The Chase

by Bradley Caffee

  Watch him, Willis. He will fall. He always falls.

  His teeth clenched as Willis prepared to leap.

  He falls. I trip. Black Team wins. Watch for the fall.

  Around the spiral the three of them chased each other with nothing but a footrace to decide the final outcome.

  He will fall. He always falls.

  The gate drew nearer. Willis’s legs screamed at him. He could hear the wheezing breaths of Walker who was trying to outrun her normal pace.

  He’s not falling.

  Willis drove his legs to pass Dex.

  Tone. Tone. Tone.

  He didn’t fall. I lost. Willis shook his head trying to clear it. The words didn’t even make sense in his mind.

  Willis turned his attention to Dex who was on all fours, his lungs heaving breaths too slow for the demand of his muscles. Willis’s eyes were wide as he took in what had happened. Blue Team won the recoding race.

  Tone.

  The fourth runner passed the gate. Elimination was decided. Turning his head, Willis turned to the fourth runner. Nico stood there, his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

  Nico won? How did he ever overcome the lead Gold Team had?

  Then, the idea occurred to him. Willis turned around. Peering up a few floors, he could see Jaden lying on the side of the track catching his breath. Next to him were two gold runners crying in an embrace. Cleo stayed to help her teammate. Starr was still at gate four. Gold Team lost.

  “All runners will report to the staging area,” Chief Administrator Blacc’s voice had blared over the speakers. The anger in his voice echoed against the walls of the spherical room.

  Willis sat against the wall where Blacc usually made his pre-race inspections. He peered up at the window from where the administrators would observe. The rather statue-like figures that normally stood in the window were in a flurry of activity. Monitors were being watched. Debate appeared heated between administrators. Blacc stood by the door awaiting their decision.

  Perryn leaned in toward Willis. “What are they doing?”

  “They’re deciding who gets recoded,” Willis said flatly.

  Jez placed both hands on her hips. “Deciding? How can they do that? Gold Team lost.”

  “Because you pushed Lacey over the side.” Joanne stood to her feet. Both of her hands balled into fists, and she appeared ready to knock Jez unconscious. Lacey sat in the corner still in tears. Cleo and Starr clutched her, their tears and running makeup creating a distorted version of the three goldies that Willis had never seen.

  “Because she can’t keep to herself.” Jez shot the words back and rose to her feet. She moved toward Joanne who braced her feet.

  Willis moved in to restrain his teammate.

  Schwipp! The doors to the staging area opened, freezing all the runners. Chief Administrator Blacc and the medical team entered, Blacc staring down Jez and Joanne. Both girls took a step away from each other.

  “Alliance trainees, at attention!” Blacc shouted. Their training kicked into gear and all the runners quickly found themselves lined up in front of Blacc. “The Chase Commission Administrators have come to a consensus. The altercation at gate three has been ruled incidental. By refusing to run the final two legs of the track, Gold Team is forfeit and will be recoded.”

  “No!” Lacey screamed through her tears.

  “It’s not fair, Chief Administrator!” Joanne protested.

  “Silence, gold leader.” Chief Administrator snapped. “Present your team for recoding.”

  Joanne shot a look of death at Jez, who crossed her arms and grinned smugly next to Willis.

  He couldn’t help but lean away from her, not wanting to associate with what had happened. Still, he was glad she wasn’t in trouble. A suspension would have been devastating for the team.

  Joanne turned to gather her teammates. Lacey’s legs failed her, and she collapsed to the floor sobbing. Cleo and Starr placed their arms under hers and started the walk toward the medical wing.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Lacey whimpered.

  A moment later, the door panels shut leaving the room silent.

  “Red Team leader.” Blacc’s tone had quieted.

  “Yes, Chief Administrator.” Willis kept his voice neutral—somber.

  “I expect better discipline from your team. Today was a poor showing of the pride of the Alliance.”

  Somewhere Creed snickered.

  “Yes, Chief Administrator.” His heart raced as he exhaled long and slow, feeling both anxious and relieved.

