Numbers Game (9 page)

“All right,” I said slowly and struck again. This time I nearly touched his skin before he swiped my fist away. I hadn’t even seen his hand move.

“Better. Your aim is actually pretty decent. You’re putting your whole body into it, but you still don’t have much power.”

I blinked. “Um, I’m not a huge person. What else am I supposed to do?”

It was a sarcastic comment, but he stood straighter, his expression thoughtful. A flash of movement in the corner caught my eye. It was Neb, trying to imitate Vance. He kicked and punched the air, but his movements looked awkward and disconnected. There was nothing of the smooth and flowing dancelike movements Vance had just demonstrated.

“What was that?” I asked. “I mean, what you just did.”

My question pulled him out of his thoughts. “Oh, just something my father taught me. Martial arts. It’s a kind of combat.”

“Will you teach me?”

A flicker of surprise flashed across his face, but he covered it quickly. “I’ve never taught anyone before.”

“Really? But you’re the trainer.”

“I show everyone the basics, but these guys prefer boxing. They think all you need is a hard-enough punch to the face and your opponent is out for the count.”

“Isn’t he?”

Vance gave a sideways smile, really looking at me for the first time. “Sometimes.”

I pulled my arm up for a stretch, feeling my muscles stiffening already. I’d be very sore tomorrow. Or, rather—looking at my techband—later today. We’d burned an hour already. The other guys would be up soon. Somehow the realization made me want to enjoy these quiet moments while they lasted. I felt Vance’s eyes on me as I settled myself in front of the bag again, pulling my arms behind me for a series of punches. After a couple of minutes, I felt my body warming up comfortably, my breathing becoming quicker and more rhythmic. I had almost forgotten about Vance when he spoke.

“Yes.”

“Hmm?”

“Yes, I’ll teach you.” He grabbed the bag and leaned it onto its side, spinning it effortlessly out of the way. “But I want you to practice on a real person from now on.”

I hid a smile. “Fair enough.”

“And,” he continued, “you need to throw away everything you have been up to this point.”

“Excuse me?”

“Watch,” he said. I barely saw his arm move and realized he was throwing a punch. My body instinctively leaped backward. Vance’s fist stopped just short of where I had stood. “See that?”

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I gaped at him. “What was that? You showing off now?”

“You retreated.”

“What else should I do, get hit?”

“That’s just it. You’ve been taught by NORA to be docile and obedient, to run away from conflict. Conquer that reflex. Smugglers will only attack if they think they can beat you. Fight back, and suddenly you’re not worth the effort.”

What did he mean,
you’ve
been taught? The guy had obviously been in this dungeon too long. And I was anything but docile. “Fine, then teach me to defend myself. But I’m not sitting around until I get attacked, Vance. I want to get in the first strike.”

His expression was thoughtful as he nodded. “Deal.”

We practiced for another hour before I couldn’t take any more. My body was stiff and sore from what felt like an actual beating by the time the first guy awoke. My “room” was quickly occupied by a group of sleepy, dirty, sour-breathed men who just kicked my pillow aside. There would be no nap this morning.

Day two had begun.

><><><><><><><

While the men did their business, I ran through my stretches, sitting on the mat in the training room. “Two weeks,” I muttered. It felt like forever. There were twelve guys, six on each team, which meant I’d have to rule out one guy per day. I sighed. It didn’t make sense to hide in here, pretending like I wasn’t a part of the group. It was time to start asking questions and getting to know the team. I forced my aching legs to stand and started for the bedrooms.

The sound of muffled voices, low and deep, stopped me. It came from the stairwell. I moved to the door, straining to hear. The voice was unfamiliar.

Curious, I put my ear right up against the heavy door, but it didn’t seem to help. I sat against the wall and grabbed my feet into a leg stretch just in case someone walked in. I could only pick out a word here and there.
Promise. Tomorrow. Resistance.

I perked up, straining to hear over the sounds of the guys getting ready in the other room. What conversation was so secret that a guy had to sneak into the stairwell?

He must have finished his call, because the talking stopped and I heard the snap of a techband screen closing. I leaped back and grabbed a weight, pretending to have been lifting for a while, although I didn’t have to pretend the shakiness. A bulky man from Team One entered and nudged the door shut. I couldn’t remember his name. He glanced at me, murmured a hello, then disappeared into the bedroom.

Neb peeked in from where the large man had just gone. “The guys are done. You can have the washroom back now.”

“Who was that again?” I asked.

Neb looked down the hallway, then shot me a strange look. “That’s Poly. He’s the official leader of EPIC, although he’s given Team Two over to Vance. Why?”

“Nothing. Just hadn’t met him yet, is all.”

Neb nodded and turned back. I followed slowly, reviewing the bits of conversation I’d overheard and committing them to memory.

Poly, the Team One EPIC leader, was my first real lead.

