Chapter Text
Introducing: (in order of appearance)
XC15 – Wave – David Jon Long (USA)
XC11 – Manticore – Monica Taylor (UK)
XC16 – Demoiselle – Nicolette Sans Souci (Canada)
XC14 – Halcyon – Helene Sikelianos (Greece)
XC24 – Neomancer – Seth Malone (Australia)
XC22 – Akula – Mikhail Ustinov (Russia)
XC23 – Rusalka – Natalya Ustinova (Russia)
The young man stood facing a massive steel door and glared as if the force of his displeasure could open it. The door was not impressed. It stubbornly remained closed and kept the contents of the room sealed away from sight and succor. As for the room, it kept its own counsel on whether it was a soon-to-be empty tomb or a Pandora’s Box.
The youth stood at parade rest, hands clasped behind his back, and tapped the back of his left hand with his right index finger. Most people would have written the movement off as a nervous tic, but for this unusually disciplined young man it was the equivalent of frenzied pacing. He stood ramrod straight with his sea-blue eyes fixed on the door. His only movements were the slight waving of his golden hair in the breeze from the ventilators and the relentless tapping of his finger, and the latter stopped when he caught himself doing it. By the time the trio of girls came around the corner he was as still as a statue of Adonis.
The girls wore deep blue uniforms with UN logos just like the one on their male counterpart, but otherwise they contrasted sharply with each other. The one on the right was dark brown with auburn hair and catlike eyes. The one on the left was a moon-pale strawberry blond. The middle girl was brown-haired and olive-skinned, and her demeanor marked her as the leader of the little band. She smiled warmly at the youth while her dark compatriot favored him with a professional nod. The blond flashed a grin that could sell toothpaste anywhere and said, “‘Allo, Dah-veed,” in a passable attempt at sultriness. The darker girl rolled her eyes at the obvious flirting, but the young man didn’t seem to notice.
“Hi, Nikki,” the boy said to the blond girl. He returned the nod with a brisk, “Monica,” and turned to the ringleader. “Helene. What brings you ladies here?”
“The same thing that brings you,” said Helene. “We wanted to see how the new kids are handling their latest training exercise.”
“It’s not an exercise,” David replied, “They’re qualifying.”
Monica’s eyebrows shot skyward, and the other girls’ faces flashed alarm. “Non! C’est vrai?” Nikki said.
“They were scheduled this morning,” David confirmed.
“So soon,” said Helene, “They only arrived eight weeks ago. Surely they’re not ready?”
“The Chinese girl isn’t,” said Monica, “She always smells scared.”
“You were still scared two months after your parents died,” Nikki countered, “We all were.”
Monica opened her mouth to utter a retort, but Helene cut her off. “Nicolette and Monica, be nice.” To David she said, “What do you think?”
The blond youth thought for a moment before giving his answer. “Seth should be all right. He kids around too much, but he really does know his stuff… and it’s a safe bet none of the mechanical hazards will get him. Mikhail is tough – almost as tough as John – but hasn’t had active powers long enough to get overconfident. That’ll keep him in the game. Natalya is hard to hurt unless she gets caught by surprise, but she spends so much time watching out for her brother that she forgets to protect herself. That’s a potential problem.”
Helene frowned at David’s omission. “And Meixing?”
He shrugged. “It might not be nice, but Monica’s right. She’s the weak link. She can’t use her powers if she’s too scared to concentrate.”
Nikki, as always, tried to stay positive. “She’ll be okay. Mikhail and Seth will protect her, yes?”
“They’ll try,” said David, “But at the first sign of trouble, Mikhail will focus on protecting his sister. That leaves Seth to watch over Meixing, and she won’t let him near her.”
Monica snorted disdainfully. “His own fault for letting her catch him looking at her like that.”
David let out a sigh of exasperation. “And how are you supposed to keep a telepath from knowing you’re checking out her butt?”
“Calm down, children,” said Helene, “Remember, we’re all on the same…” A klaxon interrupted the well-earned scolding. The four teens retreated to the wall with the speed of trained reflex as a team of medics rushed up the corridor.
The great door opened amid whooshes and metallic groans, and three younger teens dragged themselves into the hallway before the door was fully open. A short blond boy grinned back at the others, a raven-haired boy and girl who strongly resembled each other. The boy winced and leaned on his sister as he limped on a swollen ankle. The blond boy’s clothes were torn in multiple places, and purpling bruises or bloody lacerations showed through every gap. The girl seemed untouched until one noticed the haunted look in her eyes.
“My God, what did the trainers throw at them?” David asked.
“Is not so bad, Dah-veed,” said Nikki, “Only his ankle is twisted.”
“Mikhail is strong enough to throw a boxcar, and his skin can stop antitank rockets,” David replied, “Anything that could twist his ankle would’ve killed any of the others.”
The trio angled toward the waiting quartet and started across the hallway. The blond youngster said over his shoulder, “Told you I could get us past the ‘bots.” He deftly sidestepped as the medics rushed through the door.
“Da, but they all got shots at you,” Mikhail countered. He and his sister didn’t bother dodging. They just stopped and let the first responders flow around them.
“Totally worth it to impress your cute sister,” said Seth. Natalya smiled in response to the compliment, but she couldn’t hold it. “Whoa, tough crowd. Maybe our exotic Eastern flower will be more appreciative. What about it, Mei? Are you awed by my martial prowess?” He looked back and noticed an absence for the first time. “Mei?”
The young people looked back toward the open door. The medics soon returned carrying a stretcher. The assembled students couldn’t see the occupant, but the fact that the sheet was pulled over her face coupled with the smell of released bowels told them all that they needed to know about her condition.
“Oh,” Nikki breathed as her hands flew to her mouth. Helene shook her head sadly, and David’s face froze.
“Not bad,” said Monica, “Seventy-five percent.”
“It should’ve been one-hundred percent,” said David.
“So? Their training mentor should’ve…” Monica stopped in mid-sentence as Helene elbowed her in the gut.
David’s face fell. “You’re right. Their training mentor should’ve done a better job.” David moved to support Mikhail and gathered Natalya under his other arm. “Come on, let’s get you to the doc.” Seth fell into step beside Natalya, and the four of them followed the stretcher to the medical wing.