  “Blue Team leader.” Blacc said, more animated.

  “Yes, Chief Administrator.” Perryn seemed almost fearful to be addressed after all that had happened.

  “The Alliance may make a team out of you yet.” Blacc smirked. “Congratulations on your first win. It was an ugly dog of a win, but still a win.” With that Blacc turned on his heels and disappeared behind the medical wing door.

  Silence. Then, a “Whoop!” from the Blue Team.

  Perryn ran and wrapped her arms around Dex, who still looked astonished at his win. Jaden and Amber gathered around them, wrapping their own arms around their teammates. The other teams stood still, watching Blue Team celebrate their victory.

  Willis studied Perryn’s face as she cried and shouted with her teammates. He’d never seen her smile, and he liked how she smiled with her entire face. Her eyes caught his, and in that moment, he saw the light return to them. The fire, of which he’d seen glimpses, was back at an intensity he’d never seen. She smiled at him, and he found himself returning her smile.

  She was sweaty, her brown hair knotted from her exertion, her face red and streaked with tears. Willis saw none of it.

  She has a beautiful smile, was all he could think. He hoped he’d see more of it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  All four teams were in the gym that morning. Willis guessed that the outcome at the track had inspired everyone to get an early start. Gold Team wouldn’t return from recoding until later, but everyone else was there. He could hear Creed’s grunts as he pushed the weights skyward with Walker spotting him. Nico had his team doing various cardio workouts. Willis was supposed to be leading his team through a workout this morning, but he was distracted.

  Blue Team had an energy that he’d never seen.

  “So you didn’t know that you’d won?” Perryn’s face was bright after a night’s sleep. She held out her hands under the weight bar that Jaden was lifting with slow, deliberate movements.

  “N-n-not at all,” Dex’s excitement aggravated his stutter. “I th-th-thought W-W-Willis had w-w-won. We passed the g-g-gate almost at the same t-t-time.”

  “I know. But I couldn’t help but think it was hilarious to see Jez fume over losing.” Amber smirked.

  “Quiet, Amber,” Perryn interrupted. “Let’s not talk like that. Not here anyway.” She couldn’t fully hide her smile.

  Willis could hear the Blue Team’s conversation clear across the gym. He chuckled as they tried to keep their words in low tones, but in their excitement, their voices kept carrying. Perryn had looked over at him nervously when Amber made her comment. He smiled at her, producing the slightest laugh out of Perryn.

  Amber had been right. Jez had put on quite a show the prior night. She threw a chair in the common room in her rage. He’d never known that she was so sensitive to losing. Willis had never lost a race, and the experience had unsettled him. Yet, he couldn’t help but laugh as Jez lost it. It was so sorry a display that it was comical.

  The laughter had been momentary as his thoughts about the race had kept him awake most of the night. We lost. The thought repeated itself over and over. How could we have lost? He could think of nothing else until his eyes had met Perryn’s. Her smile had surfaced for a second, and it calmed his spirit. At least something good came out of that race.

  “Man, the blueys win their first and can’t shut up about it.” Toad’s lip curled.

  “Mmm.” Willis and
Toad shot surprised glances at Kane, who rarely spoke. Willis wasn’t sure if he was agreeing with Toad or simply expelling air while lifting the weight bar.

  “Let them have their fun, Toad.” Willis turned to him. “Don’t you remember what it was like to win your first?”

  “I beat a sorry junior team’s butt for my first,” Toad said.

  “Yeah, well they beat our sorry butts,” Willis retorted. “So, let them have a little pride.” Toad’s face darkened at Willis’s comment, but he could swear he saw a small smile flicker across Kane’s face. “You guys know where Jez is?”

  “Probably doesn’t want to show her face after she went psycho last night.” Toad chuckled, his usual demeanor returning.

  “Back off you little—” Jez’s voice crackled through the air on cue. Willis turned to see her shove Amber who must have made a smug remark judging by her expression. “I’ll break your face if you don’t shut it.”

