Zo sits up, stretching her arms over her head.
“You’ll ace this sim,” she says. “You’re so ready for it.”
I shrug, not knowing how to explain that I could never be ready for what comes next, for the possibility of failure, of discovery. Still, a sense of hope fills me, the feeling that I can rise to the challenge ahead.
“Li,” she says, tugging the end of my braid gently. “You’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure about that?” I ask.
“Completely.” She smiles. “You’re incredible.”
* * *
—
Mirabae, Ryn, and I ride the train to base together. I look out the window at the water below, listening as Ryn talks in a low voice, going over last-minute advice with Mirabae.
“The most important part of this exam is to stay on guard, to be aware,” he says. “The magisters are looking at our ability to react quickly in a dangerous situation, so you want to be fully mindful of your surroundings at all times.”
Mirabae nods, biting her lip, her eyes flickering with doubt.
“You got this, Mirabae.” Ryn smiles. “You’re going to dominate. Li and I will be with you the entire time. We’ll all be looking out for one another.”
The train pulls to a stop and we step out onto the platform. We walk through a line of arches that organize us by unit. The magisters lead us to a building on the far side of base, one I haven’t seen before. The building is a massive dome, its surface mirrored, reflecting the sun’s light, shining like it’s a planet. The doors lift up and we walk inside. Magister Sethra stands before us, somehow imposing despite her small stature.
“For your final simulation examination, all units will be synced,” she says. “You will all be in the same world, confronted with the same combat situation.”
Mirabae glances at me. I slip my hand into hers and squeeze gently.
“Those named unit leader for this mission will see a star in front them,” Magister Sethra says. I look around the crowd, watching as a glittering star appears in front of certain cadets. A star wavers in front of me. I reach my hand out, as though the star is real and I can feel it against my palm. Sethra’s voice brings me out of myself, back into the room.
“Leaders, your task is to bring your unit safely through the mission, sacrificing as few lives as possible.”
My mind races, going through everything we could be faced with.
“Cadets, on your marks,” Sethra says, and we shift into position, standing with our feet together, our shoulders back, our arms at our sides. Sethra’s eyes move down the lines.
“Begin,” she says.
I close my eyes. The room goes dark, air rushes past, then I’m blinking in the harsh light of some unknown planet. The outline of the world we’re in comes into focus. The ocean is gray, the sun almost blinding, the buildings burned out, deserted. I look at the abandoned city around us, struck by a sense of uneasy familiarity, like I’m remembering a dream. We’re on Earth, I realize slowly. We’re in the Bay. This must be a takeover by a foreign enemy, some kind of invasion. We’re fighting to protect our home.
We stand in the middle of the street, in the shadow of a broken-down building. Shattered glass covers the ground. I crouch and open the pack I find by my feet. It’s filled only with guns. I look up at my unit, from one face to the next, all of them with fear in their eyes. Even Ryn looks scared, and I’ve never seen him look that way before. My heart pounds, and I straighten my shoulders, take a deep breath, knowing exactly what we need to do.
“Listen up,” I say. “We’re too exposed out here. There’s no way we can avoid an attack from this position. We have to get somewhere safe.”
Akia looks past me, her eyes widening. A missile shrieks through the sky, spiraling in the air, pulsing with light.
“This way!” I scream. “Now!”
We run. The missile crashes into the street, right at the spot where we were just standing. The pavement explodes behind us. Debris flies through the air. Nava turns back to look behind her. She stumbles and falls. Mirabae pauses, looking at me for some instruction.
“Mir,” I say, “get everyone to the building over there.”
I point down to the coastline, to the only building I can see that has any structure left. Mirabae nods firmly and runs ahead. I hear her voice carry, telling the unit where to go.
I circle back for Nava, pulling her up to standing, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.
“Are you hurt?” I ask, looking her over. Her uniform is torn at the knees, but nothing seems to be broken.
“I’m okay,” she says, taking deep breaths.
“We have to keep going,” I say. “We have to get to that building. Do you think you can make it?”
Nava nods shakily. We run down the street, toward the edge of where the city meets the sea. We turn into the building, through the empty space where the doors once were. I lean against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Nava slides to the floor next to me, her chest heaving.
The rest of the unit sit along the far wall. Ranthu holds his gun across his knees. Braxon and Ryn stand at the windows, surveying the perimeter. I catch Mirabae’s eye and she gives me a nod.
Through a hole in the side of the building, I see another unit racing down the street, dodging bullets, trying to find cover. I could call out to them, try to guide them to safety, but that would put our position at risk. I look out at them, my stomach twisting, trying to decide what to do. I can’t save them, I tell myself. I can only save the people I’m with now. I move away from the wall and walk to the center of the room. I drop the pack to the floor and crouch beside it, opening it and handing a gun to everyone, keeping one for myself.
“What now?” Ranthu asks.
I can’t see our enemies, but I know they’re out there, hiding, waiting to attack. Fear wells up inside me. I have no time to think, no time to plan. I have to listen to my instincts, to what my body is telling me.
“We’re going to defend our location,” I say. “We’re going to prepare for a fight. We’ll each take a window and protect our ground.”
