The Academy: Book 2 (44 page)

Wondering if Stridor was aware of his presence, Asa picked up a rock and
stared at the back of Stridor’s head.
I will only have one chance to knock him out, or kill him. If I miss, he will kill me and those icy blue eyes will be the last things that I’ll ever see.
Asa held his breath and took another step forward. He was preparing to charge from behind when an explosion of light and heat nearly knocked him backwards.

             
He was temporarily blinded with a flash that seemed as bright as the sun and when his vision returned, he saw that the Viper’s Home Base was completely aflame. The pterodactyls and pterosaur that had been resting on the roof were falling to the ground, charred and still burning. There had been a huge explosion, and Asa remembered what Roxanne had said about Bruce and Boom Boom trying to collapse the base.

             
I bet Boom Boom loved having something to blow up,
Asa thought, and smiled.

             
“Damn,” Stridor said, the flames reflected on his eyeballs. Forgetting Roxanne, he extracted his wings and took off into the air in great thrashes of his wings.

             
Asa smiled, watching him.
Boom Boom has destroyed their Home Base. They can’t turn our KEE in. I’m safe.

             
Stridor moved out over the water, high enough so that the leaping green fishes couldn’t bite him. With the pterodactyls and pterosaur dead and burning on the ground, he didn’t have to worry about flying too high.

             
Asa’s smile vanished as the flames calmed on the Vipor’s Home Base. He now saw that, while burning, it wasn’t destroyed. The majority of the structure remained intact and on the inside, multiple fire sprinklers were going off.

             
The blood drained from Asa’s face as he realized that Stridor could still turn in the Sharks’ KEE, redeem his 100 points, and electrocute Asa and the rest of his teammates to death. Asa leapt into the air, pumping his wings as fast as he could. In a moment, he was over the river, flying in the same trajectory as Stridor—they were moving directly towards the Home Base.

             
The two of them made their way across the water, and Asa looked down to see Bruce, sitting up, holding his bleeding head, and Boom Boom, lying on the lawn covered in soot. He was blinking, but slowly. The explosion had stunned them both.

             
During the flight, Stridor did not look behind him. He landed in the high room of his Home Base and began a confident jog over towards the glowing, floating orb where he could place the Sharks’ KEE. He saw that the Vipers KEE was still intact, and then slowed to a walk, thinking there was no reason to hurry.

             
When Asa landed on the tiled floor of the Viper’s Home Base, Stridor turned and smirked at him. The opponent’s smirk unnerved Asa:
It’s like he enjoys this kind of kill or be killed scenario. I’ve never seen Stridor look more alive than he does right now,
Asa thought. He contracted his wings and hurled the rock that he still held in his hand at Stridor. The projectile missed wide.

             
“Your aim isn’t as true as Roxanne’s,” Stridor observed. “Let’s see if I can hit one out of three,” and he aimed the rifle at Asa’s chest and pulled the trigger.

             
Nothing happened.

             
Stridor had forgotten to load his rifle back on the other side of the bank when the explosion occurred. Taking advantage of Stridor’s momentary surprise, Asa charged him. He tackled Stridor, who was much bigger than him, and pressed his face down onto the tile floor, which was scalding hot still. Stridor screamed, and bucked Asa off of him. Asa rolled over the hot floor and grabbed the KEE firmly in his hand.

             
Inside of the Home Base, it was as hot as an oven, but this did not concern either Stridor or Asa. They were locked in battle, mentally consumed with what was happening around them. Asa felt the KEE in his hand and looked around for inspiration. Much of the tiled floor was smoldering and uneven now. The glass windows were entirely gone, and Asa looked outside and saw the vast jungles and the fast moving river that housed the deadly green fish. Asa gasped, knowing what he should do.

As Stridor was standing up, Asa took two running steps and threw the KEE with as much strength as he could muster. It flipped, end over end, out the window,
over the flatland where Mike and Bruce were, and over the fast moving river. Just before it made contact with the water, a fat, green fish leapt from the surface and swallowed the metal object.

Asa smiled, and a relief washed over him that was so uplifting he wanted to weep with joy.
I’ve done it. Our KEE is gone. There is no chance that my suit will suddenly electrocute me. My team will find out what I’ve done and trust me again. And, I won’t have to die today.

             
Asa heard a click from behind him and knew that Stridor’s rifle was now loaded. He turned and Stridor kicked Asa heavily in the chest with the bottom of his foot. Asa was propelled backwards, arms flailing, until he landed in one of the flying chairs that the Vipers had flown in on. The chair had been burned in the fire and now it was only soot-stained hard metal.

             
Stridor’s eyes were as insanely cold and calculating as ever as he pressed the barrel of his rifle up under Asa’s chin, forcing his head back so that he was staring at the ceiling. Stridor kept the barrel planted firmly at the bottom of Asa’s jaw.

“That was smart. Very good move, throwing your KEE into the river.”