  “Amber, seriously we don’t need to be like that.” Jaden’s voice was serious but soft. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her back to the group.

  Jez looked like she’d rolled out of bed. Usually, her raven hair was straight and well-kept, but its slight tangle betrayed a lack of attention. Her cheeks were red with anger, and her eyes shot daggers around the room. Her demeanor seemed to dare anyone to say something about the prior night and give her reason to explode.

  “So the little drama queen decided to join us this morning.” Toad laughed. He inhaled for another comment, but Jez’s right fist cut him short.

  “Shut up, you little snot.” She screamed and lunged for a second strike. Willis grabbed her arms from behind below the shoulders to hold her in place. “I’ll beat you so badly they’ll have to recode you to heal you.”

  Kane replaced the weights and silently stood up from the bench, his size offering a barrier between Jez and Toad. Jez continued to strain against Willis’s grip.

  “Calm down, Jez.” Willis spoke into her ear.

  “We lost, Willis, and this little rat wants to tell jokes.” The words came out in a snarl.

  “Jez. Jez!” Willis turned her around to look in her eyes. Her fierce glare met his own. For an instant, he believed she wanted to kill him, but her expression slowly softened. “Jez? You can’t lose it like this.”

  “No, Willis. We can’t lose it—not ever again.” Jez whispered at a level only Willis could hear, her eyes showing a glimmer of fear. “Selection runs will start in a few months, and we can’t lose those. We can’t have that happen ever again—or we’ll never survive this place.” Her frightened appearance startled Willis. He couldn’t believe this moment of vulnerability.

  “It’s okay, Jez.” He leaned closer and whispered. “I’ve got it covered.” With that, he felt her muscles relax, and her expression transformed to one of trust.

  “You have to stay focused, Will. You have to get me—us—to the Chase.”

  Jez brought her hands up to grab his arms, changing his hold on her into an embrace. His face grew hot as he realized how they must appear, but the silence of the watching room kept him from reacting. She wouldn’t like it if he pulled away, and he had her calm for the time being.

  “Let’s get back to work,” he said a little louder. “A good sweat will do us all good.”

  The rest of the workout had been mostly uneventful. Blue Team had continued their hushed excitement prompting several dagger-type looks from Jez, especially at Amber. Toad kept cracking jokes at the expense of other racers which kept the mood from getting too dark. Willis had worked them harder and longer than the rest of the teams mostly because he had no desire to see what would happen if Jez had to pass Amber again. What does that girl have on Jez that gets under her skin so much?

  He cleaned up, changed, and returned to the common room. He’d never had to coach a team after a loss, and his mind was conflicted with an urge to rehearse what went wrong and a desire to move on to the next race. He went over his notes as he waited for his team to arrive.

  “Bwahahahahaha!” Dex’s laughter suddenly filled the air. Willis glanced over to see all four members of the Blue Team doubled over in laughter. Jaden was sitting in the corner facing the rest of the room. He sat on the back of the chair with his feet on the seat. Willis presumed he’d been talking with the rest of the team when Perryn had muttered a joke—she wore the amused smile of the joke’s architect. The joke had obviously been at Jaden’s expense—he broke into a laugh with an embarrassed blush. Amber’s hand was at her mouth muffling a small giggle, but Dex hadn’t restrained himself. He hung off the side of the chair almost falling to the floor in his stupor.

  “Nice one, Perr.” Jaden playfully shoved her with one hand.

  “You’re the one making it easy with your ridiculous analogies.” Perryn giggled.

  “All I’m trying to say is that Dex has some serious speed, more than he lets on.”

  “So why didn’t you say it like that?”

  “Because that wouldn’t be half as fun.” Dex laughed again.

  “For real? You try to pay a guy a compliment.” Jaden feigned offense. With that, the team burst into laughter again.

