Useless [Russ]

[Jude Dorrian]

“No, Jude!”
“Tameron, you have to do it. Gornray said-”
“You hate Gornray, so why the hell y’all are bothering with her instructions I don’t know-”
“I don’t hate Gornray; and you-”
“I ain’t doing it! I ain’t! I won’t!”
Perhaps it was a built-in feature of all thirteen year olds to be totally and completely ridiculous in every sense of the word. Tameron- a serial exhibitor of typical teenage behaviour- was currently pushing the word, ‘ridiculous’, to newer, and greater heights, un-reached by any adolescent to date.
If there was such a thing as a hormonal rock-climbing competition, she'd win first prize.
“Y’all ain’t the only one who’s got to take them,” Jude’s voice, which had managed to remain reasonable up until this point, hardened now- only slightly, subtly around the edges.
But any edge to Jude’s voice was instantaneously obvious, no matter how minor an edge it may be.
Her eyes flashed dangerously. “Don’t see you doing it.”
If only!
“I wasn’t selected,” Jude sighed; the edge was gone, but the damage was done, “Look, Tam, I’d do it for you if I could, but I can’t. And someone has to do it.”
“I’m not going in there again.”
The Hospital Wing should be taped off from the rest of the school. It was a catastrophe. An absolute hell-hole. A second chamber had had to be erected to make room for all the casualties- and that was the chamber that Tameron feared so.
Okay.
Maybe ridiculous was an exaggeration.
Jude could empathise. Tameron was one of an unlucky few of students who’d been randomly selected to go into the chamber and work with the Carers. Spies, Warriors and Academics were being pulled from their usual posts to contribute as much as possible, because so many Carers were wrapped up in forest reparations as well as Healing work. Jude had already been in there to visit a couple of his friends and well…
It was like walking into hell.
Tameron had been in too, to visit a friend of her own, and when she’d come out, she was a shade paler than usual.
“Can’t go back in. Can’t visit her again. I told her so. I don’t think she knew I was even there.”
It wasn’t her feelings in regard to that room that made her reaction so ridiculous- heck no, it wasn’t that. What made Tameron ridiculous was her inability to reason with Jude about it- any of it. Every time he tried to broach the subject, she leaped to hysterics. She was on the offensive, and there was nothing Jude could say or do to show her that actually, he was on her side.
“Tameron,” Jude sat down weakly, a wave of defeat washing over him, “the point is… you have to.”
“I don’t have to do a goddam thing that woman says!” Tameron hissed, turning on her heel. “I won’t- I can’t, Jude- don’t you get that?”
Yes, he did.
But didn’t she get she had to?
Didn’t she get it… this was an opportunity Jude would kill for.
Something to do.
Something that mattered.
As it was, Jude was stuck here; giving people the shoulder to cry on- he could do that- but that was it. And most people here were sick of crying. They were all just angry. Hell, Jude was angry!
They’d lost.
Madeleine was gone.
People were dead and it was all for nothing.
Their friends had died for nothing.
Tameron was needed. She’d been chosen. She was needed and she could do something and she was just…
Throwing it back. Throwing it away.
Jude didn’t bother to stop his sister from leaving. He knew where she was going- she planned to go and tell Gornray directly that she wasn’t going to go and help out the Carers. Well, that was gonna go down a treat. Jude would be surprised if Tameron managed to return with most of her facial features intact.
Tameron was gonna have to help, whether she liked it or not.
She didn’t see that. If she did, she’d make things a lot easier for herself.
Jude leaned back and took off his Stetson, setting it on the arm of his chair.
He was tired of feeling useless.
And he wasn't the only one.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Stephen,

Yeah, still no news. Hoodham and Thandie are trying to give me as much news as possible, but I only know as much as you know. The Spies are working flat out, and the teachers… well, I don’t know what they’re doing, but I’m telling you, they’ve practically become the fúcking CIA. Dámn secretive. But, they’d tell me if they knew anything, and as about eight people have told me today, no news is good news.
I don’t think they’ve realised how much that maxim makes people want to break their faces, but hey. It’s their noses.
The warpath is currently in the process of being mended. The forest looks like the Australian bush, and because Jack friggin’ Trove decided it would be a great idea to let untrained pupils fight, there’s a hell of a lot of injuries. Yeah, those people may have saved our asses, but I don’t think he thought that the cost of that might outweigh that. Madeleine is going to go ballistic when she gets back.
She will get back, Stephen. I know Rhiannon is freaking out, but she just needs to remember that Madel’s fought death. She pulled through Shaun, she pulled through Lee, and she defeated death. Compared to that, this is like child’s play for her. She’s going to be fine.

