The whistle sounded through the forest.
In the darkness, the recruits drew their compact Glock 19 pistols. The objective of this exercise: at least one Firebird recruit must cross the beacons at the finish line without being hit. Stopping them from doing so: trained special forces soldiers.
With her thumb, Olesya flipped the stud on her holster. She drew and aimed low. The pistol's slide was pale blue, chambered with electro-rounds. They didn't penetrate their target, but they were tipped with four-pronged electrodes that delivered a nasty electric shock, enough to cause what their instructors called neuromuscular incapacitation. It was enough to drop the target—and disable their firearm for the remainder of the exercise—but not enough to kill them.
Olesya breathed in the winter air. It smelled of the giant trees around her, their trunks surfacing from damp undergrowth and twisting skyward. She looked up to see them disappear into the midnight fog.
From the front of the squad, Ark shot her a stern glare through his mask before nodding to the rest of Firebird. Everyone wore safety goggles and a blue vest that identified them as members of the same squad, although in this darkness the blue seemed almost gray.
They assembled into a line and Ark closed his eyes. Everyone remained still, waiting. Firebird didn't have compasses to guide them, and there was no visible moon to orient themselves. Thankfully, Ark's magnetoception afforded him a precise sense of direction. He closed his eyes for a moment, found his bearing and then opened them. He pointed ahead.
Xiu moved behind Olesya, taking rear security, while Damien took the scout position ahead of the squad. Everyone else moved in single file with space between them. Olesya watched as Damien slipped into the darkness and Ark followed him, leading the squad carefully in his wake.
Olesya listened to the soft squishing sound of their boots on moss and undergrowth. The forest itself was silent, making her skin prickle.
Ark issued a slight correction and Damien adjusted his bearing. Ark's hand fell to his side. It was shaking.
Olesya strained to listen for sounds around them, half-expecting an ambush. Her nose was cold and she resisted the urge to sniff. It wasn't long before Damien led them to the edge of the forest and a road. Without a word, he lay down quietly.
Firebird Squad followed suit and flattened out prone, inching forward to him. Ark's sister, Val, was looking ahead with her enhanced vision. Olesya crawled forward, her elbows moving over damp ground.
'What can you see?' Ark asked quietly.
'Small town in the distance,' Val said. 'Gas station, some abandoned shops. Taller buildings ahead.'
'How tall?'
'Three levels, I think.'
'Did they say anything about a town in the middle of the forest?' Damien asked.
Jay shook his head. 'They don't say much of anything.'
'It doesn't matter,' Ark said. 'What's here is here and we get through no matter what.'
Jay nudged Damien. 'We're not out of the woods yet.'
'That was terrible,' Damien said.
'Quiet,' Ark told them. 'Right, open ground from here to the gas station. We make a run for it and use the station as cover. Once we see more of the town, we can plan from there. If anyone disagrees, now's the time to say so.'
No one disagreed.
'Good,' Ark said. 'Move in groups, cover your front and sides.' He paused and turned to Olesya. 'Don't screw this up.'
She said nothing and watched as the first group of four broke the line, then crossed the road.
Ark got to one knee and tapped Xiu and Val. 'Let's go.'
They moved in a compressed line of three, then dissolved into the long grass. When Olesya checked over her shoulder, she was relieved to see Damien and Jay still lying behind her. They watched different areas of the forest in case someone snuck up behind them. Jay scratched his chin.
Olesya inched herself to the edge of the forest, ready to move. She watched as the second group reached the gas station, collecting along the back wall with the first group. Val and Xiu watched from each corner. Everything they did was thoughtful and calculated. She admired them.
Damien was beside her now. Jay was on her other side. He gave her a nod—the same nod that Ark gave his squad because he trusted them.
Does Jay actually trust me?
Jay was first on the road and then Damien dropped down the slope behind him, facing right. Olesya slid carefully in their wake, reaching the road and moving behind Damien. She held her pistol low and to the left, and scanned the distant road. Jay looked over his shoulder, checking that she was with him. He seemed pleased that she was.
'Let's roll,' he said under his breath.
He started into a run. Damien was two paces behind. They didn't wait for her to catch up, they just expected her to be there. She liked that.
They crossed the road and moved into the night. Her boots hit the grass and for a moment she worried about their rear being exposed, but Ark and the others had that covered.
Just focus on getting this right, she thought.
All she could hear was her own breathing and the grass whipping across her legs. She looked down, surprised to find her legs moving in perfect rhythm with Damien and Jay. Maybe she could do this.
They reached the gas station and pulled up against the wall. Olesya took a moment to catch her breath but Ark wasn't waiting. He was already on the corner with Val, directing his squad to the town. They moved low and spread out.
A breeze ruffled through the grass as Ark strung them into an empty parking lot. Some of the Firebird recruits aiming their pistols high into windows as they passed them. Olesya had no environmental training with firearms, let alone for an urban scenario like this.
Firebird collected along the rear brick wall of a two-story shop. They were just around the corner from what looked like the center of an artificial town.
'If there's gonna be an ambush, it's on the main street.' Jay thumbed in the direction of the shop.
Ark was silent for a moment. 'If I was them,' he said, 'I'd mount the ambush at the very end of town. When we think we've won and our guard is down.'
