Group D ignored the instructor’s warning and ganged up on the doubles. Instead of twenty sparring matches, it was one bloody mass of forty struggling recruits. In the heat of the calamity, the recruits couldn’t tell the real from the copies and did just as much damage to their fellow recruits as they did to the doubles. Being failed by the instructor was the least of their worries as they were carted off to Medical with twenty sets of broken bones, ruptured organs, and internal bleeding. Nathan had seen wounded in combat zones in better shape.
Group E had fought until the last recruit dropped. They were all in Medical now. That raised the count to a solid forty. A few in group A had overpowered their doubles, but the other fourteen were in worse shape than some from group D, up to fifty-four in Medical. Half of Group B had prevailed, and only seven of them needed medical treatment. At the outset, the leader of group B ordered half the squad to help out the others. They failed instantly of course, but the ten matches of two insured the victory of the other ten. Being able to tag team the doubles allowed them to gain victory, but for an unlucky seven, even the tag team strategy hadn’t saved them from a trip to Medical.
Everyone in Brent’s group passed the exam, but that didn’t mean they did it in one piece. Six of them had been rushed off to Medical. Sixty-seven. Out of one hundred able-bodied recruits, sixty-seven were now in Medical. Although those fortunate thirty-three recruits didn’t require a trip to Medical, they took one anyway. Not one of the recruits had managed to survive the exam without sprains, bruises, or a few cuts.
“I’m finished.” Nathan sighed.
“What are you talking about?” Jack raised an eyebrow.
“I never should have listened to you. The old exams were boring, but safe! I’ll never live this down.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll be fine.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Don’t forget I’ve got the full support of the military in my back pocket. I toss around the word Lazarus, and I could get away with murder.”
“I think you just did. Those recruits are in pretty bad shape.”
“You are just being melodramatic. I’m telling you that you’ll be fine.”
“But . . .” Nathan sighed more than said.
“Not another word. We have more to worry about than our career options.”
“Oh?”
“Did you notice anything strange about that exam?”
“You mean besides the pile of bodies?”
“I’m serious. Did anything strike you as out of place?”
“I’ve never been any good at guessing games, but I’ll bite. The setting was a strange one; never seen anything like that.
“I doubt anyone has. The instructor spent hours going through the archives looking for the perfect setting for what she had in mind. As it turns out, that structure predates the Great War.”
“Seriously? And here I thought it was some odd rim world civic center.”
“She just stumbled across it by chance. I’m sure you noticed the awe it inspired in the recruits.”
“It didn’t seem to interest Brent in the slightest.
“Exactly! He disregarded it as if it was a common sight.”
“Well he did come to us through Lazarus. Could it be a memory?”
“Impossible. He was only an infant when we recovered him. There is no way a child that young could have memories that detailed. On top of that, Brent never had any problems with his surroundings.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, lets say for the sake of argument that Brent did have memories of a structure that predates the Great War, then it only makes sense to say that he himself was from the same era. A child from such an ancient period would undoubtedly suffer from future shock. The simplest devices we take for granted would be unexplainable wonders.”
“Can’t argue with that. If stacking shaped rocks on one another to fashion crude structures was the most advanced you knew, how would you react to a skyscraper? And before you remind me, I do remember you telling me about his extensive knowledge of jump mechanics. But if he isn’t from some ancient era, why was he so comfortable with the surroundings?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Although, that’s not the only mystery from the exam.”
“Wait, there’s more? Can’t you settle for pushing me to my wits end once per hour and leave it at that?”
“You were the one that wanted to be my accomplice, remember?” Jack asked with a grin.
“Me and my big mouth.” Nathan sighed. “So let’s hear it. What kind of nightmare fuel are you fretting over?”
“Do you remember when Brent was addressing the girl?”
“Which one?”
“The one who had been asleep in the last exam.”
“Oh yes, I remember her now. What about her?”
“When Brent was trying to get her to attack the boy’s double, do you remember what he called it?”
“I’m sorry Jack, I wasn’t exactly hanging on his every word. I was a little distracted by the body count.”
“He called it an Echo.”
“An Echo? I would have called them shadows myself.”
“Funny,” Jack said, not amused.
“Sorry. You have to admit it could have been a slip of the tongue. The boy was in the middle of a battlefield after all.”
“I suppose, but it still troubles me. He’s usually so analytical. It didn’t seem right for him to use such flowery speech in the middle of combat like that.”
“What? Echo? It’s not that odd of a word, plus it’s not really all that out of place. An echo is when you hear your voice reflected, and they were fighting reflections of themselves. I can understand what was going through his mind.”
“You make a fair argument, but what about his reaction to the kiss?”
“Are you going to nitpick everything he did during the exam?”
Jack said nothing as he shot a incredulous glance.
“Right, mystery child of potential doom,” Nathan said with a sigh. “He did seem to have an adverse reaction to it. Wait. You don’t think he’s gay, do you?”
“I doubt it’s that.” Jack let out a laugh.
“You don’t have to laugh. It could happen. So what’s your brilliant analysis?”
“Sorry, Nathan, I just didn’t think of that. Brent is a Weaver, right?”