I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything, but you’ll probably know as soon as I do.

Russ.

Before clicking the ‘send’ button, Russ read that through to check that he hadn’t said anything he shouldn’t have. His aunt and uncle were panicking enough without them finding our how worried he was – well, Stephen was doing alright, but if Rhiannon happened to read the email and Russ was being completely honest, she’d just about collapse.
And, if he was being honest, that last bit… well, it was total BS. To be honest. Pulling through that… that was probably one of the cheesiest things Russ had ever said in his life, but, well, something optimistic needed to be said. And when your cousin (or, in Stephen’s case, your daughter) is being held in the enemy barracks and you’ve no idea if she’s even alive, never mind how they’re treating her, there’s honestly not a lot of optimistic things to be said.
Russ exhaled loudly, before pressing the button and sending the email on its way across the net. He’d been getting bombarded with emails from various friends of his and Madel’s about what was happening, but happily, he’d chosen to ignore most of them. They could contact her parents if they were that fúcking concerned.
That optimism was the only lie in there, though. The Carers and anyone with earth powers were working like crazy to try and rebuild the forest to anything near normal.
Stress on the “near”.
Loads of the Warriors were helping out, too. Battle training was so goddámn depressing these days that everyone was doing everything they could to get out of it. Half the Warriors were in the hospital ward, their leader was taken captive – and too many were dead. No one had the heart to do much in training, but obviously had to be on their guard in case the enemy decided to kick them while they were down.
Again.
So, a lot of the Warriors were helping out, and loads, including Russ, were skiving. There was just no point, to be honest. No one wanted to be there, everyone was miserable, and it was just sucking every bit of life out of them all with the failure of it.
It was just so goddámn useless.
And, like every Warrior out there, Russ was actually feeling useless. Because they couldn’t do anything, at all. The Carers could rebuild, the Spies could gather information, and the Academics… well, who knew what the Academics ever did, but anyway. The Warriors were lost, and they just wanted to do something – Russ more than everyone, or, so he assumed. They may have lost their leader, but this was his cousin. As much as he didn’t believe in the thickness of bloody, she was still family, and she…
He’d never admit it, but he missed her, and he was fúcking terrified for her. Head, and scary she might be, but she was… she was so small. She was a mess, and … argh, God. God knew what they were doing to her. He’d heard what happened to Macy Deltine, and what if…
Hoodham kept pointing out that nothing was likely to harm her – she was too valuable. Having her was a brilliant bargaining tool – no one would ever make an offensive attack or risk Madeleine’s life. Any student would be a tool, but this one… well, they’d given the school one hell of a kick in the balls.
Russ leaned back against the wall of the dorm, and sighed. Again. The place was too small. He needed out, and he needed a conversation, just to get out of his own dámn head. They weren’t letting them out of the grounds, so it was option two. The common room wasn’t much better than here, though…
Fúck it. Lynn might be in the common room.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t there. The place was grey, empty. Like death. It was no better than anywhere else. Still, there was someone in the room. Jude Dorrian sat on an armchair, as depressed as everyone in the school, his cherry Stetson drooping beside him.
So Russ sat on the chair opposite him. “Having fun?” he said, sardonically.