  It was then that Perryn’s eyes met Willis’s. He hadn’t realized he was watching them so long until she spotted him. They silently communicated their wordless mutual admiration. Perryn is a genius, Willis realized. Jaden had a natural magnetism that made others want to follow. Perryn was team leader, but she led the team by letting them follow Jaden. He was fully engaged in his pep talk to Dex, building up the insecure kid. Most team leaders were too insecure to allow another to assume that role, but it was working for her. He found himself nodding at her with a smile.

  “What the heck is that about?” Jez snarled suddenly behind him. Willis wondered how long she’d been watching. “Why are you staring at them? At her?”

  “I’m not staring,” Willis said relaxing his face to hide how much she’d startled him.

  “She was definitely staring at you.”

  “Chill out, Jez.” Willis couldn’t contain his annoyance. He stopped his next words, surprised at his defensiveness.

  “Whatever,” she moved on. “Seriously, look at him.”

  “Who?”

  “The newbie.” Jez pointed an angry finger over his shoulder, seeming not to care who noticed.

  Willis frowned. “His name is Jaden.”

  “I don’t care what his name is. I don’t like him.”

  “You don’t know him.”

  Jez turned and stood in his face. “Good. I don’t want to, and you shouldn’t either.” He could feel the warmth of her breath she was so close. He stepped backward.

  “Seems like a nice guy. Also appears to be good at pulling his team together.”

  “Willis.” She was suddenly louder. “Don’t you see it?”

  “See what?”

  Her eyes were on fire with an air of alarm and hatred. “He’s dangerous.” Her voice lowered to a deadly whisper.

  “Dangerous? Yeah, sure Jez.” His sarcasm was thick.

  “I’m not kidding, Willis.” She grabbed his arm. “Ever since he got here, nothing has been right. Everything has changed. They are our protection. They are not supposed to win—ever.”

  “It’s no big deal.” Willis said the words but didn’t believe them himself. He picked at the bump on his ear. “We’ll take them in the next race.”

  “No big deal?” Her eyebrows raised with the words. “Tell that to the greenies and goldies.”

  “One win doesn’t make them a threat. They ran a good race. Our concern is still more with Creed and his team.” He opened his hand in front of himself to silently tell her to quiet down. She didn’t appear to notice.

  “Willis, promise me you’ll stay away from him—from all of them. He has them believing they can win. Look at him talking to Dex like he’s the best racer here.” She jabbed a finger at Blue Team again. “The last thing they need is confidence. The last thing we need is to give him a chanc
e to get in our heads. If you ask me, someone needs to do—something.”

  “What do you mean by ‘something’?” Willis narrowed his eyes.

  “Never mind. Let’s say I wouldn’t have cried if he had fallen off the track.” She crossed her arms and settled into the chair as if to enjoy the image of Jaden falling to the floor of the sphere.

  “Whatever, Jez.” Her comment bothered Willis, but he couldn’t let it show. “It’s not like I plan on hanging out with him.”

  If she believed she wouldn’t get caught... Jaden had better watch his back.

  Things had changed. She was right about that much. Willis saw it. Jaden had Blue Team believing, and Perryn was letting him do it. Meanwhile, his team was distracted by it all. He needed to find something to focus them.

  “Guys. You need to come now.” Toad interrupted.

  “What is it?” Willis raised his eyebrows.

  “It’s Kane. They’re arresting him.”

  His jaw clenched as he shook his head. This isn’t what we need. The three ran for the door.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Willis wasn’t sure which way they should run until he heard the commotion coming from the red barracks. Wheeling around the corner, the three of them slid to a stop. Kane was lying on the ground with four officers holding him face down. Even then, they were having trouble keeping him contained. Beads of sweat dripped from Kane’s dark skin as he struggled to keep them from cuffing his wrists behind him. Chief Administrator Blacc stood by watching.

  “What is going on?” Willis demanded.

  “Ah, our fearless Red Leader wants to know why we’d treat his superhuman specimen of a teammate this way.” Blacc’s lips twisted in a mocking leer.

  Willis ignored the look. “Something like that.”

  Jez and Toad stood silent taking it all in.