“That’s what you tell me.”
“Well, when the two embraced they shared an emotion. What if Brent was overwhelmed by it?”
“Are emotions really that strong? I mean, I always knew you were sensitive to strong emotions, but I’ve never seen you retreat from someone.”
“True enough, but we don’t know how powerful a Weaver he is. Back on Trica he did some amazing things. Impossible things. Perhaps he is more sensitive to emotions than we thought.”
“A fair assertion, but why did a kiss do it? Zimmer wanted to rip off his head for passing his exam so easily. No reaction from Brent then. In the mess hall he had two full divisions ready to beat each other to a pulp. Even that didn’t seem to affect him until his life was in jeopardy.”
“I don’t know the answer to that, Nathan. Maybe he is limited to positive emotions. It isn’t common, but then again, nothing about Brent is common. I’m looking forward to the next exam. I wonder what we’ll learn about him next.”
“Hold on, Jack. Next exam? There won’t be another exam today.”
“What?” Jack sounded alarmed.
“I’ve got word from Medical that most of the recruits won’t be going anywhere tonight. Maybe we can reschedule the last exam for tomorrow.”
“That’s not an option, Nathan. It has to happen tonight.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’ve already got word from the Lazarus commission. Tomorrow the recruits are to retake the traditional exams. I guess someone already complained to the military.”
“I’ll have to give the troopers another day off then . . .�
�
“Nathan!”
“Sorry, Jack, but what do you expect me to do, order the divisions to drag the recruits to the next exam?”
“You might be on to something there, Nathan.”
“What?”
“We can’t bring the recruits to the next exam. Maybe we can bring the exam to them!”
With that, Jack jumped to his feet and bolted out of the observation room. Nathan stared after him, dumbfounded.
Chapter 8: Command
Brent was getting used to Medical. He barely noticed the sharp odor of antiseptics anymore. Once more, he was waiting idly while the others had been rushed into offices hidden from view. Unlike his last visit after the brawl in the mess hall, he was almost alone. The waiting room was nearly empty with only a handful of unscathed recruits. Every now and then a doctor or nurse would arrive and quickly rush behind closed doors. Brent had the sneaking hunch that the calm of the waiting room did not penetrate far. He could almost feel the tension of the doctors working on his friends only a few yards away. Owen had broken his collarbone, and, despite his argument to the contrary, it was obviously serious. Hiroko’s knee was in pretty bad shape as well. When Brent had seen the two walking hand in hand, he naturally assumed it was because of the moment they had shared. Truth was, Owen was helping Hiroko keep pressure off her leg. How he did it with a broken collarbone was beyond him.
“They’ll be all right, sir,” Dante said reassuringly.
Dante hadn’t suffered anything more than minor fatigue. He and his double were too well matched to break their stalemate and hadn’t done any damage to one another. Brent wondered how long the pair could have kept it up if he hadn’t switched partners.
“Do you think they’ll make us carry them to the next exam?” Brent eyed the doorway to the treatment rooms.
“I doubt it. The head physician here can override any order if she deems it a serious threat to the health of those under her care. Bloom himself could order it to no avail. Even you couldn’t persuade her, sir.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I know her, sir. She can be quite stubborn when she wants to be.”
“You know her? Have you been to the academy before?”
“Nope, this is my first time here, sir.”
Brent wondered how Dante knew the head of Medical. As he opened his mouth to pursue the matter, he noticed a heavyset man entering Medical. A worried expression covered his face almost as thickly as his perspiration.
“Dante, isn’t that Administer Bloom?” Brent nudged Dante.
“I believe it is, sir. Wonder what’s got him so worried.”
Bloom leaned over the reception desk and started whispering to the young lady currently on duty. Before Bloom finished speaking, a nearby doorway burst open. The sound made him jump. A tall woman marched quickly toward the Administer.
“That’s her, sir. The head physician,” Dante whispered.
As she reached Bloom she started shouting at him.
“You can’t be serious, Administer!” Despite the force in her voice, it was easy to tell she was exhausted. “This is preposterous!”
“Now, now, doctor Benedict.” Bloom used a gentle tone of voice. “Please calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down! I just heard you are not postponing the last exam!”
“It’s out of my hands. I wanted to postpone the exam. Believe me, I really wanted to.”
“Well it might be out of your hands, but I won’t allow it! You can tell whoever it is that’s pulling your strings I won’t allow the recruits out of my sight!”
“Then it’s settled.” A harsh voice interrupted the conversation. “The recruits won’t leave your sight and the next exam will begin shortly.”
Brent recognized the newcomer instantly. It was the tall man in the shiny black uniform who had been standing next to the Administer when he made the announcement that morning. Doctor Benedict took a step toward him. They were the same height. She stood firm as her eyes penetrated into his. Dante shuddered momentarily.
“Look, I know you are used to throwing your weight around and getting your way, but it won’t work on me.” Doctor Benedict sounded like she was ready for a fight. “I’m not letting the recruits participate in any more exams, and if you don’t like it, tough. You don’t frighten me. Do your worst.”
“Now, Doctor Benedict . . .” Bloom started.
