Knight Moves

by Julie Moffett

  Someone took my hand and led me down the hallway and outside, where I could hear the birds chirping. “Watch your head,” a woman said, as she lifted my leg and helped me up into what was likely a bus or a van. I was instructed to sit, so I did. Someone slid in beside me. I had no idea who it was.

  When we were all loaded, the vehicle took off. I calculated a less than five-minute ride, so wherever we were going, it was close. I suspected we were being brought somewhere on the UTOP campus.

  The vehicle halted, and we were taken off the bus one by one. We must have walked into a building, because a blast of cool air hit my face. We walked a bit more before I heard a door open and I shuffled forward.

  We abruptly stopped. “Put your arms out, please,” a female voice instructed me.

  I did as she said, and she secured something on me—a heavy vest or shirt. Something cool was fastened to my wrist.

  “Hold on to me,” she said, placing my hand on her arm. “I’ll take you where you need to go.”

  We walked until she suddenly stopped. I nearly fell over her. “Stay here. Do not remove the goggles or leave this spot until instructed. Once you remove the goggles, you can talk to the other participants as needed. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, my mouth dry, still afraid to talk. I waited for what seemed like hours, but time passed differently when you couldn’t see. Finally a voice came over what sounded like a loudspeaker. It was Mr. Donovan.

  “Students, you may remove your goggles.”

  I reached up and pulled mine off, blinking a couple of times as my eyes adjusted to my surroundings. I stood in a dark cavern with fake plastic rocks and weird strobe lights flashing. Laser tag was the first thing that leaped to mind. Glancing around, I looked for the other students but didn’t see anyone else. I examined my outfit—a vest with lights and a belt with a laser gun. I removed the gun, holding it in my hand and pressing back against a fake rock.

  My initial assessment was this wasn’t going to be so bad.

  I’d played laser tag a few times in my life. I wasn’t great at it, but I didn’t suck, either. I figured Wally would be pretty good because he played online shooting games all the time. Physical maneuverability could be a problem for him, but I wasn’t too worried. He could hold his own. Frankie, however, might be in real trouble, not that I even knew where she was. I had a feeling laser tag wasn’t her thing.

  “Your mission is to get out in under fifteen minutes,” Mr. Donovan continued. “Every successful shot is worth five points. Minus five points to whoever gets shot. Be careful if you get shot, because your sensor will light up for five seconds, making you a beacon to others. The timer on your wrist lets you know how much game time you have left and how many points you have in terms of your personal score.”

  I glanced down at the plastic timer secured around my wrist. The top line, in glowing green numbers, read Game Time 15:00. The bottom line read Points 20. So, we started with twenty points. That meant we could get hit no more than four times without scoring against someone else. This wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Your chest, back, shoulders have hit boxes,” Mr. Donovan continued. “Your gun also has a hit box. You must score in the hit box to get points. Here are the rules. This is a noncontact trial. No tackling, fighting, or hitting. You’ll receive an immediate disqualification if you do not observe this rule. Also, no spawn killing and no stalking. Your primary objective is to get out in under fifteen minutes with the highest score. You shoot another player only if you want more time or you want to come out ahead in terms of points. If you lose all your points from getting shot, then the game ends for you. The person who comes through the exit first gets a large bonus. Each successive person who makes it through the exit will receive extra points as well.”

  I inhaled a deep breath, wishing I could see more than just the closest area. But it was too dark beyond my immediate circle, and the momentary flashes from the strobe lights didn’t extend very far.

  “If you get hurt, stop your play immediately and announce it,” he continued. “Health and safety are our top priorities. Remember, your sensors must be visible during game play. You may not cover your light or sensor. Also, no shooting the face. If you hit someone with a face shot, even if it’s accidental, you lose fifteen points. Too many mistakes with shooting, and you’ll be disqualified. That’s left to our discretion. Now, good luck, and may the best student win.”

  The cavern fell into silence. I considered my play. First order of priority was to find the exit and avoid being shot. I slunk around a corner and ran right into Jax. He shot me immediately, and my vest lit up.

