Resistance (The Institute Series Book 2) (9 page)

“Are they loaded?” I ask. I’m scared I’ll shoot myself in the foot just by carrying this thing. I never had any weapons training at the Institute and I’m actually kind of glad of that fact. If I’m not using a weapon, the less chance there is of me hurting myself.

“Not yet. We’ll load them once we’re out there,” Mum replies.

Okay, good. At least I don’t have to worry about shooting myself until we’re outside.

“We use blanks for practice anyway, if you’re worried about hurting yourself,” she says, smirking at me.

How does she know me so well when she hasn’t been around me for so long?

Drew walks up next and also grabs one of the bigger guns, like Shilah. Licia follows my lead and selects a handgun. We walk back outside and over to the shooting range. There’s a large table at the back of the range. Mum sets the ammunition down and tells us to put our weapons on the table, too.

“There’s really only one rule, but it’s an important one,” Mum says. “If someone is in front of this table, no one is holding a weapon unless they’re in the field. Do you understand?” We all nod in response. “We may be shooting blanks, but they can still cause injuries, even fatalities at close range. It’s also best to practice safety at all times so it becomes a habit. We’ll only load one gun at a time and will empty the round before loading another. Shilah, you want to go first?”

Now that it’s time to actually use the gun, he has become nervous and I can’t help but giggle at him a little. Mum shows him how to load the weapon and how to aim and trigger it. She tells him to step back while she takes the first shot to demonstrate. Shilah walks over to where the rest of us are and watches intently. She stands at a forty-five degree angle, her left shoulder facing the target. She raises the gun, the butt resting in her right shoulder, her elbow is held high. She aims, breathes out and pulls the trigger. I’m expecting a bang but hardly any noise comes out at all.

“Silencers?” Drew asks.

“We
are
in the middle of nowhere, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We don’t want to be drawing any unnecessary attention to ourselves,” Mum replies. The target sways gently, she hit the dummy target right in the middle of the chest. Perfect shot.

Shilah steps up. Mum places the gun in his hand and again shows him how to hold and aim it. “Are you ready?” she asks him. He nods and takes his place at the line.

He lifts his elbow high, imitating Mum’s stance. I see him take a deep breath in and lower his head. He pulls the trigger. I look to the targets but can’t see where he has hit, I guess he missed. Licia points to the very left edge of one of the targets. There in the bottom corner, is the hole. He hit it, but only just.

I’ve been so distracted by trying to see where he hit, I didn’t notice Shilah holding his right shoulder with his left hand and the pained expression on his face.

“Are you okay?” I ask as I rush over to him.

“Sorry,” Mum says. “I forgot to mention the kick back.”

“Thanks,” Shilah says sarcastically.

“Does it hurt badly?” she asks.

He slowly lifts his arm and does slow circular motions with it. “Nah, it’s not too bad. I think it was just the shock from the jolt that got me.” He stands to take aim again. This time when he shoots, he barely flinches.

He has become a lot stronger than the boy I lived with six months ago. I’m sure if this happened then, he would’ve been complaining for days, avoiding his chores and being an all-round pain in the arse.

“Allira, you want a turn?” Mum asks after Shilah empties the clip in his gun.

“Uh … maybe Drew can go first,” I suggest.

Drew goes to join her. He picks up the gun he chose and puts his hand out for the ammo.

“Uh…” Mum hesitates.

Drew drops his head to the side. “Really? You think I’m going to turn it on you?” he asks lightly.

“Of course not,” Mum says, but her eyes tell a different story.

“That wouldn’t exactly end well for me, would it?”

Drew’s smart. He knows doing something stupid would only result in a lose/lose situation.

“Do you know how?” Mum relents, but not before a reassuring nod from Shilah – he must have caught a glimpse of what’s going to happen. Mum hands Drew a cartridge.

“Yeah, I know how.”

He takes the cartridge in his hand, and swiftly and effortlessly loads the gun. He steps up to the mark, aims, shoots, and then shoots again, repetitively until he’s out of bullets. I lose count around ten. He hits the target every time.

We all stand there, looking at him gobsmacked. “Institute trained me,” he says, shrugging it off like it’s not a big deal.