'Maybe we can recon the street,' Damien said.
Xiu adjusted her mask. 'You won't know until you step out there and get shot.'
'Nope,' Jay said. 'Not doing that.'
Ark snapped his fingers and pointed at Olesya. 'You can scout it out.'
Olesya swallowed. 'You want me to go out there?'
'Not a good idea,' Xiu said. 'She doesn't have the training. It's a waste.'
'That's the thing, right?' Ark shrugged. 'She's a waste, so she's the perfect choice.'
Xiu stepped in front of him. 'I'm fast, I could run it. Maybe I can get you some useful information.'
Ark chewed his lip. 'Fine, you run it. If you see movement, call out their—'
'I'll do it,' Olesya said.
Everyone stared at her. They seemed surprised, except for Ark.
'Good.' He nodded his approval. 'We need people on both corners, ready to check the street while she's running. If there's any movement or shots fired I want their location called out, you got that?'
Firebird Squad nodded.
Ark turned to Olesya. 'Just run for the other side and find a place to hide. If you're not covered in electro-rounds by the time we cross, we'll come get you.' He glanced down at her pistol. 'Don't even think about shooting. Just run as fast as you can.'
Xiu winked at her. 'Good luck.'
Olesya was nervous, but she kept it to herself as she moved for the corner. Damien and Jay were behind her, ready to catch up and watch for movement. Jay tapped her on the back and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. They were ready. She wasn't.
Don't think about it, she told herself. Just run.
With her pistol in one hand, Olesya sprinted across the main road, across the intersection. Her boots hit asphalt, echoed through the empty town. She reached the other sidewalk. She didn't stop. She kept going until she found an alley to duck into and press herself against a brick wall, hiding her profile. The brick pulled at strands of her hair. She leaned forward and listened. She heard more footsteps.
Firebird were crossing the main road.
Pistol in both hands, she risked a glance out of the alley. Xiu was running across the road, followed closely by Damien.
Then she saw it.
Something high, on a rooftop. Her heart rate doubled.
That's why I haven't been shot.
They were waiting for the entire squad to walk into their trap. They were waiting for now.
Olesya leaned farther around the corner and saw all of Firebird crossing the road. She had to do something.
'Rooftop!' Olesya yelled.
Firebird kept moving. Some recruits heard her and looked up. Others, like Xiu, sprinted as fast as they could to get clear. Olesya saw helmets and rifles in the windows, taking aim. Firebird Squad was about to fail.
The opposing force's soldiers opened fire.
Electro-rounds struck the recruits. They shuddered violently, their vests carrying the current, then they crumpled to the asphalt, gasping.
Olesya extended her pistol with both hands, just as Xiu taught her. She tried to sight a soldier as his helmet rose from a window frame. She fired. Twice. Her electro-rounds struck under the window, off to the right.
Then she remembered something else Xiu had taught her. She adjusted her grip, relaxed her shooting hand. Sighted the soldier's helmet again. Shot three rounds. One after the other. No torque. One of them struck his helmet, jolting him and disabling his weapon. She couldn't believe she'd hit him at this distance.
But there were more soldiers shooting at Firebird. Olesya turned the corner, pistol aimed. Ark was running toward her, his big eyes wide with panic. Electro-rounds ricocheted around him. A soldier moved from the corner behind him and took aim.
Olesya didn't think. She punched out—both arms extended—her pistol aimed just over Ark's shoulder. She ignored the horror on his face and sighted the soldier's chest. Two to the chest, followed by two more. The soldier jolted, raised his arms. Her first pair of electro-rounds struck the soldier's chest. Target down.
Ark stumbled. Her second pair of electro-rounds struck his shoulder. He collapsed on the sidewalk and shuddered like Jell-O. Olesya turned and saw a soldier on the street behind her. He was moving, taking aim at her and—
He slipped to the asphalt, writhing.
'Go!' Xiu yelled. 'Don't stop! Never stop moving!'
She was running down the street. Olesya noticed the two blinking beacons at the end.
The finish line.
It was almost within reach. Olesya broke into a run, parallel with Xiu. A soldier appeared from a window above Xiu, aiming down at her. Olesya fired as she ran. She got him. Kept moving. Another soldier appeared. She didn't think, just kept moving, kept shooting. Xiu fired across the street and he dropped, convulsing.
She hit the beacons. Xiu was with her all the way. They made it through. She couldn't believe it. Firebird passed the exercise.
She turned to see the rest of the squad. They were lying on concrete, out of action. A whistle blew and soldiers walked out to check their vitals. Olesya and Xiu were the only survivors.
'Are you OK?' Xiu asked.
'I just had a thirty-minute long heart attack,' Olesya said, 'but yeah, I'm OK.'
Xiu grinned. 'Remind me to teach you how to reload.'
Olesya looked down to see the slide on her blue pistol locked to the rear. Her chamber and magazine were empty and—during the chaos of their gauntlet run—she hadn't even noticed.
Xiu guided Olesya's pistol into her holster. Her hand felt electric on Olesya's skin.
'Thanks,' Olesya said.
Xiu smiled. 'Maybe you are cut out for this sort of thing.'