[Jude Dorrian]

Jude had heard him coming from a good 30 metres away; through the echoing passages towards the Common Room. In the silence of the school, Jude's sensitive hearing had become much more acute- almost painfully so. Jude's gut feeling also told him it was something to do with his current state of mind. His senses- already far above those of an average human- had intensified due to an alertness associated with danger. He'd always noticed how sharp his hearing was just before a storm...
Russ' footsteps were slow. Nobody with a body that thick with muscles could avoid having a heavy step, but Russ usually carried himself pretty well. And he was by no means slow.
It was pretty obvious what was weighing Russ' steps down.
The same goddam thing weighing everyone else down.
But Russ- Russ was Maddox's cousin.
It was a wonder he hadn't sank through the ground with the weight pressing down on him.
Jude listened to his steps across the carpet, and marked his destination as the chair opposite him.
His prediction proved itself correct as Russ sat down. The chair moaned, and Jude knew its cushion was sagging; its framework beneath the padding bending.
It was an old chair. First years liked to jump on it.
"Having fun?"
A smile darkened Jude's face as he looked up. "Me? Hey, I'm having the time of my life." The smile disappeared, and concern took its place; a much more appropriate expression, given the circumstances. "And you?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

“Oh, life’s a fúcking dream,” Russ commented darkly, sprawling back on the expiring chair and flicking his glance about the dead common room. “You know how it is.”
Even without those extra-potent senses of his, Jude had to know how it was. For God’s sake, the life force had been sucked out of the place. The quick pulse, the buzz, the breath of the place had gone, and it was like they’d given up.
If only the forces could see the white flag that now covered the school now.
He didn’t know how she’d made the impact to make this happen, he really didn’t. She was just a girl, just another girl from a gypsy camp who made it to Head… Russ knew how much the Warriors liked her. But he hadn’t expected the same reactions from the rest of the school. For God’s sake, the place was on its knees.
They missed her, and she was needed. She was head of the Warriors, for chrisssake.
And, as much as he'd never admit it anyone - not Madeleine, not Lynn - he missed her too. When she'd left for Orchid, and he for Spain, he hadn't really missed her. But they'd been given a chance to actually become friends after her heartache, and not just friends. Family.
And he hadn't expected her to go like that. Hadn't expected that when she'd yelled at him for smoking on her way out running with Jack, it might have been the last time he'd ever spoken to her.
Oh, Christ.
“Just sent an email to Madel’s dad,” he said, eyes flashing back to Jude. Jude knew Madeleine, they were friends. He’d want to know what was going on, Russ was sure. “Still no news. I’m just trying to placate them now, seeing how it’s the only thing I can bloody do.”

[Jude Dorrian]

Placate them?
"Hell, I hope you're doing a better job of placating your family than I am mine," Jude muttered darkly. "Reckon Tameron's had about ten tantrums on me so far."
Russ- the family mediator. The role didn't quite seem to fit. Jude could see Russ more as the kinda guy who lived at the edges of the family circle.
Jude worked out when he met Russ that the two cousins hadn't grown up together. Y'all could hear it in the Spanish husk to Russ' voice; the Scottish ripple to Maddox's speech. It was subtle- but it was there.
And the fact Russ and Maddox had joined Orchid at separate times was also a bit of a giveaway.
Russ was tired. Jude could see the same frustration he felt knotted up in his chest etched into the lines of Maddox's cousin's face. There was something defeated about the way his shoulders slumped forward now.
Something exhausted.
No news, he'd said.
None.
Zilch.
Nada.
No news was good news- or so they said. Jude wasn't so convinced. There was something much crueller, he felt, in the not knowing. In the desperate waiting for something- anything- any scrap of information, good or bad.
Something harder about the worrying.
Something all the more horrific about the possibilities your imagination began to conjure-
Can't think like that, Jude.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

