The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted

by Conor Grennan

  “If that happened, we would perform a mind-scrape on all four and send them back.”

  “Dr. Horn will have to go deep into the hippocampus to get all those memories out,” Darius said. “Their potential brain damage doesn’t concern you?”

  “It doesn’t concern me because we won’t need to do it.”

  “Hey. It concerns me,” Jack interrupted. “A lot.”

  Superior Blue raised his index finger. “It won’t come to that, Jack. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

  “The Council will never agree,” Darius said.

  “Director Darius, I have a bargain to propose.” Blue spread his hands as if he were presenting a ceremonial object. “Support my plan in the Council, and if in three days Jack’s team has not completed a simulation, I will resign and you will become Superior.”

  Darius regarded Superior Blue coolly. “You’re serious.”

  “I am.”

  Darius locked her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels, staring at the ground. “It is my duty to express my deep concern to you, Superior Blue,” she said quietly.

  “Go on.”

  “You are the most powerful Theoric I have ever known, William, but you are ignoring your gift. Your iterative analysis spade should be presenting you with thousands of possibilities in an instant for you to calculate and assess . . .”

  “I have sequenced the iterations, and this one is the most likely,” said Blue. “Something is happening out there, Iliana. The Grays predicted it. The Bulgarian knew it. A darkness is coming. This is precisely when we need the Guardian.”

  “You are discarding logic for an absurd fantasy,” Darius said. “Your friendship with the Bulgarian has compromised your judgment. You have not been the same since his death. You hope that, against all odds, the Bulgarian was right when he claimed he didn’t kill Wyeth. You refuse to believe that he died pursuing an outlandish theory.”

  Superior Blue only smiled. “Thank you for your concern, but my offer stands.”

  Director Darius studied the Superior for a long moment. She nodded. “Very well. I accept the terms. Jack Carlson has three days.”

  “I don’t accept the terms,” Jack said angrily. “I don’t agree to any of this. You have to let me go.”

  “You’ve been drafted, Jack,” Superior Blue told him. “You are now a recruit. This is not your decision.”

  “But how will the Grays select the three additional recruits?” Darius asked, ignoring Jack.

  Blue held up Hans’s coin, the side with the spiral of tiny numbers toward Darius. “Twenty-seven numbers. Three sets of nine digits.”

  Darius squinted at the numbers.

  “This spiral consists of three social security numbers,” Blue explained. “The Grays have already selected the recruits. They sent this coin to me through Jack.”

  “You know that’s impossible.”

  “Be that as it may, I need your help, Trail,” Superior Blue said, calling Darius by her spade name. “You’re the best tracker we have. I need you to help the recruiters locate the new recruits and have them back here in two hours. We have no time to waste.”

  “What makes you think these social security numbers will belong to living people? Or that they will be the proper age?”

  “I believe the Grays. I am merely following their road map.”

  Darius took a long deep breath. “Very well. I will brief the recruiters. Then I will support your idea in the Council. And I hope you know what you’re doing, Rook.”

  Jack wondered if that statement was sincere. In three days when he failed, she would be the new Superior.

  “Excellent,” Blue said, the bounce back in his voice.

  Jack heard a low beep. Director Darius touched her ear. “Yes?” She listened for a moment. “I see.” She gave Superior Blue a severe look. “We have a situation at the Naming Ceremony. A situation we haven’t seen in several years.”

  Superior Blue’s expression dimmed. “Who?”

  “The recruit’s name is Miles Watt. Team One. I’ll go now and test him myself.”

  “You know the protocol, Darius. Bring security with you.”

  She turned and walked backward. “That’s ironic, given how you’ve handled it in the past,” she called back to him. “I can deal with this myself. Have the recruiters meet me at the portal courtyard in ten minutes.” She jogged back up the path to the Naming Ceremony.

  Superior Blue put two fingers between his lips and whistled. A moment later, Maggie bounded from the Barracks and sat at attention at Blue’s feet. Superior Blue squatted next to her.

  “Take Jack to Requisition, would you, girl? Requisition. Go on now, hup.”