  “Watch out, Red,” he said melting back into the darkness. I swore, fumbled, and shot at him but missed.

  Crap.

  Running in the opposite direction, I slipped and half crawled behind a rock, trying to think. I was down five points, but the exit had to be my priority. Feeling along the wall, I inched my way forward. I felt nothing. No door, no exit. I could hear shouting in the distance, a bit to my right. I took a chance and dashed to the opposite wall. A head popped up, and Mike shot me. He scored a hit on my left shoulder. I rolled right at him and shot him in the back as he made a run for it. I saw a flash of surprise on his face as he glanced over his shoulder. Perhaps he hadn’t thought I could be so accurate in nonvirtual reality.

  Good for me.

  I was at fifteen points. Quickly and methodically, I continued my search along the wall, feeling for a door. I glanced at my watch. Four minutes had passed, so I’d better get a move on. I crept forward and collided with someone.

  I barely kept from pulling the trigger. “Wally?” I hissed.

  “Angel?” He pressed a hand to his chest and lowered his gun. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  I yanked him down into a crouch, keeping my voice to a whisper. “Have you seen Frankie?”

  “No. Just Kira. She was the first one to shoot me. Someone else hit me, but I didn’t see who.”

  I looked down at his arm. “What’s your point situation?”

  He turned his wrist over and showed me his watch. He had ten points. Two more hits and he was out.

  “We’ve got to hurry and find the exit,” I said.

  “No kidding. Where do you think it is?”

  “Hard to say.” I considered. “Most laser tag games have clearly marked exits. I hoped that maybe they kept the door but just hid the exit sign. But I have a feeling they aren’t going to make it that easy.”

  “I agree.”

  “So, it’s going to be hidden somehow.” I considered the possibilities. “We’re probably looking for a latch or a lever, something that will pop it open.”

  “Maybe.” The strobe lights distorted his face, and it was freaking me out. “You got a plan?”

  “There’s nothing in the rules that says we can’t work together, right?”

  “Not that I heard.”

  “Good. We’ll have a better chance if we stick tight. I’ll keep feeling along the walls for a hidden door, just in case, and you check the rocks and floor for a lever or something. Keep your eyes open for shooters and Frankie. I’m not sure she can do this on her own. But we have to hurry. Time is ticking.”

  I heard Jax shout something several feet away, and Bo bellowed back. Apparently they hadn’t found the exit yet, either. I hadn’t heard a female voice yet, but it could be the girls were being quiet. Or maybe they were already out. It was hard to know.

  We started moving along methodically, feeling for anything. Wally and I watched each other’s backs. Someone shot at Wally and hit him in the shoulder. I shot back, and someone’s vest lit up as they ran away. Wally was down to five points and I was back up to twenty.

  “We need to get you healthy,” I said. “Let’s wait here a minute and see if you can score a hit.”

  Seconds after I said that, we spotted Bo creeping around the corner. I elbowed Wally to alert him, but Wally was already poised to fire. He squeezed the trigger and scored a hit on Bo�
��s chest plate.

  Bo started to fire back at Wally, but I shot at him. I missed but came close enough to ruin his shot. Lit up like a beacon, Bo cut his losses and moved away.

  “Thanks,” Wally said. “I’m back at ten points.”

  “No problem.”

  We continued searching. Time was slipping past at a scary-fast rate. I patted the wall as fast as I could, trying to hurry, when my hand hit something hard and cold. I reached out and wrapped my fingers around a pole.

  “Wally, I’ve found something,” I whispered. “It’s a ladder. We’ve got to go up. It’s either the exit, or there’s another level of play.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  ANGEL SINCLAIR

  “Cover me.” I slipped my foot onto the first rung and started to climb.

  I was almost to the ceiling when there was a shout and an explosion of light below me. Wally was firing at someone who was firing at me. The sensor on my back lit up, but I didn’t stop climbing. My head hit the ceiling and I reached up, groping around for a way out. I could feel a seam, so there was a trapdoor of some kind above me. Using both hands, I pushed upward with all my strength. The door slammed open with so much force, I was certain everyone below could hear it. But the way the door opened also convinced me I’d been the first to find this exit.