“Licia, you go,” I say. I know I’m procrastinating but I think the more I watch, the better chance I’ll have of not embarrassing myself when it’s my turn. Licia steps up to the mark and Mum starts showing her how to load the gun. Drew comes back and stands next to me. “That was pretty impressive,” I admit to him.

“You could’ve been that good, had you turned up for any of the training,” he says.

“What training?” I ask.

“After you became an agent. You spent every day of our last week at the Institute in the Crypt with that Tate guy.”

“But they never offered me any further training?” I say.

“Yes they did. Did you ever check your schedule? They weren’t mandatory classes so they never missed you, but they did offer you the opportunity.”

I try to think back to three months ago, right after I became an agent. I don’t remember seeing anything about further training, but I was also feeling sad and sorry for myself that Chad was gone and I didn’t know when I was going to see him again. I remember spending my mornings with Drew going over our case and my afternoons with Shilah or Tate. I guess if they really did offer them to me, I wouldn’t have taken them anyway.

“Right. Allira, you’re up. No getting out of it now,” Mum says, smiling. I didn’t even see Licia have her go, but by the added holes in the target, I can see she’s a natural at this.

I nervously make my way up to the marker. Mum passes me the handgun and shows me how to load it. My hands tremble but I don’t know if it’s from nerves or excitement. I assume nerves, but there is something exhilarating about holding such a powerful weapon. Exhilarating, scary, same thing right?

She takes the gun off me and shows me how to stand properly and the best way to aim. When she hands it back to me, she tells me to have a go. I turn sideways, holding the gun out with both hands. Lifting the gun to eye level, I look along the top of the gun to line it up with the target. Taking a deep breath in, I hold it while I squeeze the trigger. I was expecting a large kickback like Shilah had, but being a smaller gun and prepared for it, it barely made me flinch. I aim again and shoot. I keep going until I’m out of ammo.

Looking at the target, all of my bullets hit, but they’re not as precise as Drew’s. They’re pretty scattered considering I thought I was aiming at the same spot each time. I’m not disappointed, but I am competitive. I want another go.

“Okay. I’m going to go change over the targets to new ones,” Mum says. “Rule number one applies. Allira, place the gun on the table and step back.” I do as she says and she heads out into the range to change over the paper targets.

“Not bad,” Drew says. “For a beginner.”

We spend the next few hours shooting. My nerves left me after the second round, and now I just want more. We try each other’s guns and get a feel for the differences. I actually don’t mind shooting the rifle that Drew picked, and Shilah has gotten really good at shooting my handgun. While none of us are as good as Drew, you can tell we all want to be. All four of us are getting competitive and I think it’s the most fun I’ve had in a really long time.

There have been moments of fun between Drew and me while we were on assignment; the running, the mucking around trying to beat one another. Most meetings with Chad were good too; our continued training, the moments I did actually beat him and caught him off guard when we sparred. It didn’t happen often, but they were fun when they did. But those moments were nothing like this one.

A woman’s voice interrupts us from behind. I know it’s Aunt Kenna without even having to turn around. “Geez Seph, getting them trained up already? They haven’t even been here a full day yet!”

As I turn, the bright afternoon sunlight shines on her long mahogany hair, giving her an angelic like glow. My feet propel me forward, running to her.

Even though I was livid for her betraying me like she did, I’ve never stopped admiring her. She’s Defective and yet she risks getting caught every single day when she goes in to work for the Institute. That’s the type of bravery I didn’t know existed.

Any time I doubted myself while working for the Institute, I thought of Kenna and what she’s doing for the cause.

All of the anger I had for her keeping secrets is gone with the simple action of an embrace. I don’t know if it’s because I’m truly free now, or if it’s because I’m finally here, but holding on to my anger just seems like it’s not worth it anymore. She was there for me when my mother wasn’t. It’d be impossible to hold a grudge against her.

“What are you doing here?” I ask excitedly.

“I came as soon as my shift ended,” she replies while moving away from me to hug Shilah. “I have to go back tonight, but I had medical supplies to come drop off and I just couldn’t resist seeing this for myself.”