  Maggie barked at Jack before she took off down the path.

  “I’ll get the tech to meet you over at Requisition,” Superior Blue told him. “Your team will meet you there as well.” Superior Blue pointed to Maggie trotting down the path. “I’d keep up with her if I were you, Jack. You’re not in uniform yet. An operative is less likely to vaporize you if you’re with Maggie.”

  CHAPTER 5

  “You’re bound to fight for the human race. Or you will be placed under confinement.”

  SUITING UP

  Jack followed Maggie to a teak building, the size and shape of a tractor trailer. It was situated in a clearing enclosed by a knee-high brick wall. Maggie stopped at the entrance and sat at attention. Jack sat on the wall and waited. Finally a kid came walking up the path. He had slicked-back, widow-peaked hair and black eyebrows to match. His delicate cheekbones and slightly elongated nose gave him the appearance of a bird who had been magicked into a boy. He wore a black uniform two sizes too large.

  Jack gave an awkward wave. “Hi—um, are you the guy I’m waiting for?”

  The kid looked up. He must have seen something in Jack’s expression because he pointed to four white stripes across his shoulder. “I’m an apprentice, you know,” the boy said. “I outrank you. I outrank every cadet here, even.”

  Jack held up his hands in peace. “Sure, I didn’t—Superior Blue sent me here to see the requisition guy.”

  “I’m not the ‘requisition guy,’” he interrupted, his voice deepening. “I’m the lead tech, apprentice to Instructor Bakari. We’re in charge of the simulation dome.” Jack took a tentative step toward the apprentice. “Hey, listen, I don’t even know what I’m doing here. If I offended you in some way, I didn’t mean to.”

  The apprentice stretched to his full height for a moment, ready for an argument. Then he let his shoulders sag. “No, sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s just that I know I look young, but I’m sixteen. Sometimes even recruits think they can . . . You didn’t do anything wrong.” He rubbed his forearms, but when Jack didn’t make fun of him, the apprentice seemed to relax a little.

  “I’m Alexander.” He stuck out his hand and Jack shook it. “Sorry you had to wait. I was setting up the Dome.”

  “I still don’t get what the Dome is,” said Jack.

  “Really?” Alexander asked, eyebrows raised. “I thought Darius went over this on the first day. The Dome is the single most important thing at Hadley. It’s the artificial intelligence that controls the simulations, the shadow map, the bands, everything.” He raised his chin, his self-confidence returning. “That’s why I work on it. I’m a Systemic. My primary spade is quantum adhesion. I can manipulate energy like glue. It sounds obscure, but for the physics of the portals, it’s really important. I’m really good at making them.”

  Alexander studied Jack’s shirt and jeans. “I received a message to meet a team of recruits here, so let’s go ahead and get you set up. What happened? Did your uniforms malfunction?” he asked. “Doesn’t usually happen to an entire team.”

  “I didn’t get a uniform yet.”

  Alexander wasn’t listening. He tapped his band and swiped through a series of holograms. While he was doing that, a raven landed a few feet away and hopped toward him.

  “Don’t mind him. I
feed them sometimes,” Alexander said, looking ruefully at the bird. “At least it’s just one. A lot of times they come in . . .”

  For the first time Alexander noticed that Jack was alone.

  “Where are your teammates?” Alexander squinted as if he were trying to remember something. “Wait. Did you say you never got a uniform?”

  “Right. I just got here today. And I don’t know anything about my team except that they’re out recruiting them now.”

  “You just finished the Naming Ceremony, didn’t you?” Alexander asked.

  “I didn’t go through the Naming Ceremony. Like I said, I just got here a little while ago.”

  Alexander was paying attention now. “What team are you?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “There is no Team Thirteen.” Alexander cocked his head at Jack. “I’m not very good at getting jokes. If this is a joke, could you just tell me? Because I’m pretty busy.”

  “No way!” Running toward Jack, leaping and whooping like a kid trying to fly, was an ecstatic Freddy Sanchez.