There it was; family again.
There was a difference in his relationship with Stephen, though. Russ wasn’t being the nephew, here. Russ was being the friend. He and Stephen had always gotten along well, even before… well, before Russ found out, anyway. He guessed that Stephen had always known about Russ’ parentage, but, Russ had never looked on him as a uncle.
Just as a family friend. Feeling like Madeleine’s cousin apparently didn’t mean becoming closer to the rest of his blood relatives. Blood and water, he guessed.
Still, it didn’t matter. It had always just been him and Imogen, then Oliver got added into the equation – and, well, that went well. Russ didn’t mind. There was something comfortable about being almost self-sufficient. Obviously you needed some people. But he had some people. All he needed. He didn’t need blood uncles, or, as his mother seemed to have become fixated on, a father figure.
Sure, look at his real… father, and then look at Oliver.
Yeah, Russ was getting along just fine without one, thanks.
But Stephen, and ‘specially Rhiannon needed him right now. After all, it wasn't like he was able to do anything else no one else in their 'family' was going to be able to do this: they were all too busy either panicking or throwing in the towel. Once Rhiannon had stopped crying, she had sworn to pull Madeleine out of the school, out of her position as Head because this kept happening…
That would go down well, if she got back.
When, goddámnit.
Jude’s slouch said that it was an if. He didn't know how, but Russ got the sense that Jude's thoughts on the matter were somewhat similar to his. The fact that he was just sitting there was enough. Russ didn't know Jude well, but he knew enough. He knew that Jude didn't sit passively when help was needed - look at what had happened with "Bonkers from Yonkers" Steve, before he came, and Madel had told him what he'd done for her when Lee lost it. Jude didn't do passive. Jude didn't do sitting in the dámn common room when there was something to be done. He took the sad song and made it better.
So, Jude must be feeling pretty frustrated here too.
"Don't know if I'm doing any good," he muttered. "'Sides, what age is Tameron exactly? At her age, it takes a lot to be placated. Tantrums are pretty much second nature, right?"
Even though he wasn't Tameron's age, tantrums were tempting.

[Jude Dorrian]

"About thirteen, maybe fourteen... or as good as," Jude replied, exhibiting the classic male inability to remember dates and numbers on a personal level. "Young enough to get away with it, anyway."
And she had the excuse of hormones.
Boy, though, at her age, Jude knew he wouldn't have been able to afford tantrums. He could barely remember how to throw one. Last time... he couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 when he did it. Surely.
Surely somethin' like that.
Tameron was the way she was s'posed to be. Growing up at the proper rate. Yet even she was moving too fast for his liking. All those boys. All these battles. Jude couldn't quite work out which was the greater threat to her innocence.
"Hell," Jude's voice hardened suddenly, "she's frustrated. We all are. Ain't nothin' we've been able to do but wait."
Yeah.
It was the waiting that was killing the morale here.
If they knew Maddox was in danger, maybe life would kick into the pupils and they'd storm the enemy camps to save her.
If they knew she was safe, they could relax, re-think and strategise in the knowledge she would not be hurt.
But they got nothing.
Not a goddam whisper.
The whole school stank of nervous energy. Anxiety ravaged the corridors. Students could be seen sitting in hallways chewing their fingers to pieces, tearing textbooks to shreds; seen pacing corridors, pacing rooms, pacing the grounds. Some hovered, half-hopeful, at the Hospital Wing, waiting for a Carer or Gornray to ask for their help.
Others ran through the forest, but mostly that lot got in the Carers' way.
The Carers had it lucky in a lot of ways. At least there was still a job for them to do. The other groups were at a total loss.
Spies sat in huddles, talking in low fast whispers, plotting maneoveurs and praying for instruction from Kira.
Academics sat over maps, brows furrowed, arms crossed; waiting for inspiration to strike.
Warriors sat.
And sat.
And sat.
And waited for orders that never came.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