“Well we best get in some quality family time while you’re here,” Mum says.

Cyrus arrives just as we’re about to leave.

“Do you mind putting the weapons back in lock up?” Mum asks him.

“No worries,” he says as he starts packing up the shooting range. We start back towards the car, but I pause when I see what’s to the right of us.

The obstacle course and shooting range seem pretty standard for a training arena. What I wasn’t expecting to see was an actual arena. It’s large, about the size of a football field. Cement barricades are placed randomly throughout and are of different heights and shapes.

“What is this used for?” I ask. I can see by the look on the others’ faces that they have no idea either. I look to Mum for an answer but it’s a voice behind us that answers.

“War games,” Cyrus says with glee.

Chapter Seven

After spending the night back in the Welcoming House with Aunt Kenna, I’m awoken by a stomach full of nerves and excitement. Cyrus has called for a match of these so called ‘war games’, which Chad assures me is just a scary name for what’s essentially just more training.

It’s just going to be a friendly match today – just for us newbies – but Cyrus made it clear that these matches are very popular with the residents and always draw a crowd. Most of the council members will be there and they’ll be very interested in seeing what we can do.

Aunt Kenna left just after dinner last night and informed us that she doesn’t know when she will be able to come back. She finished her shift before word spread of our escape so she doesn’t know how much the Institute knows and what they’re going to do to rectify the situation. With four agents now missing – three of whom disappeared just the other night – she fears the place might go into lockdown. She told us not to expect to see her or Paxton anytime soon. So we hugged her tight and said our goodbyes, knowing that we would see her again, someday.

I walk out to the living area where Mum and Dad are both in the old military uniforms again. They’re pottering around in the kitchen as Shilah and Drew get started on breakfast at the dining table. Joining them, I scoop a big pile of eggs and green beans on my plate.

“So what time do the games start?” Dad asks. “I was hoping to catch a glimpse of what you two can really do,” he says with a hint of pride.

“We should head down after breakfast,” Mum says. “So eat up, quickly.”

I don’t know how I’m going to go today. I’m coming down from a long, drawn out coffee addiction, resulting in a fierce headache this morning.

“I don’t suppose we have any pain killers here?” I ask.

“Are you okay?” Dad asks concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a headache.”

“The fresh air will do you good,” Mum says.

She hasn’t actually answered my question and I suspect that there are in fact pills here, but she just does not want to waste them on a headache.

“It’s the caffeine withdrawal,” Drew points out. “You should drink some tea, it has caffeine in it.”

“Right now, I’ll give anything a try,” I say, holding the right side of my head.

Mum hands me a cup of tea, and I slowly sip. I tell myself to try and stomach some food. The thought of eating makes me want to puke, but as soon as the food touches my lips, I can’t get enough.

We finish breakfast and make our way by car down to the Fields, but not before I grab a bag of my clothes to take with us, seeing as I will be staying down there from now on.

Cyrus was right about the games bringing in a crowd. When we arrive, there are people everywhere. They all crowd around the arena and I quickly count at least fifty people just on this side.
How many people actually live out here?
I also don’t see anyone who looks to be over the age of fifty. Everyone is young, there’s a few thirty to forty-year olds, but mostly people in their teens and twenties, I’m guessing.

“Shouldn’t everyone be working?” I ask Mum.

“We’re pretty lenient when it comes to watching the games. It’s really the only source of entertainment around here and we don’t get to play very often.”

We make our way down to the arena and like magic, the crowd parts for us, making a clear line to the entry way. I feel the stares, but they’re not ones of judgment. They’re stares of excitement and anticipation.

We make it into the arena where Chad, Cyrus, and Licia already await. Staring at Chad in his jeans and tight fitting t-shirt, his arrogant smirk plastered on his face, I have to resist the urge to rush over to him and throw myself at him publicly and ferociously like he did to me yesterday in the cafeteria. I didn’t see him at all last night. I haven’t seen him since that kiss and I can’t get it out of my mind.