Asa was breathing roughly through his nose. The barrel was applying painful pressure to his skin and he was reminded of Harold Kensing.

“I’m still going to have to kill you though, because my KEE is still in play. I hope you understand, Asa. I liked you, and I don’t like many people.”

Asa gurgled, thinking,
this burnt ceiling is going to be the last thing that I see.

But instead of pulling the trigger, Stridor’s body seized with electric shock, and he hit the floor. A
static laced hologram came on in the middle of the room and called out, “Stridor Akardiavna, halt!”

It was Conway, and his mouth was open wide in a white-toothed smile. Sweat covered his brow and he looked out of breath, as though he had been watching what was happening with nervous anticipation.

“Do not shoot, Stridor! Asa’s teammate, Stan Nuby, has just returned the Dolphins KEE to their Home Base. He is no longer a threat. Let him go.”

Stridor nodded at the hologram. “Yes sir.” He put his rifle down.

“Strap yourself into one of the chairs, Asa, you’re going back to the mountains.” Conway was beaming.

“What?” Asa asked. He couldn’t wrap his head around what Conway was saying.

“Your teammate turned a KEE in. You’re out of the game, Palmer,” Stridor told him. There was the ghost of a smile on his eyes. “I won’t have to kill you now.”

“Oh,” Asa said shakily. “Good.”

As Asa was situating the seatbelts on his chair, Stridor stood and offered Asa his hand. “Good game.”

Asa shook it, making eye contact with Stridor’s blue eyes. “Good game.”

And then the floor broke away and the flying chair took Asa back to the Academy.

20

How Mama Sees It

             
When the flying chair landed in the basement beneath Town, Asa still couldn’t believe what had happened. As he unstrapped himself from the chair, Stan walked passed and growled, “you’re welcome, Piggy,” before spitting blood tinged sputum on the floor. Janice followed him, her long, lanky legs easily keeping stride with Stan’s short, muscular ones. Her lip was busted and bleeding, but considering what they had just survived, the two of them looked well.

             
The other Sharks began to arrive through the floor. Bruce and Mike Plode were covered in ash. Boom Boom’s eyebrows and eyelashes had been burned off and his pupils were contracted down to pinpoints. He stood slowly, stumbled, and then Bruce helped him limp off, saying something about a nurse. Viola and Lilly sprouted out of the floor next, looking exhausted. Then came Roxanne.

             
“Roxy!” Came a cry from the center of the room. Travis, Roxanne’s Multiplier boyfriend, rushed over to her, and fell to his knees examining her. “Roxy! Roxy, wake up!”

             
He held her face in between his two massive palms and she remained completely unconscious, blood still dripping from the gash Stridor had made in the side of her head. The Multiplier stood and turned on Asa, growling, “What’ve you done, you coward?”

             
Asa took a step back on wobbling knees and was thinking about running when Roxanne spoke.

             
“Stop.”

             
“Oh, Roxanne! Oh, God, I’m glad you’re okay!” Travis began to weep Salvaserum before unbuckling Roxanne and helping her to her feet. “Can I carry you? We’re going to the nurse.”

             
“I can walk.”

             
As they moved out the doorway and up the stairs, Roxanne turned and smiled at Asa with her lion eyes.

             
They were gone and a hand slid into Asa’s palm and squeezed. Jen stood beside him, filthy and smiling. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her towards him in an embrace. He buried his face in her hair and they held each other.

             
He hadn’t expected it, but he started to cry.

             
“C’mon,” she said, tugging at his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

             
Asa flew towards Mount Two, Jen dangling from his arms as they went. They landed on the shore at the base of the mountain, close to the Moat, and walked along the rocky bank as the water lapped and the surface and the sun—the real sun, not an artificial sun—began to sink behind the Finish Line Mountain. He couldn’t let go of her hand, and she didn’t make him. He felt frazzled, broken. Violent images played in his mind, and the nightmarish taste of human flesh came to his mouth.

             
“I don’t know why I cried,” he said.

             
“What is with you, Palmer?”

             
“What do you mean?”

             
“Oh! Don’t give me those wounded eyes,” she joked. “You’re too hard on yourself. You just went to hell and back. It’s normal to cry.”

             
“I guess, but you didn’t.”

             
She shrugged and smiled toothily at him. “I’m not very normal.”

             
No you’re not,
he thought, and squeezed her hand tighter.

             
They walked on a few more paces then stopped. Asa bent down, selected a stone, and slung it hard over the water, putting his pain and frustration into the throw. Asa counted twenty-five distinct skips, though it was hard to count them at the end, and then watched the different waves move out in circles across the Moat.

             
“Advantage number three thousand six hundred seven of super strength: Being able to skip stones better than any mere mortal,” she said, and they both started smiling and then broke out into laughter. Once the smile came to Asa’s face, a weight came off of him, and he couldn’t help it as he was overcome laughter.

             
“I’m tired,” he said.