Mirabae stands up and walks over to one of the windows. Ryn cocks his gun, the sound echoing sharply through the silence.
“Everyone, get in position,” I command.
Akia hesitates, then walks across the room, crouching at a window and aiming her gun out at the street. Ranthu and Nava follow her. Braxon leans against the wall as though there’s no danger, like we’re not at war.
“Are you sure that’s the best tactical decision, Leader?” he asks. “I mean, what happens when the enemy gets here and sees us by the windows? This building offers us no protection. We’re putting ourselves directly in their sight line.”
I push down whatever doubt I feel and point my gun at an empty window.
“That’s an order, Cadet Braxon,” I say sharply, looking him straight in the eye.
He hesitates, just for a moment, then walks to a window, brushing against me as he passes.
I walk to a window and look out at the empty street before me. For a moment, the world is quiet. Then the shooting begins.
Bullets fly through the windows, ricocheting off the walls. They split apart and multiply, spinning through the air. From across the room, someone screams. I look up, the world moving in slow motion. There’s Akia by one window, there’s Nava, Ryn, and Ranthu. Braxon is bent down, loading his gun. And then I see Mirabae, a bullet wound over her heart, a look of wild desperation in her eyes.
She staggers away from the window and falls to the ground. Ryn runs across the room. He steps into her place, pressing himself against the wall and lifting his gun to shoot. A spray of bullets flies past him. He ducks, keeps shooting, stopping only to reload.
I crouch next to Mirabae, smoothing her hair off her forehead. She clutches her hands to her chest, blood seeping through her fingers. She stares at me, but her eyes are glassy, dazed. She pulls in one rasping breath after another, and I know it’s the soun
d of her lungs filling with blood. There’s nothing I can do to save her.
I look out across the Bay, at the murky water, the ashen sky. The streets in front of us are empty, but I see a flash of movement in the distance. The enemy’s approaching, a faceless, helmeted throng of bodies. They seem to swell, to multiply, moving toward us at a brutal pace. If we don’t leave now, we’ll all be killed. “I’m sorry, Mir,” I whisper, but she just gasps as the life leaves her body.
I stand up, wiping her blood from my hands, watching how the sun streams in through the window, covering her body, making it seem like she’s made of light. Ryn watches me, holding his gun loosely in his hand. He nods briefly, the look in his eyes one of conviction, of resolve.
“Everyone, listen up,” I say. “We’re not safe here. More troops are on their way. I estimate they’re about half a mile away, but they’re moving fast. We need to get out of here, now.”
“Where exactly do you expect us to go?” Braxon asks.
“Up,” I say, and point to the sky.
We race into the hallway and up the stairs, flight after flight of them, until we reach the top of the building, bursting through the door to the roof.
I look around at the nearby buildings, all too far to reach. I look at the city around us. I look out at the ocean beyond. I don’t know if I made the right decision, leaving Mirabae behind, but I can’t think about that now. It will be only a matter of seconds until the enemy arrives.
We stand above the water, the waves churning fiercely below us. For a sickening second, I remember that jump off the cliffs, so long ago now. I remember the impact of hitting the water, the way the water sucked me down, the way my body felt like it would split in two. I take a deep, shaky breath and push the memory away.
I turn back to my unit. Their faces are streaked with sweat and dirt, with blood. Akia is crying, shielding her eyes with her hands.
“We’re going to die,” she says, her voice panicked, her breath quick and uneven. “There’s no way out. We’re trapped.”
“We’re going to fail,” Braxon says.
But Ryn is looking at me, his face calm, waiting for me to speak.
“We’re not going to die,” I say. “We’re not going to fail. Not like this.”
I look down at the ocean. There’s nowhere else for us to go. Either we stay here and get captured or we jump down to the water below. I summon all the strength I have and step out onto the building’s edge.
“On my count, we jump.”
Ryn steps up next to me, his eyes clear and sure. Soon, the entire unit stands around me, balanced on the building’s edge. I look at their faces. I look at the waves crashing below.
“One.”
I breathe in.
“Two.”
I breathe out.
“Three.”
I leap off the building, I sail down through the air. I arrow my arms and legs, arching into a dive. The water is so far away, this fall so far down. I tighten my body against the wind, feeling my form lock into place.
My body cuts into the water, slicing in between the waves. I kick my legs, once, twice; then I’m above the surface, gasping. I count the heads around me, five of them in the water. We made it.
The world fades around us; the water disappears. The room lights up, and we gather together in an uneven line, disoriented, dazed. Ryn slips his hand into mine. Mirabae struggles to her feet, color returning to her cheeks, the wound on her chest healing before our eyes. It’s over, I think, relief flooding through me. I stare at my hands as Mirabae’s blood evaporates, leaving my skin smooth and dry.
Magister Sethra comes up to us, and we all stand at attention.
“Congratulations, Unit Fifteen,” she says, smiling. “You have completed your final simulation examination. Excellent leadership, Cadet Li.”
I hear her words, but I barely take them in. I watch as Mirabae runs out the door, her face buried in her hands, her hair streaming out behind her like a fallen star streaking across the sky.