  “Jack!” Freddy threw his arms around Jack’s waist and heaved him into the air, scaring the raven into flight. “You’re here? When you never came back from the bathroom, Mr. Robbins sent me to search for you. But you were just gone. Then a woman came up to me at the water fountain and zapped me with some yellow laser thing. It said my name in this total robot voice, and she said I was drafted into the Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted. I thought it was a practical joke. But she took me through that utility door at Douglass and brought me here. And holy cow you’re here, man! Whoa!”

  Freddy did a little dance. Then he noticed Alexander and stuck his hand out. “Hey, man. I’m Freddy. What’s up?”

  Alexander held out his hand tentatively and Freddy slapped it backward and forward in a complicated ritual that Alexander just watched, bemused.

  “So this is really a military academy that fights shadow reapers, right? Insane! Hey. What’s with the pack of crows?” Freddy asked, pointing.

  A dozen large black birds stood behind Alexander, watching the action. “They’re ravens,” Alexander corrected. “It’s a conspiracy.”

  Freddy’s eyes widened. “A conspiracy?”

  “A flock of ravens. It’s called a conspiracy.” Alexander held up his hands as if trying to bring Freddy’s chatter to a halt. “Forget the ravens.” Alexander motioned between Jack and Freddy. “You guys know each other, and you’re on the same team?” Alexander asked. “Because that would be a first.”

  Alexander suddenly stood at attention. Jack looked over to see Superior Blue walking toward them with two other kids.

  “This is Team Thirteen, Alexander,” Superior Blue said, motioning for Alexander to be at ease. “We’re in an unusual situation. The Council’s clearance has been sent to your band.” The girl walking with the Superior wore a tight black ponytail and dark eyeliner winged out at the corners. Her skin glowed like sand catching the last of the evening sun’s rays. The black guy walking behind her was sculpted like a linebacker, his head shaved completely smooth.

  “Man, you can’t keep us here like this,” he said. “Is this some kind of prank? You can’t just abduct people.”

  “Voss Winter,” Superior Blue told Alexander. The Superior turned to face the new recruits. “You’ve all been drafted. By order of the Council of the Hadley Academy, you’re bound to fight for the human race. Or you will be placed under confinement.”

  “Fight for who? What’s going on?” Voss asked.

  “Everything will be explained.” Superior Blue motioned toward the girl. “This is Asha Hassan.” He glanced at her. “Her recruiter reported that she had a little bit of a tough time coming through. But I believe she’s okay now.” He looked at her for confirmation, but she just stared blankly into space. He looked back at Alexander. “I trust you have this under control?”

  “Sir—are they really Team Thirteen?” Alexander asked.

  “They are, indeed. Which means they’ll need their own door. The Council requests that you retrofit a thirteenth door onto the Dome.”

  “Yes, sir. By when?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” Alexander gulped. “With respect, sir, the process of creating a door can take weeks.”

  “You have a new portal door for Corpus Christi ready to be installed in the courtyard, as I understand,” Superior Blue pointed out. “The Council has given permission to repurpose it for the thirteenth door. The same physics apply to the doors on the Dome as to the portals in the courtyard, do they not?”

  Alexander cleared his throat. “Yes, sir, the door is the same. It’s the chip that slots into the door that’s different. But even just building a new chip will be extremely difficult on this timeline.”

  “Then we are fortunate that you are improbably gifted.” Superior Blue cut him off, good-naturedly. “I have full faith in you, Edison.”

  Alexander straightened up at his spade name. From what Jack had gathered from the Naming Ceremony, a spade name was a sacred thing. To know it seemed to be to know something profound about the person, even if you didn’t understand it.

  “Alexander will take you to your barracks after you’ve been outfitted,” Superior Blue told them. “I have to get back to the Council.” He turned to Asha, who was still stony eyed. “I know you’re still feeling a bit dizzy, Asha. Dr. Horn said that would be normal for another hour or so.”

  Asha started to topple, and Voss reached out to steady her. “You sure she’s okay?” Voss asked. “She looks like she’s about to pass out.”