12

A
t
least the girl could take a fast shower. I’d walked in ten minutes after she had, and she was already in the bedroom, all dressed.

She glanced up at me and froze. Her uniform hung crooked on her slender neck, nearly exposing a bare shoulder. Her wet hair fell down her back, messy and wild. Her hand was extended over Daymond’s bed, and various personal items were spread across the blanket.

The horror in her expression made me raise an eyebrow. “Looking for something?”

She jerked her hand back and shoved it into her uniform pocket. “I—uh—just needed . . . I was looking for a comb.”

My mouth twitched. “A comb.”

“I left mine.” Straightening her back, she stared at me.

She hadn’t brought anything with her, which seemed weird for a girl. Even the guys had a few belongings from home. It was yet another puzzle piece in the mystery of her past.

“You can use mine.” I retrieved a black, fine-toothed comb from a bag under my bunk. She held back when I approached, as if unsure she should accept, but I gave what I hoped was a friendly smile and handed her the comb.

“Thanks,” she muttered and inspected it before working it through the tangles on her head.

I sat on my bed and watched. Her hair seemed darker wet, more of a light brown color than the standard fake blonde.

That thought disgusted me. Treena was no different than every other NORA girl. I was fascinated because of her Rating, but that was it. Besides, there was an important matter that needed discussion. I took a deep breath and plunged in. “Why were you spying on Poly?”

She stopped, the comb frozen midswipe. “What?”

“Trying to get the mission details in advance?”

“No. Of course not.”

“It’s probably weird for you being the only girl, but the same rules apply to you as the rest of us. When Poly receives orders, he’ll share them with us when he’s ready.”

She sighed as if angry at herself. “I don’t really care what our orders are. I’m stuck here, like it or not.” She bent over and began swiping at her hair with my comb again.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as I processed her words. Most new trainees were excited to be here, but Treena obviously wasn’t. She’d also failed her initiation, although I had passed her anyway. The other EPIC guys hadn’t hesitated at all on their first mission. They’d been totally fine—even eager—to arrest anyone who broke the law.

She whipped her hair back and straightened, and for the first time I noticed her necklace. It was a delicate silver strand that disappeared inside her uniform, held there as if by something heavy. When she saw me looking, she tucked it out of sight again. A gift, maybe?

A realization hit. “You have a boyfriend. That’s why you’re here.”

“What?”

“Let me guess,” I said, my voice flat. “Blond, just like every other pill gulper in NORA. Really smart. High Rating, of course.”

“That’s none of your business.”

Yes. Definitely a boyfriend. “You just joined my team. You’re spying on our leader and poking through our things. I’d say it’s definitely my business.”

If she’d been pale before, now she went bright red. The rush of color to her cheeks only confirmed that something was up. I was definitely going to find out why she was here. I’d protect her, but I wouldn’t trust her.

If only she wasn’t so blasted nice to look at.

I stood and walked out, calling over my shoulder, “Keep the comb.”

13

I
waited exactly two minutes after Vance left before entering the training room. So much for being clever. Even if I could find the spy, how could I go to the empress without proof? If Vance already suspected me, my time alone would be limited from now on. I had to be more careful.

As I walked in, Poly tossed me something. I caught it in one hand and examined it. A nutrition pill, but twice the size of my regular ones. I wiped it clean as discreetly as I could, then popped it into my mouth. Seconds later, a fullness filled my stomach, but there was also something else. A sudden burning sensation.

“What the fates is in that pill?” I asked.

“Caffeine,” Neb said. “The capsule gives you constant energy for about four hours. We only get these ones right before a mission.”

“We have a mission? Like, this morning?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly our techbands vibrated as one. I flipped my screen. “EPIC Team: Report to chopper pad immediately.”

Chopper pad. That could only mean one thing—air travel. I swallowed, trying to keep my breathing under control.

I should’ve gotten more details from the empress before I agreed to this.

“Like, right now,” Neb replied with a wink. “Let’s go have some fun.”

><><><><><><><

The helicopter pad at the top of the Council Building was already buzzing with activity. Two shiny helicopters with four rotors on top of each caught the sun, their reflective armor so bright I had to shield my eyes. Obviously this mission wasn’t going for stealth.

A dozen tan-clad workers trotted around, loading them with equipment. The other EPIC members stood aside, already dripping with sweat. Was it hotter today, or was I already getting used to the cool underground bunker?

Probably the million stairs we had to climb to get up here
,
I realized. Thank the fates for my khel training, or I’d have given up by floor fifteen. I focused on my breathing and ignored the shiny death traps they called choppers.

Vance and Poly stood next to the pile of supplies, speaking with Major Murphy. The stoic man who’d brought me here seemed unusually animated about something, flailing his arms wildly as he talked. Occasionally Poly would ask a question. I wished I could overhear the conversation, but Vance had made his opinion on eavesdropping quite clear.