  I pulled myself up and rolled onto the floor before I got shot again. This floor was also dark, and the strobe lights were still flashing. No exit, but another level of play. I scrambled behind a rock with a perfect view of the trapdoor and waited to shoot whoever came through next. Unless it was Wally or Frankie. I’d protect them.

  I glanced at my watch. We were low on time, and I was down to fifteen points.

  A few seconds later, I heard someone shouting and the sound of clanging feet on the ladder. I expected Wally to pop up, but Jax appeared instead. He must have been expecting me to be waiting, because his gun came through first, firing wildly. Unfortunately, I ducked in the wrong direction and he scored a hit on my left shoulder. But as soon as his shoulders and chest appeared, I landed a perfect hit on his chest. He hit the floor and rolled behind a rock, swearing loudly.

  Wally appeared moments later, breathing so loudly I knew it was him before I even saw his face. I kept my gun trained on where I’d last seen Jax, but Wally came through without incident. Jax’s chest plate would be lit up like a Christmas tree, so I figured he didn’t dare expose himself to another hit.

  “Over here,” I hissed as Wally heaved himself onto the floor. He came to a crouch and waddled over to me, taking refuge behind a rock.

  “You got hit,” Wally whispered.

  “Twice,” I confirmed. “Someone got me on the way up, and then Jax scored a hit on me coming up. But I hit him back so I’m steady at fifteen points. How many do you have left?”

  “Five.”

  That wasn’t good. One more hit and Wally was out. I squinted at my watch. The strobe lights were giving me a headache. “We’ve got nine minutes to get out.”

  “Maybe I should wait here and try to hit someone coming up to get more points.”

  “Your call, but time isn’t our friend, Wally. I’d suggest sticking together and trying to find the exit.”

  “But what if there’s another level of play after this one?”

  “Three levels of play in fifteen minutes is ambitious, even for spies. But if there is, we’ll deal with it. I say we stay together.”

  He looked once more at the trapdoor. No one had appeared. “Okay, let’s go.”

  We searched a lot faster and a bit more recklessly. At this point in the game, speed was more important than caution. Time had become our number one enemy.

  “Six minutes left and we’ve got nothing,” Wally whispered after we finished searching the wall and rocks on one side of the cavern and came up empty. “And we don’t know where Jax is.”

  “He’s up here somewhere, along with the exit.” I bent down to check the lower part of a rock, then someone shot me. My vest lit up.

  I whirled and shot in the direction of my attacker. I missed but saw Bo duck behind a rock.

  “Get down,” I screamed at Wally as Bo shot in his direction.

  I glanced over at Wally, sighing in relief when Wally’s vest stayed dark. One more hit and he’d have been out. Unfortunately, I hadn’t hit Bo, but at least we’d pinned him down behind a rock and the wall. That was good for us, because Bo was at a disadvantage as a result of his size. He wouldn’t be able to extract himself without exposing himself to us.

  I moved toward Wally to regroup and stepped on something. A grinding noise filled the cavern, and a door slid open just behind Wally’s left shoulder.

  The exit!

  Wally whirled, staring at the opening, dumbfounded.

  “Go,” I shouted, throwing myself forward and shoving him through the door. He stumbled across the exit, but I tripped and fell on my knees just as someone fired a volley at me. I rolled sideways several times, miraculously avoiding getting hit.

  I expected it to be Bo, but Jax lifted a hand in a salute to me and launched himself through the door. Firing at the last second, I scored a direct hit on his back just before he went through. The bell rang again, signaling two players had now exited.

  I rolled to my feet, looking around and breathing hard. I was now a good fifteen feet from the exit, and unfortunately, I’d lost Bo. I crouched low, keeping my gun out and moving back and forth as I carefully inched forward. I was about five feet away from the exit when I thought of Frankie. I hadn’t seen her since the game started.

  Where the heck was she?