And it was that waiting part that was getting to him most.
"Yeah," he sighed heavily. We all are..
The place was dead. Dead.
The only place with a bit of life in it was, ironically, the hospital wing. Filled with the sick and the injured, and their families' rosaries, it was an emotional drain, but at least there was some sign of life. In the main wing, and the new, hurried extension, there were the sick, healing, crying, bleeding, dying. Then there were the Carers, who had become a force of their own.
After all the light-hearted teasing between the groups, they all had to admit that the Carers were doing a bloody good job. Like, healing, scrub-clad ninjas. God knew where they'd be without them.
He'd been in the hospital a few times with Lynn, seeing as she'd been there almost constantly, waiting for Kennedy's punctured lung - or, pneumothorax; the word that the Carers casually dropped about every so often - to heal properly. The hospital wing was depressing, sure, but better there than in the rest of the school. Lynn needed to be with her brother, and Russ needed to make sure that she wasn't alone. Besides, somewhere between the wounds, the beeping monitors, the scary Carer talk, the Ave Marias coming from the relatives, there was a sign of life there. People actively healing, actively praying, actively being able to do something. That was what was missing. Action.
Because Russ couldn't get Madel, he couldn't pray for her because he believed there was no one to listen, and he couldn't do anything. She was over there, getting god-knows-what done to her, and they were all safely kept in the school, out of harm.
Macy Deltine had been out within a week. Madeleine had not. Every painful day that went past was engraved into his memory, as he wondered what the hell was going to happen. The Warriors needed their Head, Russ needed his cousin, Lee needed his fiancé, and she needed to be the hell out of the enemy barracks.
But there was no one to order a search-and-rescue mission. No one to organise the troops to go and get her out by force. The Head of the Warriors, naturally, wasn't there to deal with the negotiations.
So, no one could do anything, but someone had to do something.
Even if it was just throwing a tantrum - if it helped, it was okay.
"The frustration is the worst part, I guess," Russ said, slowly. "Christ knows what's happening, and we just get to sit here and do sweet FA. Lucky us. Lucky Madeleine. I swear, if I was young enough to get away with the tantrum, I'd do it, just for something to do.

[Jude Dorrian]

"Well..." he weighed his words carefully, "maybe you're old enough to go punch up a couple folk if it makes ya feel any better."
Silence suddenly clouded the space between them.
Both knew what the other was thinking.
There was only one kinda folk out there it'd make either feel any better to punch. And those folk were far out across No Man's Land, lying low like snakes in a certain, darkened camp.
Had Kira not been injured in battle she would have been up and about and handing out orders. Something in his gut made Jude sure of that. Kira wasn't the type to sit around and passively watch the war go by. Kira had too much spirit for that. She was a good Head- a good leader. She may seem dreamy, but when Kira meant business- hell, she meant it.
Yet for the time being, all she'd really done was give the orders to set up look-outs around the periphery. He guessed it was difficult for her to oversee things from a hospital bed.
Or maybe she'd just been advised to be cautious.
Too many students had been lost. Too much damage had been caused. The school was at its most vulnerable and the longer Maddox stayed away, the more volatile the situation grew. Look-outs came back empty-handed and frustrated. Nobody knew what the hell was happening at the enemy camp- yet as Spies, wasn't it their goddam point to know what was going on there?!
He was tired of having a temper.
He wasn't the kind to lose it.
Yet there were red sparks blinking at the edges of his vision. Sparks that wouldn't burn themselves out. And Jude knew that if they didn't burn out soon... they'd explode.
And Jude... well... he wasn't the kinda to lose his temper, 'cause he wasn't the kind who could afford to lose it.
Jude's fists furled. He hid them inside his deep pockets, almost ashamed of this external display of his internal anguish. His face remained a sardonic mask; a carefully adopted, safe expression.
"The Spies know nothing," he said at last.
Russ hadn't been able to give him any information. He was sorry he couldn't give him any back.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

"The Spies know nothing."
Yeah, well, neither do we, Jude.
Russ sighed, exhaling a long stream of air. "I don't... the Warriors know nothing either. Basically we're just waiting for... well, something to happen. We can't do anything while she's gone, and it's not like Jack has any clue what to do. Not that that's his fault - he's never done this before."
Jack wasn't a Head, obviously. Jack had been an official second in command for about twenty minutes before he was thrown headfirst into the horse shít. Of course Jack was lost. And Hoodham obviously couldn't risk his precious school, so-
No, Russ didn't mean that. He didn't. He knew that no one else could get hurt here, that they shouldn't get hurt. And after all that had been paid for it, surrender wasn't ever going to be an option here. They all knew what would happen then - and as much as Russ hated to admit it, Madeleine had been right that day at the beach. This wasn't just about the goddámn gnomes, this was about them too. And, in the the imorrtal words of Atticus Finch, thehy needed to fight for this even though they'd been licked hundreds of years before they began. Or, something to that effect. He'd never really paid much attention in English here.
Not even that, but the school meant pretty much everything to Madeleine, so it wasn't like she'd thank them for it. Throwing in the towel would kill her. She'd rather be put to the slaughter. He knew that. What was it he'd said to Olivia? They knew, if she went, she'd rather go like this than die of something like cancer. And it was true.
But it did it have to be her?
It all went back to why Russ hadn't liked Orchid in the first place, years ago. The gnomes, the dwarves, the giants, the trolls, the Hoodhams - why the hell couldn't they do their own dirty work. Why did it have to be teenagers?
Why did it have to be them?!
It was fairly safe to say that this was probably one of the crappiest points of his life so far. His cousin, his friend was missing. He'd just been in battle, and while he'd been lucky to recieve no major injuries, he'd seen people die. For God's sake, he'd even killed. Madeleine could be dead - or worse. He was sure she was right and when it came to this war, death wasn't the worst thing to happen. His girlfriend had been injured in battle, and she was currently beside herself worrying about her brother who had almost died. The place was a mess. And the worst bit was, it had been like this for everyone.
Christ, even Jake was depressed.
"Punching people... it's not a bad idea but it's not like it'd make anything any better," Russ said, softly. "You've no idea what I'd give to be near one of those bástards right now."