“Where’s Poly from?” I asked Neb, who had followed me to the rail.

“He doesn’t talk about it, but he’s a medic. At least he was. There’s a rumor that he couldn’t save a famous green’s baby, and they sent him here to punish him.” He grinned. “Just don’t ask him about his name.”

“Why?”

“He hates it. His real name is Palani, but Poly just stuck. At first he kept telling us that Poly means something in his father’s language, but he wouldn’t say what.” He turned and motioned toward the city. “Amazing, isn’t it?”

The view was incredible, I had to admit, despite my determination to stay far away from the edge. One tower poked out from the rest of the modern part of the city like a shiny, pointed finger. Lesser buildings clustered around it, although they were probably still hundreds of stories high, then flattened out like an outside circle, ending at the older district where we stood. It was beautiful. Which one was Dresden in right now?

“Let’s go,” Vance shouted. Poly was already climbing into the first chopper, and Vance gestured for his team to enter the second. I let my feet follow them and tried to think of something else, anything else. The floor of the aircraft just looked so . . . thin.

I was the last one. I glanced longingly at the doorway that led back downstairs. My mission was to catch a spy, not pretend like I belonged here. Maybe I could fake sick. My body was certainly shaking enough to make it believable.

“Does the princess need help getting in?” Vance asked.

I shot him a glare as I jumped inside. He grinned.

We weren’t even seated yet when the door closed and the noise started. A loud pulsing began from the chopper, and then the world became a whirlwind of sound. I held my breath, resisting the urge to scream and cover my ears, feeling a surge of adrenaline. My body seemed to feel the sound deep down inside, and the vibration spread through me like electricity, accentuating my wildly beating heart.

The rest of the team fastened themselves into their seats like they’d done this a million times. After fastening mine, I forced my hands down and gripped the seat front as if the thin floor would fall away at any moment. Neb watched me curiously from across the aisle. I just turned away and focused on a metal screw in the floor.

Daymond, seated to my right, handed me a headset. I nodded gratefully, although it was too wide and barely stayed on my ears. It muffled the sound a bit, but I also realized that it made communication possible over the noise.

“So, where we going this time?” Semias asked with a bored air. “Mopping up another botched military mission?”

“Get over yourself,” Daymond muttered, then he caught my eye and shook his head like an ever-patient parent. I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

Vance finished checking the gear fastened to one wall and plopped down into the last empty seat. “It’s another smuggling operation. Large group this time, so we’ll have to be alert.” His eyes flicked to me. “They found a smuggling hub in a Meridian warehouse. An informant says there’ll be a drop in a couple of hours.”

Everyone else nodded, and I sat up.
Meridian.
The closest military base to the border. It was famous for its skirmishes with outlanders. Konnor had gone there before, but with no less than three bodyguards. My fingers tingled from lack of circulation, so I unclasped them from the seat and tried to relax.

“A large group,” Ross mumbled, his voice so low I could barely hear it.

“Won’t be any different than catching three or four,” Vance said. “Formation is the same as always, but Treena goes with me. Semias and Day, stay together this time. That was a blasted close call last week.”

“Wasn’t my fault,” Semias grumbled. The safety belt puckered the fat under his uniform, making him look like an infant in an ill-fitting child seat.

“You wandered off to steal something and left my back exposed,” Daymond said. “The guy missed me by centimeters. How is that not your fault?”

“We’ll position—” Vance began, but just then the helicopter lurched, the noise rising in pitch. The windows on the right side filled with a view of the city. It was all so
small—
the streets, the bicyclists, everything. I tried not to imagine the door sliding open and sucking us out, the helpless feeling of falling, the horror of wind flying past.

I forced my breath out slowly and tried to focus on anything but the windows.

“Anyway,” he continued when the chopper steadied out, “we’ll position ourselves at the transport station and catch them in the act. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Why haven’t the monitors done it, then?” Ross muttered, voicing my own thoughts.

“They’ve tried,” Vance said. “Apparently the infiltration goes pretty deep. Either they’re rewiring cameras and scrambling communications or the smuggler network has spies embedded deep in Meridian’s security.”

“What about the empress’s new techband regulation?” I asked. “Why don’t they just zap those who aren’t where they’re supposed to be?”

Vance’s mouth twitched. “Zap?”

“Punishment mode. Whatever.”

He suddenly looked serious, a deep irritation crossing his features. “I don’t think
zap
is the best choice of words, Treena. The empress is essentially electrocuting her citizens. You probably don’t even know what getting zapped feels like.”

“Of course not. Why, do you?”

Daymond belted a laugh. “You know what? I like her.”

“What about us?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “Can we get za—I mean, trigger punishment mode? By being in the wrong place, I mean.”

“We’re exempt,” Neb said with a satisfied smile.

Vance sat back, a disturbed look on his face, but he didn’t say anything more.