I have cameras set up outside each cabin and they'll stream to my laptop, which I will watch from a hotel room somewhere safe. Gonna set the thing on a timer for five in the morning, this is gonna be fun."