Ark drew his pistol.
The forest was dark and cold, but this time there was no fog. His squad stood around him, still and patient. This was the final exercise. This time, he needed three recruits to pass the beacons in less than sixty minutes. Olesya was enough of a problem, but this was worse. He checked his watch. It was 0300. No night vision monoculars, no red filtered torches.
He wasn't going to be disqualified from the program.
He was going to lead his squad to victory.
A whistle sounded through the forest. He pointed out their bearing and Val took point with her natural night vision. He fell in step a distance behind her, the rest of his squad behind him in single file. Even with his squad, he felt alone.
They reached the road and he checked his watch again. Fourteen minutes. He lay down and shimmied to the tree line, keeping one eye closed to save his night vision.
'Holy crap,' Jay whispered from beside him. 'The town's lit up like a Christmas tree.'
He wasn't wrong. From the gas station to the center of town, street lamps burned hot, swarmed by frantic insects.
'What do we do?' Damien asked.
Ark held a hand over his eye. 'Wait, I need to think.'
While the rest of his squad waited for his master strategy, he tried to think of a master strategy. They were relying on him for that, he couldn't let them down. He felt his chest press harder against the grass with each breath. He licked his dry lips.
'Are we skirting around?' Damien asked. 'We need to keep out of the light.'
'What are we, vampires?' Jay said. He made a hissing sound.
Ark tucked his shaking hand under his chest. They could shoot through the middle, avoid as much light as possible. But they'd have to move through the grass, in the darker patches. And then they would need to cross the main street, but they had to do it at a safe distance from the intersection. He didn't know if that would work. What if they walked into an ambush? No, they needed to circumvent the town entirely.
'Is that Olesya?' Val asked.
'Where? What's she doing?' Damien whispered.
Val was watching the road ahead with her superior vision. Ark saw movement and couldn't believe it. Olesya was running across the long grass. By herself.
He swore. She was ruining everything.
'Olesya!' Xiu called out.
'Don't,' he said. 'She's on her own now.'
He hoped she would get picked off by the enemy. And if not, he could deal with her later. After what she'd done, he had good reason to shoot her.
'That doesn't look good,' Val said.
She was looking past the gas station, where headlamps bled through the night. A jeep with a searchlight on the back. Someone was washing the light over the grass. Ark returned his attention to where he'd last seen Olesya. She was gone.
'They're not the same soldiers,' Val whispered.
Ark inched himself closer to the edge of the forest. With his exposed eye he looked directly at the patrol. Val was right, they were wearing different vests.
'The driver is a soldier, but the ones on foot are our age,' Damien said.
'Helldiver,' Val said. 'Squad leader is Nasira.'
Ark's stomach churned. Nasira's squad was the only squad so far to complete Combat Training. They were no longer just recruits. Promoted to the rank of private first class, they were now in Special Operations Training. Which meant—
'We are so screwed,' Jay said. 'One time, Nasira stepped on my toe and didn't say sorry.'
'That's nice, Jay,' Xiu said. 'But her squad's objective is to hunt us down, not step on toes.'
Helldiver took a right turn at the road and started in Ark's direction. The searchlight swiveled to the trees. The large beam cut through the forest, turning night into day.
'Slowly withdraw,' Ark hissed. 'Now.'