[Jude Dorrian]

No idea? Hell, he’d some.
‘Bástards’ a bit of an understatement. There probably wasn’t a word strong enough for those pricks out there. He could have empathy, sure. He got their point of view. He got their side of the story. He knew why they were there, fighting their fight for the Forces.
Did that stop him wanting to cut every one of their heads off?
Er, no.
Jude wasn’t used to this. He hadn’t felt like this since he’d kicked Deron’s sorry áss- and now he felt on a much, much larger scale. Nobody knew if the enemy conformed to all that Prisoners of War crap. And after Macy…
Nobody really knew all the details. But some things that Jude had heard… and the way he’d seen Macy react afterwards.
She was his friend, and they did that to her.
And Maddox… they’d taken her, too. Another friend.
Who next?
And Kira still didn’t give her orders. Jude had debated whether or not he should go and ask her about it, but he knew in his heart she’d enough to deal with right now.
If only…
If only.
If.
“Y’know,” Jude said softly, looking upwards, “my girlfriend’s one of the school’s top Spies. I bet she’s got access to lots of things I don’t.”

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Well, Russ was sure that she did, but if Ailith knew something that he, Lee and the Baudelaires didn't know, he'd be sorely píssed off. He'd been meeting with Hoodham and Thandie every morning and each day they had no news. So, if Ailith knew something he didn't know, Hoodham was witholding news. Which, he'd... well, he'd better not be.
"Yeah, she's one of the top Warriors there too," Russ said, chuckling feebly. "I doubt she knows anything real, though, Jude. Hoodham's been passing on every bit of information he gets to me or Madel's parents. Unless they're holding something from us, or..."
Russ tailed off, exhaling frustratedly again and leaning his head back against the armchair. He knew that security meant that they couldn't tell everything, but if they knew where she was, surely they'd have a) told them and b) sent someone to get her the hell out. Right?
Right.
God, he could willingly kill the girl himself for getting into this mess. Madeleine was hardly incapable. She knew strategies and shít to get out of situations like these. And seeing how cool she could be when it came to cards and battles, she had to have been able to keep her cool and work it out. So how'd she manage not to get out of it?
Jack would know. But Russ hadn't actually spoken to Jack recently, especially seeing how he'd been avoiding battle training sessions like the plague. He'd probably not want to talk about it, either, especially if Madeleine had let herself be taken to avoid them hurting him, which was the gist Russ had gotten.
But, in any case - Kira was 'otherwise incapacitated', right? So she wasn't giving orders. Who were the Spies taking orders from?
Russ looked back at Jude, frowning. "Ailith been out there? I thought Kira couldn't lead anything."