“We should have an interesting game today!” Cyrus says with a big voice, addressing everyone in the crowd. Cheers and screams holler from everyone around us and the nerves kick up a notch while a smile spreads across my face. “I’ve asked Chad here to captain the other team, but seeing as I’m on the council, I will pick first.” For a moment, I get excited at the thought of being on the same team as Chad – we work well together, we could probably win. But my excitement is dashed when Cyrus speaks his next words. “My first pick is Allira.” I feel my face drop in disappointment, but the screams and whistles from the crowd perk me back up as I go stand with Cyrus. My hopes of possibly winning this are fading fast. I certainly don’t want to be against Chad, I know how good he is at this type of thing.

“I pick Shilah,” Chad says confidently with a smile on his face.

“Interesting,” Cyrus responds. “I guess I will take Licia. I’m sure the three of us could handle the boys. Don’t you think, girls?” Licia nods excitedly as she comes to join me next to Cyrus. Chad rolls his eyes and sighs as Drew joins them. “Only one rule applies,” Cyrus yells. “You can use your ability to help you through, but you cannot use your ability to harm others. Okay, to our corners!”

The two teams head to opposite ends of the field. The game is quite simple from what we’ve been told. The object of the game is to get to the other side of the field, without being caught.

We get to our corner and Cyrus throws me a vest and a gun. I jump out of the way of the flying handgun and it hits the ground.
What the hell?
So much for all the gun safety crap Mum was going on about yesterday.

Cyrus laughs. “It’s not a real gun,” he explains, picking up his own and shooting a round into one of the cement barricades. The ‘bullet’ explodes into a blob of coloured paint, sticking to the wall.

“Oh,” I say in amazement. I hadn’t noticed the small dots of paint all over the arena until now. They’re obviously there, and they’re bright, but it’s one of those things you don’t notice until it’s pointed out. Now I can’t focus on anything other than the fluro coloured splotches everywhere. I pick up the gun and put on my vest.

“What are the vests for?” Licia asks.

“They may not be real guns, but they still sting like a bitch when the pellets hit you. It just prevents bruising,” Cyrus explains. He hands us each a pair of protective sunglasses, which makes everything glow with an orange tinge in my vision, and then we’re geared up, ready to go.

“So do you have a plan?” I ask Cyrus before we take to the field.

“Yes. Get to the other side,” he says with a laugh.

“No strategies, teamwork, or former successful plays to go by?” I ask.

“If this was the annual comp, I’d suggest we come up with a plan, but today is really just for show,” he replies with a shrug.

The nerves kick into overdrive as we wait for a bell to ring, indicating the game has begun. We all take our places behind barricades, me on the outer edge facing the crowd, Cyrus in the middle, and Licia on the far side of the arena. The crowd is still cheering and going nuts, I barely hear the bell ring signalling the start. We have thirty minutes to make it to the other side without getting shot.

I look down at my gun and shoot a paint pellet at the wall opposite me to check what it’s like to shoot it. There’s no kickback after pulling the trigger, and it doesn’t feel like any of the guns I shot yesterday. It feels light and not at all like a real gun, more like a toy gun … which I guess makes sense when I realise, that’s exactly what it is.
Duh.

I creep to the edge of my barricade and peek around the corner. Chad has already gained a lot of ground. Cyrus has moved too. Cyrus shoots at Chad but Chad’s force field ability protects him from the impact. It’s going to be impossible to get him out. I can’t see Licia or the two others anywhere.

Looking around the arena, I make sure I have a clear path to the next wall. Taking in a deep breath, I make a run for it, diving behind the wall and keeping low, squatting to cover myself. The crowd gives me a whistle and a shout of encouragement. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Because I’m the one on the outer side, I’m the only one the audience can see. So their encouragement – while appreciated – is giving me away. The others will know whenever I make a move. I hear them shout again and that’s when I realise that there’s another person on the other team who would’ve started on this side of the barricades as well. I know it’s not Chad so it has to be either Drew or Shilah.

I take in another breath and peer over the barricade. Drew’s head is sticking out, all the way on the other side of the arena. He shoots at Cyrus who deflects the pellet with his telekinesis. I lift my gun and aim it at Drew, while still squatting behind the barricade. The only part of me that is exposed is my head and my arms. I double check my aim, and fire, but Drew ducks at the last second and I miss him.

