The Academy Defenders

by T. J. Robinson

  Skylar looked out across the lake. “I wish my dad were here. He would know exactly what to say. He would crack some terrible joke, making all of us groan at his sense of humor, and I would just know everything was going to be okay.”

  The mood lightened considerably as they spent the rest of the hour swapping stories about their childhoods. Skylar’s brothers were quite the terrors back home, and she shared some funny stories that reminded Lincoln of Milo. At one point, they were both laughing so hard they were nearly crying.

  It was now almost time to return to the Trauma Center. Lincoln looked over at Skylar and suddenly reached out, impulsively trying to hold her hand. Just as his hand touched hers, a loud croak from behind startled both of them. They whirled around, and Lincoln yanked his hand away.

  A frog sat in the grass, gazing at Lincoln with what looked like a definite smirk. It croaked one more time and then hopped away.

  “We better hurry back to the Trauma Center,” Skylar announced, a little louder than necessary.

  “Sure,” Lincoln answered, feeling both awkward and foolish. He couldn’t believe his bad luck. The moment had been perfect before that stupid frog ruined it.

  Would Skylar have held his hand? Lincoln could only hope he got another chance as good as this one had been. Yeah, right! said a sarcastic voice inside his head. Lincoln sighed.

  They walked back to the Trauma Center in awkward silence. Great! Lincoln thought when he saw they were the first ones to arrive. He grabbed a magazine and sat down, pretending to read. Skylar did the same, and after what seemed like an eternity, the rest of their friends showed up.

  Alice walked out of Jack’s room a few minutes later and told them that Jack was finally awake and wanted to see his friends. She warned them they would only be able to spend a short time in the room and must leave when asked, no arguing allowed. She led them to Jack’s room and then waited at the door as the six recruits squeezed into the room designed for no more than two visitors.

  Jack already looked much better than he had an hour ago. His wounds had been cleaned and were covered in white bandages. Most of the color had returned to his face. He saw his friends and smiled. “Hey guys.”

  Kennedy placed her hand on his arm. “How are you feeling?”

  “Sore,” he answered.

  “What happened to you?” asked Milo.

  “I’m not sure ...,” Jack paused. “Simon was helping me work on my air shields, and next thing I remember is waking up here.”

  “So you can’t remember anything?” pressed Milo. Jack shook his head. “Something attacked Simon. It must have attacked you too. The good news is the Healers say you’ll be better than ever in a few days.”

  “The Hunt ....”

  “I’m sorry, buddy,” answered Milo. “Mr. Rockwell said it would be too risky. The whole squad’s coming to visit later tonight.”

  Jack laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. “Well, that sucks. Who’s going to replace me?”

  “Simon hasn’t decided yet,” answered Milo.

  Jack nodded and then added, “Skylar, Link, it should be one of you. If not, I’ll take Simon down myself.”

  Lincoln and his friends stayed with Jack for the next hour or so, making small talk. He did fine at first, but as the visit went on, he got more and more tired, eventually shutting his eyes and drifting to sleep. The Healers sent the rest of the recruits back to their dorm.

  CHAPTER 13

  THE GUARDIAN COUNCIL

  SOMEONE KNOCKED ON LINCOLN’S DOOR. It was past midnight, well beyond curfew. He was in the middle of writing an e-mail to his parents. He rose from his seat and opened the door, hoping it was Milo with an update on Jack. To Lincoln’s surprise, it was Simon.

  “Simon, uh ... hey, what’s up?”

  “Hey, Link, you got a minute?”

  “Sure,” answered Lincoln.

  Simon stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He sat down on Lincoln’s chair. Lincoln sat on the bed. “Link, I feel horrible about what happened to Jack. I know he’s a good friend of yours.”

  “It’s not your fault. You were only trying to help him,” Lincoln protested.

  “I know that. I just wish he could still take part in the Hunt. I know he’s only a first-year, but he was one of our best squadders.”

  “I believe it,” agreed Lincoln, remembering Jack’s unbelievable speed on the obstacle course.