[Jude Dorrian]

No. But she wanted to be.
God, and Kira...
Jude had been reassured it was ridiculous, but he couldn't help it- he felt guilty for leaving her. He felt guilty for being caught. Surely Jude was better than that? He thought... maybe... maybe if he hadn't been shooting bullets and kept concentrating on his task she wouldn't have noticed him. Or perhaps there was some method of extending his invisibility to cover his shadow. There must have been something he could've done to prevent this.
After all-
Ailith had managed to protect Jack. Hell, she'd done that and killed the enemy commander to boot. She was something of a hero around the school. He was so proud of her.
But in a way, it made him feel bad, too. He couldn't even do the one thing he was meant to in the battle...
Kira was on the road to recovery, now, anyway, that much was certain. Sometimes, she could be seen pottering about the Wing and snapping at Carers who tried to put her back to bed. At other times, when Jude came to visit, she lay quite still; her small chest heaving.
Kira had given them no instruction. All they did, was sit, watch and wait.
Kira would answer no questions. Ailith was overseeing Spy Training in her absence.
Kira couldn't- or, some bitter students whispered, wouldn't- do anything.
And without orders... no-one else could, either.
"No," Jude shook his head, "she hasn't. No-one's been anywhere near the camps. We're all just on look-out duty at the moment."
Not that that made the slightest bit of difference.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

He hadn’t expected any other answer – he knew what the Spies were doing – but hearing it all over again caused the sharp intake of breath required to stop himself swearing.
Because Russ knew all of the reasons why the Spies were only on lookout duty, why they weren’t out at the camps – they couldn’t afford to lose any more pupils, it was too dangerous for the Spies, they didn’t want to risk making things worse for Madeleine, and they didn’t know enough to make that effective, anyway – but he still hated hearing it.
Because, what in Christ’s name was that going to do?
Now they were back to doing nothing again, and it was going to drive him insane. They weren’t any closer to getting her the hell out, and they weren’t going to be any time soon. Now, Russ accepted that the Head of the Spies was unwell. He accepted that no one else should be put in danger. But it didn’t help. None of it helped. It didn’t help him, and it sure as hell wasn’t helping her.
Or any of them, for that matter. Her Warriors missed her, her friends missed her, her family missed her, and Lee… well, from what Russ had heard about a scene in the hospital wing, Lee was going completely fúcking nuts, but that was another story.
And she...
It was the lack of news that was getting to him. If he knew what was happening, then he could deal with it - but it was this endless list of possibilities that was getting to him. Russ had heard enough stories about mistreated POWs over the years to know that right now, he should be feeling very, very scared.
And he was. He had been since he'd heard, let's be honest. Scared, and píssed as hell.
Then some twát decided to repeat to him the rumours of what had happened to Macy Deltine. If you asked Russ, he deserved the punch he was about about to be dealt, and was saved only by the grace of a passing Professor Thandie.
Russ' hands clenched into fists as the unwanted thoughts came into his head.
"I know," he said bitterly to Jude's statement. "But... I hate this sitting and doing absolutely sweet FA. She needs out of there and essentially we're sitting here with our thumbs up our ass."
There was probably no need for that to be as agressive as it probably sounded.
But he was past caring.

[Jude Dorrian]

Huh, this guy could be crude.
But under the circumstances, it felt pretty appropriate. Jude had had several fits of, “Goddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamitgoddamit-”
And he predicted that there were gonna be a heck of a few more.
It was the frustration. It was the waiting. It was the hell that Maddox’s absence and their latest flop of a battle was putting the students through. He hated waiting for orders that he knew weren’t gonna come. After all, Jude was usually the kinda guy who liked to take things into his own hands.
Like in the last battle- when Jude had snuck out with the others to the front line. All his idea, and they all thanked him for it later. Each of the individuals who had snuck out with him had got a hell of a bollicking (goddam British were rubbing off on him) from Maddox later, but it’d been worth it.
It’d been so worth it.
Or when he and Macy took the search for Steve into their own hands. If Jude had waited for back-up, called for help, whatever- Deron would’ve killed Steve. He was certain of it. But Jude and Macy had jumped into action and they’d saved him. And like an extra bonus, they’d gotten the psycho booted out of the SCR.
Again; so worth it.
But now he had to wait. They all had to. They couldn’t do a goddam thing. Not a single, goddam-
Wait.
Oh, hell, wait a second.
Oh, hell.
Oh.
No.
They couldn’t.
But that was the thing- they could.
“Russ,” Jude sat up straight, reaching for his Stetson as he did so. “Y’all up for a crazy idea?”