“Damn it,” I say as I duck back down.

I hear footsteps running towards where I am. I can’t tell where they are coming from, but they are coming fast. Panicking, I make a run for the next barricade. It’s tall and could conceal me better. When I reach it, I see that it’s Chad who is running my way. I stand poised, ready to shoot.

He sees me too and slows down, but doesn’t lower his gun. We both refuse to shoot.

“Just let me pass,” he says smiling. “You don’t need to get shot.”

Raising my eyebrow at him, “You want a free pass?” I ask, smirking.

“We can both have one,” he negotiates.

I think about it for a second. “Okay,” I respond. He goes to move but I don’t lower my gun, “But,” I add, “You have to pay the toll first.”

“What’s that?” he says with wry smile.

“A kiss,” I answer him. The crowd standing closest to us, hearing our negotiation tactics, wolf whistle and cheer.

He takes a step forward. “Done,” he says. “Now lower your gun.”

“You lower yours.” Over Chad’s shoulder, I see Shilah’s head pop up from one of the outer barricades near the fence line, nearest to the audience. He’s low to the ground and an easy shot. “Duck,” I say to Chad and he moves out of the way. I quickly aim my gun and shoot, but miss him too. I’m not doing too well with aiming this gun. I’m quick to aim it back at Chad after Shilah ducks back down.

“Count of three?” he asks.

“One ...” I say.

“Two …”

“Three …” we say in unison and lower our guns.

We close the small gap between us. Placing my left hand around his neck as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me in close, I touch my lips to his and the crowd goes wild.

I pull the trigger with my right hand. A paint pellet explodes on Chad’s leg.

“Shit,” Chad swears, breaking away from my lips. He drops his gun, putting both of his hands up in the air, yelling, “I’m out.”

I see Cyrus lift his head from closer to our target and smile. “Wow. She’s a sneaky one,” he laughs at Chad. I don’t know if he saw what happened or if I’m sneaky because I took out a key player. Drew appears on the other side of the field, one barricade away from Cyrus. He plants a paint pellet into Cyrus’s arm. “Damn it! I’m out.”

I look over to see Drew aiming at me and quickly duck back behind the cement barricade. The sound of the paint pellet exploding on the other side of me makes me flinch. Quickly looking around, Drew has retreated again and can’t be seen. The coast is clear for me to run to the next one. I’m making up ground but I still don’t know where Shilah or Licia are. Or if Drew has moved.

I miss where Drew pops up and hits Licia, but the next thing I hear is Cyrus say, “Licia’s been hit. She’s … oh wait! No she hasn’t! It was her projected state. She’s on the outside, making a break for it! She’s—” and that’s when I see Shilah pop his head up two barricades away from me. He lifts his gun and fires at Licia, hitting her in the chest.

“I’m out,” she yells, surrendering. I have to get to the other side now, I’m the only one left on our team.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Drew making a run for it. I quickly turn, aim and shoot, and just keep shooting. One of the pellets gets his leg and I jump up in excitement, then I remember Shilah is still out there and quickly hit the ground.

“I’m out,” Drew says.

“And then there were two,” Cyrus’s voice booms through the air. “Brother against sister, Daniels against Daniels,” he says entertaining the crowd with his banter.

Breathing deep and heavy, I peek around the corner but I can’t see anything. I have no idea where he is. What do I do? Do I rush it, or do I tactfully try to make my way to the middle and outrun him?

It’s all in or nothing.
I run. No, I try to run but a foot comes out of nowhere, tripping me, making me face plant into the ground and my gun go flying. Shilah was waiting on the opposite side of my barricade. Quickly rolling on my back, I lift my foot and kick his gun out of his hand. Now it’s an even playing field.

I flip myself up to my feet. This is going to be a long stand-off. Whatever move I make, he will see before it happens. What he doesn’t know is I can do the same. I shake my head at myself. Why have I only just realised that I could’ve been borrowing his ability this whole time? I can borrow Chad’s for that matter, although that might be a little obvious and I don’t need every member of the Resistance finding out about my double ability right now. As tempting as it is, I remind myself it’s just a game and not worth exposing myself.