  “I guess he’ll get his chance next year. Speaking of the Hunt,” added Simon, “Kennedy said you have something to tell me.”

  “That’s right.” Lincoln snapped his fingers. “Did she tell you what it was about?”

  Simon shook his head. “All she said was you know something I may find interesting.”

  “A few nights ago, Skylar and I saw Trevor cross the Barrier and sneak into Sector 8. We’ve been trying to keep an eye on him ever since, but it hasn’t been easy. Kennedy thought you’d know what to do.”

  Simon looked angry. “Trevor’s an idiot.”

  “So you didn’t know?” Simon shook his head. Lincoln took a deep breath. A thought had just occurred to him. “What if he was involved in the attack on you and Jack?”

  Simon considered this possibility. “I don’t think he has the guts to do something like that, but I’ll check it out. For now, let’s keep this quiet. I don’t want our squad disqualified.”

  “I’ll tell the girls,” promised Lincoln.

  “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.” Simon pointed to the computer screen. “What are you working on?”

  “N-nothing,” Lincoln stammered, blushing. The last thing he wanted was to look like a mama’s boy, especially in front of Simon. “It’s just an e-mail to my parents.”

  Simon gave him a sympathetic look. “Milo told me about your grandpa. Any new leads into what happened?” Lincoln shook his head. “What about the guy who snuck into your house? Do they know what he was after?”

  Again, Lincoln shook his head, surprised Milo had told Simon about Boggs. “They’re not telling me much, but my mom thinks they’ll have everything figured out any day now.”

  “I hope they do.” Simon smiled and rose from the desk. “Let me know if you hear anything else.” Lincoln nodded. He gave Simon a fist bump, and then after Simon left he climbed back into his chair and finished his e-mail.

  THE next morning, Lincoln got some disappointing news. Neither he nor Skylar would take Jack’s place on the squad. “I fought for you, I really did,” Milo told him glumly. “But Simon wanted a squadder with more experience. He picked that fifth-year, Jonah.” Milo crinkled his face in disgust.

  Lincoln shrugged his shoulders, trying to hide his disappointment. “No surprise there, after what happened to Jack. Where’s Skylar?”

  “She took off after she found out about the squad.”

  Normally, Lincoln would have tried to find her and make sure she was okay, but after what had happened at the lakeshore, he doubted she would appreciate his company. He changed the subject. “The Council gets here tomorrow, right?”

  Milo’s face turned even glummer as he nodded. “Yep, and because I’m on the squad, I can’t pull a single prank while they’re here. If I got caught, our squad would be kicked out of the Challenge. It’s the aides who drive me crazy. They’re only a few years older than us, but they strut around the academy as if we should all bow down to them. Sean promised he’d make life miserable for them, but between you and me, he lacks my creativity.”

  Finished with breakfast, they decided to stop by the Trauma Center and check on Jack. He waved them into his room as soon as he saw them. He looked even better than he had yesterday.

  “Hey guys,” he said excitedly.

  “How you feelin’?” asked Lincoln.

  “Like I just played back-to-back football games with no pads,” answered Jack with a grin.

  Milo plopped down on the hospital bed beside Jack and grabbed one of the cookies sitting on a tray on the bedside table. “Let me guess,
” he said, waving the cookie in the air, “a gift from Bernie?”

  Jack nodded, and Milo took a bite. “Mmm ... not bad. Much better than the last batch he made. Don’t eat too many of these,” he warned, “unless you want to spend the next two days in there.” He pointed to the bathroom. “I made that mistake once,” he admitted ruefully.

  Even though they had planned for a short visit, Lincoln and Milo ended up spending the rest of the morning at the Trauma Center. Eventually, Lincoln noticed Jack’s eyes drooping.

  “Milo, don’t you have a meeting with the squad?” Lincoln asked. Jack gave him a grateful look as Milo looked down at his watch.

  “Oh no, it starts in fifteen minutes. Sorry, mate,” Milo told Jack as he hopped off the bed, “but we gotta run.” They promised Jack they would come back soon and then took off for the dorm, Milo desperate not to be late.

