Star Runners (12 page)

Austin shuddered at the thought of leaving the school after putting in so much time. He glanced at Skylar's soft hand on the table. She remained fixated on Nubern, her eyes wide with concern.

"You may ask what this is all leading to? The first semester for all Tizona students ends in something we like to call the Gauntlet." Nubern's eyebrows raised. "The Gauntlet is a pure test of your mettle, of what you can endure. It will test your physical prowess as well as your mind. It is the ultimate accomplishment of your enrollment at Tizona. Fail this, and you will be sent home."

The students inhaled. Connor King leaned over to Jimmy Whitmore who sat at the same table. "This is stupid," he whispered.

"Is it now?" Nubern boomed and squared off in front of Connor's table. He leaned down as he pushed his fists into the table, an icy resolve in his face. "Is it really stupid to challenge yourself? Is it really?"

Connor lowered his head, staring at the table like a scolded child.

Nubern held his glare at Connor for a moment before addressing the students as a whole. "All of this news does not come without some added benefits. If you will all follow us, we will escort you to the new rec facilities."

*****

The students marched along gravel path in front of the Terminus building, their feet crunching gravel in the silent afternoon. The bright blue sky shined. Austin rubbed his shoulder against Skylar's several times as they walked at the front of the line in silence.

Nubern led the line of students while Sharkey remained at the rear. With all the students wearing the same uniform and marching in unison, Austin felt like a prisoner being escorted to clean up a highway. Two guards stood at the front door of the Terminus building as the line of students filed past.

"Are we still having our afternoon classes?" a student asked at the back of the line.

"For the most part, yes," Sharkey answered. "This will only take a few moments."

Nubern led the students around Terminus and continued toward the PT facilities. Up ahead, standing at the edge of the tree line, was the small building Austin had always wondered about. He and Skylar had discussed its purpose weeks ago and had come to the conclusion it was for the groundskeepers. He reached out and touched Skylar's hand with his index finger. She glanced at Austin and followed his gaze.

Standing at the front of the one-story building with his hand on the rusted metal door, Nubern turned around and took in the entire group. "I know some of what I said may sound like it will be difficult and it certainly will be, but there are perks to this program. I want you all to enter this building with an open mind. Continue down the stairs and line up against the wall to your right when you reach the bottom. Understood?"

Nubern pulled back the metal door. A musty smell like a damp basement drifted out of the building. The student line inched forward. Austin took one look at the bright sunlight before he descended down the first steps Light bulbs hung above the rickety wooden staircase. Water dripped. Austin reached out and slid his fingers across the damp rock, covered in moss.

When they reached the bottom, they filed to the right as ordered. Cables thick as baseball bats crossed the cement flooring. Circular shapes as tall as a person and as wide as a compact car loomed in the darkness. The stale air felt cooler than above. The students stood shoulders touching with their backs against the wall. Skylar reached out and grabbed Austin's hand. Embarrassed by the sweat on his palm, Austin loosened his grip. Her hand trembled. Austin swallowed, his pulse pounding in his ears.

"Alright, that's everyone!" Nubern announced, his voice echoing. "I said there would be some perks and this is it!"

Austin frowned. A forgotten, abandoned wine cellar smelling of mold and rot was not a "perk" in his mind.

"Chief Sharkey, hit the lights."

One by one, lights flickered and popped to life, illuminating the area. Light bulbs hung several feet from the ceiling like a speakeasy. The lighting revealed a slender room fifty yards long with several black pods large enough for a person. The pods sat side-by-side for the length of the room.

"There are twenty-two simulators in this room, one for each of you," Nubern said. He approached the nearest pod. "This rec room is now mandatory for all students to avoid having a mental breakdown. Recreation is a crucial aspect of your schooling. We have seen it time and time again where students burn out. Some of your classmates have already succumbed to the pressure. This room was created to combat that outcome."

He pressed a circular button on the nearest pod. With a hissing sound, the pod door slid upward and revealed one black seat. "All of you here have logged time on a certain online computer game called
Star Runners
, yes?"

The pressure on his chest eased.

"Well, these pods are linked simulators where you and your classmates may participate in various events and competitions in the game. Think of it as a massive LAN party for your amusement." Nubern gestured toward Austin. "I believe you are the best here, Austin, or should I say Rock."

Skylar spun around, her mouth gaping open. "You're Rock?”

Austin nodded. His feet dragged forward as all eyes in the room turned toward him. The other students nodded as he passed by, some whispering. He stepped in front of the pod and looked at Nubern. "What do I do?"

"Just sit and the computer will run you through the startup sequence. It should be similar to the game you've played online. These games are not online, but are just played here on campus. We will keep the statistics so you guys can see who the best in the class will be at the end of the semester. The class will be able to watch on the main monitors out here." He turned to address the students. "This recreation time will now be mandatory, at least one hour each day. Should you arrive and a game is in progress, watch the monitors and wait for the conclusion of the current match."

Austin slipped into the simulation pod as Nubern spoke. The comfortable seat boasted a safety harness. He pulled the pod door down. Three large screens, one in the front and the others on either side, surrounded him. Green and red lights blinked as the pod restarted. A stick rose from the floor. He placed his hand on it and allowed his fingers to rest on the trigger. It felt more solid than his joystick at home, even better than the expensive joystick Josh had given his last Christmas. As the lights finished blinking and his eyes adjusted, the cockpit came into view.

Austin inhaled.

Rather than utilizing a keyboard to activate the functions of the Trident fighter, this simulation had buttons and switches for each function. Laser guns, missiles, shields – all functions had a button on the cockpit or a switch on either side. A throttle was on his right. Rather than hit a function key to look left or right, he would simply look the direction he wanted to see. It was like being in a real Trident.