I follow her outside and into the harsh light of day. Mirabae stands by the door, falling into line with the rest of the unit as we pass. She moves uncertainly, her hand over her chest, touching her phantom wound.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m fine,” she says, but she doesn’t sound fine.
“What happened when you died?” Nava asks, her voice low.
Mirabae closes her eyes, tilting her head up to the sky.
“Everything went black and I couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried.”
She takes a deep breath and her eyes flutter open.
“I knew in my head that it wasn’t real, but it felt like it was. It felt like I died.”
I glance over at her, but she avoids my eyes.
“You did a good job, Mir,” Ryn says. “Really, you should be proud of yourself. You fought well and you died gracefully.”
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” she says, and walks back into the auditorium, moving quickly through the room, weaving her way around other cadets. I follow her with my eyes until she turns and I lose her in the crowd.
“Should we go after her?” Ryn asks, concern crossing his face.
“No,” I say, knowing this side of Mirabae well. “She wants to be alone.”
We find seats and look out at the room. The walls are silver, the lights dimmed to blue. The crested wave of stars spans out before us, glittering in the air. As the auditorium fills, the magisters form a line before us. I go over the exam in my head, wondering if there was any way I could have saved Mirabae, if I could have made any alternate choices.
I did the best I could, I tell myself. There’s nothing more I can do now.
Magister Sethra steps to the front of the room. She holds her hands out and the room quiets down, all of us anxious to hear how we’ve placed.
“This moment marks your true entrance into the Forces,” she says. “This is when you all move forward into the promising lives you have ahead of you.”
I clasp my hands together in my lap. Ryn looks at me, his eyes filled with trepidation. We both know what this means for me, for us.
The placement announcement begins, starting with the first unit. Name after name echoes through the auditorium, planets assigned, everyone’s future decided at once.
Finally, they reach our unit. I take a breath and hold it. Akia, Ranthu, and Nava all place in infantry. Then, my name is called.
“Cadet Li, officer. Planet, Penthna.”
I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. Relief washes over me, a wave so strong, so overwhelming, I feel like I could cry. Ryn takes my hand, leans in, and kisses me.
“You did it,” he whispers. “You’re safe.”
We listen as his name is called, as he gets placed in squadron. My heart clenches, waiting to hear where. Ryn stares straight ahead, holding my hand tightly.
“Planet, Ursna,” the voice echoes. All the hope leaves my body. My eyes fill with tears. I blink them back and stare at Ryn, his face mirroring my own. Braxon is placed in squadron, too, on the planet Senu.
The voice echoes out over us, calling Mirabae’s name. I pray for squadron. I pray that all of her hard work these past few weeks has been worth it.
She ranks in infantry.
She’s placed on Ativu, a snowy planet with a small population. My heart breaks for her, as though it was my dream, too, that got so quickly crushed. She must be devastated. I look around the crowd, but I can’t find her in the sea of other people.
After the announcement is over, Ryn and I walk across base to the platform, where the train is waiting to carry us home. One final announcement projects through the air.
“Congratulations to all of you, officers, squadron, and infantry alike. As you set out across the galaxy, never forget that you are doing your part to uphold peace and justice for all.”
The words that would have once filled me with anger now only make me feel weary. Everyone around me cheers. No one notices that I
don’t join in. The doors of the train slide open and Ryn and I step inside, walking down the long aisles, passing Braxon as we go. He sits with his hands clenched into fists in his lap. He watches me, shaking his head slowly, his eyes cold. Ryn walks by him, settling into an empty seat in the back of the train. Before I can follow him, Braxon stands up, pulling himself to his full height.
“Looks like you got what you wanted,” he says, just loud enough for only me to hear.
My body tenses. I try to walk around him, but he stays where he is, blocking the aisle.
“Don’t do this, Braxon,” I say.
He stares at me without blinking, then sits back down, his eyes following my path. Akia walks down the aisle, sitting next to him. She whispers something in his ear and he smiles at her, but still his eyes are on me.
I sink down next to Ryn, stretching my legs across his lap. He tips his head against the window and closes his eyes. The train moves over the bridge, away from the base. I feel the rush of motion, hear the rise and fall of voices around me. The tracks are a thin line over the ocean, and as we race across them, I look at the dark, quiet waters, trying to push down the distress I feel. The train picks up speed and the base fades in the distance, nothing but a blur on the horizon. Ryn rests his hands on my knees, and I remember the first day we met, at the Cove. I never could have known then all that he would bring me, the ways my life would change because of him.
The train pulls into city station. The doors slide open and we walk to where our families are waiting. I look across the platform, searching for my father and sister. Ryn kisses me goodbye and disappears into the crowd.
“There she is!” I hear Zo shout. She runs to me, her arms outstretched. She hugs me so hard I stumble back. Over her shoulder, I see my father walking toward us. I pull back from her and face him. I nod slowly. A smile spreads on his face. He steps forward and puts his hands on my shoulders.
“I’m so proud of you,” he says. “Officer.”
He folds me into his arms, and together we head home.
* * *
The Last Girl on Earth Page 13