  ON Saturday morning Lincoln awoke to see a notice shoved beneath his bedroom door. It informed the recruits that they were to gather at the lakeshore at 9:00 a.m. for the Council’s arrival. It also reemphasized Mr. Rockwell’s earlier warning to treat the visitors with respect and courtesy.

  Lincoln looked at the clock on his nightstand. 8:00 a.m. With an hour to kill, he wandered over to the Roemick Tower lobby and perused the giant bulletin board covered with announcements put there by the recruits. Several involved getting together over the winter break. One invited recruits in Africa to meet up for the Three Toads rock concert on Christmas Eve. Another invited those in Australia to meet in Sydney to see the newest Mike Thornton adventure movie. There were also ads for summer training sessions, supposed G2s, and various other things. Lincoln read through them, smiling at the more outrageous propositions.

  With nothing else to do, he decided to head to the lakeshore a few minutes early. Milo was already there. Last year, the Council showed up an hour later than scheduled. Milo thought they had done it on purpose. This year, they arrived right on time. Less than five minutes after Lincoln went outside, he heard a roar from the sky above. Looking up, he saw two giant, black helicopters with the words “Council Carriers” painted in white across their sides slowly descending.

  The two landing skids Lincoln was used to seeing on helicopters had been replaced by circular, metal tubes. Some type of dark material stretched across the tubing, making it look like there were giant trampolines beneath the helicopters. They landed gently a few feet from the shore. A door slid open, and one by one people began jumping out of the helicopter and onto the trampoline below. The first one out raised his hands, and a platform of ice slowly materialized above the water between him and the shore. He and the others then marched across.

  Lincoln guessed the first eight onto shore were the Council members. He counted five men and three women. The men wore ties with blue and grey stripes and slick, black suits. The women wore long, elegant, blue and grey dresses. They smiled and waved as they gathered together in front of the recruits. The recruits clapped and cheered.

  The Council members appeared to have come from all over the world. Most of them were tall, thin, and well-groomed, though Lincoln smiled as he noticed an older man with white, disheveled hair and an incorrectly buttoned shirt. His unkempt appearance contrasted sharply with the rest of the group. A tall, black man with a round face, large forehead, and curly, short hair stepped in front of the others as Mr. Rockwell approached. The Council Aides were still arriving on shore, groups of four or five gathering behind each Council member.

  Milo leaned toward him. “The one in front is Michael Henry. He’s the senior member of the Council. Most everybody likes him.” Milo pointed to a man and a woman standing a little ways away from the rest of the Council. “That’s Harvey Jenner and Jenna Pratt. No one likes them, at least no one with any taste. Jenner has a younger brother named Rodney who looks just like him, but from what everybody says, he’s a much nicer guy. I’ve heard he could end up on the Council someday too.”

  Milo pointed to another Council member. He was smiling and waving just like the others. The first things Lincoln noticed were the man’s enormous smile and his bright teeth, which were much too white. Behind the smile, Lincoln saw a cold, calculating man. He wore his dark hair slicked back and had an all too familiar pointed nose.

  “Guess who he is?”

  “Banks’s dad,” answered Lincoln.

  Milo nodded. “Marcus Banks. Famous for doing anything to get what he wants, just like his son.”

  Mr. Henry and Mr. Rockwell shook hands and embraced. Then Mr. Henry stepped forward and gave the recruits a friendly smile. “Thank you for allowing us to once again visit your beautiful academy.” His voice was deep and eloquent, his smile gentle and sincere. “We are honored to be here, and we look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. Let’s make this the best Atlas Challenge ever.”

  The recruits cheered again as the Council members continued to wave and smile. Eventually, the cheering died down and the Council members dispersed among the instructors, hugging and shaking hands with those they knew. The recruits stayed for a few more minutes before leaving for their dormitories.

  Chapter 14

  THE CAFETERIA BATTLE

  FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE HUNT WERE now underway. Recruits had been banned from the arena for the past several days as staff worked on the Commencement site. Mr. Worthington had locked himself in his office and refused to leave until his big surprise was ready.