"Unbelievable," he breathed.

It amazed Austin to think the school would go to such lengths to ensure they had their recreational time. After twelve weeks of no nonsense education, they add a rec room like this.

The three screens wavered and revealed the inside of a star port. Other parked Trident fighters lined up on either side of him. Straight ahead, a brilliant star field called to him. These screens had a higher resolution than his computer back home and Stetson's laptop.

"Welcome, Star Runner," a female voice announced. "Please put on your headset."

Grinning, Austin looked at the black headset on the front console. He slipped it on, pulling the mouth piece closer to his lips.

"Welcome to your simulation," the voice continued in his ear piece. "For today's exercise, we will be taking on a pair of Tyral Pirates attempting to attack Legion freighters leaving Tarton's Junction, an important space port within Legion space. Throttle forward when ready."

Austin adjusted the headset and rested his hand on the throttle. He had flown a Trident on the computer, but this felt real. He shook his head.

"Rock? This is Nubern. We are all waiting for you out here."

"Yes, sir. Just getting my bearings."

He eased forward on the throttle. His seat rumbled as his fighter moved past the other craft and out into space. The star field surrounded his view. The space wavered as his curvature drive opened the bend in space. A circular screen above the stick showed his current sensor readout rather than it being on the HUD like he was accustomed to seeing. That would take some getting used to, but all other systems seemed to be in place. He squinted as he searched for weapons select. Two red buttons glowed at his fingertips just beyond the throttle control. He selected his missiles with his right hand. Rather than searching for buttons on a keyboard, he could work more with his hands for quicker reactions.

After he passed through the curve, three red dots emerged on his radar. Austin turned the Trident to bear down on the pirates, still amazed at how the star field adjusted to his movement. He glanced left and right, watching as space debris shot past the window. They should post these simulations in malls across the county.

"Enemy fighters on the scanner," the female voice cooed in his headset.

"Got it," Austin said.

The crosshairs blinked yellow as the fighters came into range. When they changed to a searing red, he squeezed the trigger. The seat rumbled as the missile left his fighter and shot toward its target. A moment later, a bright explosion flickered in the distance.

One less pirate.

The other two split off in different directions. Austin veered right, attempting to stay on the closest fighter. He rolled in an effort to keep the enemy in front of him. He yanked back on the throttle to slow his movement. The pirate fighter filled his crosshairs and Austin fired again, not waiting for a lock.

Miss.

He looked down and found the button for laser guns. When he looked back to the screen, the enemy had vanished.

The pod's seat rumbled and the lights on the dashboard flickered as took fire from the rear. Both pirate fighters had worked their way behind him. Austin yanked left, then right, then pulled back into a loop. Warning bells sounded and the lights in his cockpit glowed a blood red. His fighter wouldn't take much more of this.

He killed the engines and powered his reverse thrusters at full. His Trident slowed. The two pirates shot into his forward view.

Austin pulled the trigger. His stick vibrated as the laser guns fired red bolts into the closest pirate fighter. Sparks flew from the enemy craft before it disintegrated into a fiery wreck. It didn't take long before the other enemy fighter met the same fate.

"This introductory exercise has been completed," the female voice announced. "Well done, Star Runner.”

"Nice job, Rock," Nubern said into Austin's headset. "Nice job."

The pod door opened and Austin took off his headset. Nubern stood with his arms crossed. The students all pressed for a better look at the cockpit.

"How was it?" Skylar asked.

"Amazing," Austin said, his eyes back on the cockpit. "Absolutely amazing."

*****

During his afternoon classes, Austin could not shake the simulation pod from his mind. It had been so real. His reactions were slower as he had to find the correct buttons in the cockpit, but he wanted to get better. He felt drawn to the rec room in a way he had not felt since the days he and Josh first started playing
Star Runners
.

And then there was the reaction of the other students.

All the twenty-two remaining students had reacted in surprise at his online ID Nubern had announced, as if they had all heard it before. Skylar's shocked face etched in his mind; her wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. She had gazed at him with such respect and awe as if she had never seen him before. Was it possible they were all gamers? No, that couldn't be it. The recreation room smelled of mold as if it had been there a long time. Perhaps the simulation pods were new?

He shook his head. He had other things to worry about at the moment.

His final class of the day ended and the students filed out of the Terminus Building to the Grand Lawn. Chief Sharkey stood in front of five guards, hands clasped behind his back. In front of each guard sat a wooden stool like it had been pulled out of a bar.

"Nubern advised all of you new hair regulations would be enforced starting tomorrow." He turned and gestured toward the five guards. "I want all you men to form five lines. The women will report immediately to the chow hall."

The male students grumbled into line while the women walked toward the mess hall. The haircuts didn't take long. The guards buzzed the student's hair with battery powered clippers. The five clippers buzzing reminded Austin of a bee hive. Huge clumps of hair fell off into the grass, the wind taking it away.

When it was Austin's turn, he sat and allowed the guard to do his work. This didn't bother him as his hair was already short. However, some of the guys complained and walked away feeling their newly exposed scalps. Austin slid his right hand over his head, felt the remaining prickly hairs. The guard motioned for him to leave and the next guy sat down.

Following the haircuts, Sharkey took the students to the PT field.

"Now it's time for your first class in survival training," he announced, placing his hands behind his back. "This will be a mandatory additional class at the end of each day for the next three weeks. Now pay attention! Don't screw around with this class. Some of what you learn might save your life."