The tall man held up a hand toward the Administer, silencing him. Bloom quickly glanced from the doctor to man and took a step back, cringing a little.
“You are wrong; I do frighten you.” The man’s face was devoid of emotion as he spoke. “Not as much as I’m used to, but there is still plenty of fear in you. However, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I would never use my abilities in the manner you are preparing for.”
“There is no need to be so abrasive.” Bloom tried being diplomatic. “Doctor Benedict, I assure you. Jack would never use his abilities where it wasn’t warranted.”
“Jack?” Doctor Benedict sounded surprised.
The doctor visibly relaxed. With her tight control released the signs of exhaustion were plainly evident.
“I know it’s been a long day, but please hear him out,” Bloom pleaded with the doctor.
“All right, I give up. Let’s hear it. The sooner you finish the sooner I can tell you it’s not going to happen and return to the patients who need my attention.”
A smile tugged at the tall man’s mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he tossed a pad to the doctor. She looked it over and started chuckling.
“You are serious, aren’t you?” The doctor tossed back the pad.
“Always,” he answered as he caught the pad.
“So, will you accept this idea, doctor? It won’t put any strain on those under your care, I assure you,” Bloom ventured.
“You know you could make it so he doesn’t worry so much.” Doctor Benedict was apparently ignoring the Administer.
“He likes to worry.” The tall man’s gruff voice had an edge of softness. “So, I take it you’ll go along with us.”
The doctor nodded and walked off. As she disappeared behind the doorway leading to the treatment rooms, a look of glee filled Administer Bloom’s face. Dante let out a long sigh of relief.
“I see what you mean about a stubborn streak.” Brent chuckled.
A thought jarred the Administer, and he turned to the tall man in black.
“Jack?” Bloom asked apprehensively
“Yes, Nathan?” The man’s response was plain and calm.
“Do I really like to worry?”
“Does a newborn like to cry?”
Again, the nearby door burst open. Several nurses entered the waiting room and escorted the few idle recruits into the treatment area. Brent scanned the beds as he passed them, entering deeper and deeper into Medical. The recruits were all laying comfortably. He couldn’t tell those with scratches from the ones with broken bones. Brent watched as a nurse escorted Dante down a different path. As he scanned the rooms as they ventured deeper in, he noticed he was now with total strangers. They all wore the uniform of the recruits, but Brent didn’t recognize any faces. One by one, the nurses led the last of the waiting room recruits to different rooms. Finally, Brent was in his own room.
“Please lay on the bed. I’m told your next exam will start soon,” the nurse said curtly as he disappeared back into the corridor.
Brent did as he was told and took a seat on the bed. How could the next exam start if the recruits were scattered across Medical? Brent hadn’t been waiting long when the door to his room swung open. A man took a single step into the room. He was dressed in a one-piece jumpsuit. It was a dirty gray with grease stains and other fluids Brent couldn’t place. The man studied Brent for a few moments before taking a step back to check the room number.
“Brent?” the man ventured nervously.
“That’s me.” Brent’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“I can’t beli
eve you’re the one,” the man said with sudden glee. “They’ve been going on about you all day down in maintenance.”
“Oh?”
“Oh sorry, how rude of me. I’m Johnny Perkins, maintenance group twelve dash T.” Johnny offered his hand to the recruit.
“Pleased to meet you.” Brent shook the man’s hand politely.
“We don’t get a lot of free time down in maintenance, so I haven’t actually gotten to watch, but from what I’ve heard you’ve been doing a bang up job. Here is your 3P.” The man handed Brent what looked like an extra thick pad.
“3P?”
“Sorry, Psych Projection Play. We don’t get very formal down in maintenance. Don’t tell anyone, but we’ve tapped into the mainframe; we’ll be able to watch this time. Good luck. I’ve got this month’s salary on ya. Not that I’m pressuring you are anything. See ya around.”
As quickly as he had entered, Johnny disappeared, leaving the pad and a slimy residue on Brent’s hand. Brent wiped off his hand and tried to access the pad, but it seemed to be dead. The phrase 3P meant nothing to him, and he had no idea what the thick pad did. No matter what he tried, the screen would never stir to life. If it were possible Brent would have claimed the device was taunting him with its stubborn refusal to activate. Finally setting down the thick pad, he realized he was starting to feel the strain of the day. He dreaded the idea of sleep and the accompanying nightmare, but if there going to be another exam he figured he could risk a minute or two of relaxation.
As he laid down on the bed, the pad sprang to life. A strange fuzzy feeling came over him. He tried to reach for the pad, but his arm felt too heavy to lift. The room around him faded to a dark blue that hid all the details of the medical equipment. Suddenly, a bright blue grid outlined the space around him. Oddly, the dimensions of the room were all wrong now and the gird had the contours of a sloping hill. Texture quickly filled in the grids. As Brent looked around, the wire frame was filled in with a blue sky and rolling green hills. The room was gone now and he was standing in a peaceful valley. Stooping over, Brent plucked at the grass. Snapping a single blade of grass, Brent examined it. It felt real, even had the smell of freshly picked grass.
The Ninth Page 15