  “She’s fine, Recruit Winter,” Superior Blue called back over his shoulder. “You’ll take care of her. She’s your teammate, after all.”

  “She’s not ‘fine.’ You just drag people in here. How do you expect her to be? She needs to go home,” Voss argued.

  Alexander reached into a zippered pocket that ran up the side of his uniform. From it he pulled a glass screen and touched it to his band. The screen glowed for a moment, then chimed. Gingerly, he picked a small translucent disc off the tablet.

  “Whoa, cool!” Freddy leaned forward. “Is that a tactile hologram?”

  Alexander nodded to Freddy’s question as he held the disc up between his thumb and forefinger like a monocle. “Okay. Who wants to go first?”

  Freddy’s hand shot up.

  “For what?” Voss asked. “Nobody’s explained what this is.”

  Alexander folded his arms. “You’ll get all that information, Recruit Winter. And,” he looked around at all of them, “we have outstanding protocols for explaining your absence to your families and schools, so you have nothing to worry about on that front,” he explained. “All right, let’s get you all in uniform, so I can get to work on that door.”

  “I want answers, man,” Voss pressed.

  Asha gazed up at Voss, who had at least six inches on her. “Voss, right? Listen, can we just get through this part? You’re freaked out, and that’s making you angry. I get that—”

  “I’m not freaked out.”

  “Well, I am freaked out, so can you do me a favor and just let this guy do whatever he’s supposed to do right now? He’s not going to hurt us.”

  Asha’s fingers were tapping the tip of her thumb as if she were hammering out complex Morse code messages. Voss glanced at the nervous tic. He gave only a short, irritated nod. Alexander waited to be sure the conversation was over and then pressed the disc into Freddy’s palm.

  The long, low Requisition building in front of them hummed to life. Alexander closed Freddy’s fist around the disc.

  “Hold on to this tight.” Alexander gave Freddy’s fist a shake. “Do you have any metal on you besides the band?” Superior Blue had given them all wristbands. They looked metallic, but Jack’s molded to his skin like warm plastic.

  Freddy shook his head. “No. But Jack has blackouts. Is it safe for him to go through?”

  Jack groaned at his friend. “I haven’t had a blackout in a
while.”

  “You had that blackout when you wandered off and your mom couldn’t even find you, just a few months back. And you had another one just over a week ago. Outside the diner. That’s what caused all that trouble with Claire, remember?”

  “I’m fine,” Jack said.

  “You sure?” Alexander asked. “If you want, Dr. Horn can check you out.”

  “I’m fine. Seriously.”

  “All right.” Alexander shrugged. “Now everyone pay attention.” He pointed at Freddy’s hand.

  “That disc you’re holding is like a strong magnet. You’re going to walk quickly through this door and straight out the other side. You’ll feel the disc tugging to get out of your hand. Do not let it go. If you do, it’ll twist everything up in there and I’ll be up all night fixing it. It’ll also give you a splitting headache.”

  “What’s in there?” Freddy peered into the dark.

  “When you get in there, don’t stop walking,” Alexander said, ignoring the question. “Don’t slow down or speed up. Let the magnet do the work.”

  Alexander steered Freddy to the doorway and gave him a little push. He disappeared into the dark, and the door slid shut.

  “Whoa!” Freddy came tumbling out the other side of the Requisition building thirty seconds later. He stumbled back toward them, arms and legs akimbo like a starfish learning to walk. He was wearing a maroon uniform, which he pointed to, delighted. “That was awesome.”

  Alexander took the disc from Freddy and pressed it into Jack’s palm. “Don’t let this go, okay?” Alexander pushed Jack into the dark open doorway. The door whirred shut behind him.

  Heat blasted at Jack. He focused on keeping his pace quick but steady and not running to the other end. The disc tugged at his hand like a puppy on a leash.

  That’s when it got really weird.

  Jack’s clothes were filled with such a gust of wind that he was almost slammed back against the door. For a brief, terrible moment it felt as though his clothes had been ripped off his body. Leaning into the scorching gale, Jack covered his face with his arms and charged forward.