  Tensions were high among the recruits. The Keepers were breaking up small skirmishes between supporters of different squads on a daily basis. The squadders were so busy training that they were almost never seen.

  The chance to add to the drama proved too tempting for Milo, even with his busy schedule. He made fifteen blue T-shirts with his name and picture on the front. With a wink and a whisper, he then gave a shirt to two or three first-year girls from each dorm. The girls giggled and rolled their eyes, but then they wore the shirts multiple times over the next few days.

  This sudden support for Milo and the Finn squad drove the other recruits crazy. Milo pretended to have no clue as to why anyone else was upset. On the rare occasion he saw his friends, he joked he was finally getting the attention he deserved.

  What surprised everyone was Kennedy’s reaction to Milo’s sudden popularity with the ladies. She would glare menacingly at any girl who wore one of Milo’s shirts. One time, Lincoln even saw her nudge two of the girls into a recruit who was tying his shoe, causing all three to tumble to the ground. The girls quickly learned to keep their distance from Kennedy. Lincoln would have teased her about the situation, but after seeing Kennedy’s temper in action, decided he valued his life too much.

  “This is ridiculous,” complained Kennedy at lunch on Monday. She tossed one of Milo’s T-shirts onto the table in front of her. It was torn near the collar and had several holes. Lincoln grinned as he imagined an enraged Kennedy ripping the shirt off one of their classmates.

  “Oh, come on,” Sean told her. He was wearing a bright blue T-shirt with “Who will win? No doubt it’s Finn!” written across it in large, white letters. “Milo’s just trying to get in the other squadders’ heads. I think it’s brilliant.”

  Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

  “Hey, don’t get mad at me just because Milo’s groupies are making you jealous.”

  Kennedy glared at him and leaned forward. She looked like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. “What’d you say?”

  Sean shrank back into his seat. “Uh, what I meant was—”

  Guga jumped into the conversation. “I think Sean’s trying to say we all can’t wait for things to be back to normal.”

  “Right,” agreed Sean. He gave Guga a grateful look as Kennedy relaxed.

  Just then, the cafeteria doors burst open. Banks and a few of the younger teenage Council Aides entered the room. They stood just inside the entrance as they searched for an empty table, but there were none. In fact, the only available seats in the entire cafeteria were
at the table with Lincoln and his friends. Banks grimaced and reluctantly led the aides to the empty seats.

  “Oh, how precious,” Sean said loudly as Banks and the aides sat down. “Someone’s daddy helped him find some new friends.”

  “Shut up, Sean,” snarled Banks.

  “Don’t worry about him,” said the aide sitting beside Banks. He eyed Sean’s pudgy physique. “He’s just cranky because they ran out of Twinkies.” The other aides cackled. The first aide, beaming with pride after making his friends laugh, spotted Lincoln sitting next to a red-faced Sean.

  The aide pointed at Lincoln. “You’re related to Tyler Thomas, aren’t you?”

  “He was my grandpa.”

  The aide snorted. “Man, he was a pain, always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.” Banks grinned and gave the aide a fist bump. Lincoln jumped up from his seat and glared at them. The aide smirked at him. “What are you gonna do, first-year?”

  Lincoln shot an air blast at the laughing aide, catching him by surprise. He fell off his seat and crashed to the ground. Food flew everywhere. Banks leaped out of his seat and backed away. He knew what Lincoln was capable of and wanted no part of this fight.

  The aide wiped the food off his face and rose from the ground. His eyes were glowing. “You shouldn’t have done that!” he yelled, and shot an air blast at Lincoln. Lincoln used an air shield to block the blow. He then increased the force of gravity on the aide, knocking him back to the floor, where he remained powerless against the force holding him down.

  Next, Lincoln used the water rite. He copied Mr. Spencer’s trick from the first day of training, gathering and condensing the moisture in the air. A giant ball of water appeared, engulfing the paralyzed aide. Decreasing gravity, Lincoln sent the aide and the swirling water surrounding him high into the air. The frantic aide continued to challenge Lincoln’s control of the rites, trying to disperse the water surrounding him, but he was no match for an angry Lincoln.