Wilson doesn’t respond. We’re each supposed to register a certain amount of “kills” today. Skandar’s good at this sort of thing. I’m the one who needs the practice.
“Follow me,” Skandar whispers as we sneak around the dune.
“Where’s Eva?” I whisper back.
“On the other side of the field. Asha and Chan are somewhere in the middle. If we all sneak up and surround them, it’ll be three against two.”
“What about Alexis?
“To hell with Alexis.” He leads us farther around the dune, out toward the open. “She’s no threat to us.”
I’m about to argue when a detonation nearly deafens me. For a second, I’m convinced that I’ve been hit. But there’s no pain. I glance over at Skandar. The expression on his face says it all.
“What the hell?” He spins around. “Who hit me?”
I turn to see Alexis White standing behind us, a Cheshire Cat grin on her face. The smallest girl in their year and she managed to knock Skandar Harris out of the game.
“Jesse, don’t just stand there! Hit her!” Skandar shouts.
I hurry up and throw the detonator. It strikes Alexis’s right leg just above the knee. Her face winces with pain as the shell explodes, but it’s not enough to completely wipe away her smile.
“It was worth it,” she says.
“You cheated,” Skandar mutters.
Alexis shakes her head. “It’s not my fault you two were having a little tea party back here. Watch your backs next time.”
Skandar holds up his last detonator to hit her again, but remembers the rules and stops himself before doing anything stupid.
And with that, it’s Eva and me. And I don’t even know where she is. Some teamwork.
“Rush them from the sides,” Skandar whispers in my ear before pacing off the field in disgust.
I wipe the sweat from my forehead and hold down the button on my earpiece. “Eva? Where are you?”
Her voice comes in all fuzzy. “South end of the field, Fisher. What’s up?”
“Skandar just got hit.”
“Skandar? You mean you’re the last boy standing?”
“Trust me,” I say, “I’m as shocked as you are. We got Alexis, though.”
“That leaves Asha and Chan.”
“Skandar said we should rush them from the sides.”
“Where are you?”
“Um… ” I look up at the ceiling, hoping to judge my position from the light fixtures and the familiar water stain at the northwest corner. I spot it almost instantly. “Northeast, I think.”
“Fine,” she says. “Move inward slowly. Keep your head up and if you see anything move don’t hesitate to attack. You can’t hesitate, Jesse.”
“I know.” I roll my eyes. Like I haven’t heard that tired line about a million times.
Then, it’s on.
I shuffle forward, careful to keep behind boulders and walls whenever possible. The silence is unbearable. Someone could jump out at any moment. My gaze darts around, scanning the landscape for signs of movement.
Suddenly I’m into it, like I really want to win this thing. Seeing Skandar get taken out, I realize that being the weak link might have its advantages. People forget about me, underestimate me.
I venture farther out, keeping an eye on the horizon. A detonator explodes somewhere in front of me, rumbling the walls. It’s impossible to tell if it was a hit or a miss. I pray it’s not Eva.
Then she answers my prayers. “I got Asha,” her voice comes over my earpiece. “Now it’s just little Chan, all by himself. Move in for the kill, Fisher.”
I stifle a laugh. She takes this crap so seriously. Then again, maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I don’t take it seriously enough.
Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s two against one. Forgetting that these are thirteen-year-olds, it still makes me feel pretty accomplished. It’s a power position. Finally.
“I’m moving,” I mumble into the earpiece, gripping the detonator.
“If he knows he’s the last one, he might try something crazy,” Eva says. “So don’t hesitate.”
“Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You’re like a broken record, you know that?”
“Just trying to save your butt, Fisher. Again.”
I grab a second detonator, just in case. If I get the chance, I’ll throw the whole blasted belt at the kid. Even with bad aim, at least one’s bound to hit.
I crawl around a steep dune and look to the far wall of the training facility. Eva’s head rises from behind another dune, a dark dot in the distance. I look down at the small valley in between us. Chan stands in the center, looking frantically around.
For a moment I feel bad for the kid, up against two Year Nines with belts full of detonators. It must be pretty scary. Then I remember what Captain Alkine always says. No mercy for the enemy. I can’t empathize with the kid. I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
So I attack, lunging forward and throwing one detonator after another. They explode well in front of Chan, shooting puffs of sand up from the ground. Mass embarrassing.
Then, two things happen at once. Eva hurls a detonator with laser precision behind the kid and I know it’ll hit him square in the back. Unaware of his impending doom, Chan chucks a detonator at me. I try to dart out of the way but it’s too quick. I shouldn’t have been watching Eva.
The detonator barrels straight for my chest and explodes. I have just enough time to see Chan knocked out of the game before I collapse to the ground and stay there, unmoving.
– -
Swirls of green mist cloud around me. At first I’m convinced that Mr. Wilson has changed the training program. But as I stumble to my feet, I realize that I’m not in the training room at all. I’m not even in a Skyship.
My chest throbs. Whether it’s from the detonator or something else I can’t tell. I’m not sure I’m awake-or conscious.
A broken city stretches around me. Charred skeletons of skyscrapers disappear into the mist. Empty streets give way to derelict buildings, their windows blown out. Piles of brick litter the ground. There are no people, no cars even. Only the thick, green mist.
I quickly realize that I’m on the Surface, but it’s not the same as Syracuse. There’s a coarseness to the air. Each passing breeze grates on my skin. The temperature’s mild. Cold, even.
I stand alone, as if a giant hand wiped everything away around me. I stagger forward, dizzy. The mist fogs out every detail except for jagged shadows of the buildings. I give into panic for a moment, unsure of how to find my way out.
Then I hear a noise to the right of me, coming from a nearby alleyway. Whispering. Voices.
Eager to find help, I follow it. Even if this is just a dream, I know I don’t want to be here. My fingers cut through the mist and I stumble forward to see who’s there, but the persistent fog bars my way.
The voices fade. I stop in the middle of the intersection and look down at my chest. A silver key rests on my white shirt.
And then, a shadow.
Something behind me. Someone.
I start to cough as the mist pours down my throat. My legs feel numb, as if they haven’t been used in years. My head drops. Dead weight. Then the world becomes a blur and all I can see is green.
– -
I wake with a start, lying in a pile of sand in the middle of the training field. My body feels like it’s just been stuck in an electric socket, but it’s my chest that’s the worst. A carefully aimed detonator will do that.
Mr. Wilson kneels at my side. I must’ve been out long enough for him to come down from the balcony. “Jeez, Fisher.” He shakes his head. “It was only a detonator. You’ve gotta toughen up a little.”
Skandar and Eva stand off to the side, staring down at me. The Year Sevens are nowhere to be seen, thank god. Suddenly, the humiliation of the whole situation dawns on me and I bury my face in my hands and fight back tears, which makes the whole thing even more embarrassing. If this had been a real combat mission, I’d probably have been left for dead.
Mr. Wilson pats my shoulder, the first sympathetic move he’s made today, and turns to the others. “I want you all in homeroom for debriefing in twenty minutes.” He strolls off, leaving the firing squad to assess their fallen comrade.