  Maybe she had gotten shot too many times and was already out. Or maybe she was hiding. Either way, she’d never make it without help. I looked down at my watch. Four minutes and ten points. I could afford to take a look.

  I changed direction and headed back to the trapdoor. The bell rang, signaling another player was through. Probably Bo.

  The trapdoor to the level below was open and deserted. I had no idea who had come through and who hadn’t. I waited for a few seconds and crept toward the door.

  Mike popped up from behind a rock and shot at me, but I moved sideways at the last second and it missed. Hala leaped out from an adjoining rock and hit Mike in the shoulder box. His vest lit up as they both sprinted away from me.

  I checked the time. We had less than two minutes.

  Throwing caution to the wind, I shouted down, “Frankie. Where are you?”

  “Angel, is that you?”

  “Yes! The exit is up here. There’s a ladder. You need to follow my voice to find it and climb it now.”

  “I know. I’m on the ladder right now. But thank you for helping me. That’s really kind of you.”

  “Will you stop being nice and move it?” I yelled.

  I looked around but didn’t see anyone else.

  “Hurry, Frankie!” I shouted as the seconds ticked past. “How many points do you have left?”

  “Five,” she said.

  She was puffing by the time she finally got to the top and I pulled her to her feet. We turned to run for the exit when a shot fired from the trapdoor. We dived for cover separately as Kira leaped through the trapdoor, rolled once, and shot me in the back.

  My vest lit up, but my hand with the gun was steady. I fired and hit her on the shoulder. She fell, her gun slipping from of her hand and skittering a few feet away. I lifted my gun, ready to finish her off, when she held up her hands.

  “No, don’t shoot,” she said. “Please, I only have five points left.”

  “You didn’t ask me how many points I had before you shot me,” I pointed out.

  Frankie stepped out from behind me. “Don’t shoot her, Angel. We can all go across together.”

  “What?” I said incredulously. “You’re helping her? Why? She doesn’t even like you.”

  As we were arguing, Kira rolled to her side, grabbed her gun, and aimed at Frankie’s back. Without thinking, I pushed Frankie out of the way and took
the shot instead.

  The laser gun went dead in my hand, and my chest plate turned from green to red.

  Both Kira and Frankie stared at me, frozen in shock. After a moment, Kira scrambled to her feet and bolted for the exit.

  “What did you just do?” Frankie shouted at me.

  “I saved you. Run, Frankie. You can’t save me. I’m already dead. You have seventeen seconds to get out. Come on, let’s go.”

  I pulled her to the exit, pushing her across. Half stumbling, she made it through just as a loud klaxon sounded and the lights abruptly came on.

  Shielding my eyes against the sudden light, I walked out of the cavern and into a waiting room. Everyone stood staring at me, mouths agape. A glance at the wall showed a scoreboard on a television screen bolted to the wall. It flashed our final scores, including points made for accurate shots.

  Wally had come in first, obviously helped by the bonus of finishing first, followed by Jax, Hala, Bo, Kira, Mike, and Frankie. The letters DNF were posted after my name. Did not finish.

  Wally looked stricken. “Angel, what happened? Why didn’t you go through after me?”

  “He shot at me,” I said, dipping my head toward Jax, who wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I had to take cover. Then I lost Bo’s position, so I was trying to be careful coming out.”

  “That’s not all that happened,” Frankie interrupted. “She came back for me and then took a shot meant for me. It’s not fair. I should be the one who didn’t finish.”

  “Angel, you should get extra points for finding both exits and the trap door,” Bo insisted. “None of us would have gotten out of there if you hadn’t found them.”

  “I got lucky,” I said.

  Bo raised an eyebrow. “Both times?”

  We didn’t have time for more discussion because Mr. Donovan entered the room, congratulating us on the completion of our first trial. He avoided eye contact with me, which I took as a bad sign.

  We filed out of the building, which thankfully we didn’t have to do blindfolded, and climbed on the bus. Instead of celebrating, everyone was quiet on the bus. A quick glance outside confirmed we’d been at an unmarked building on the UTOP campus.