"What if he got lost?" Addy bounces in place next to Luce outside the cafeteria doors.

　　I duck behind a pillar before they see me. With tutoring right before lunch, I thought it`d be easy to avoid the squad. Nothing happened during breakfast, but I`m not taking a chance that lunch will be the same. I`ll use my time to find provisions to store in my pod.

　　"He walked in a circle trying to find the banquet." Addy laughs.

　　That was only because she distracted me.

　　"Let him get lost." Luce grumbles. "I`m going in."

　　"We`ll set him straight tonight." Addy calls after Luce. "Then he`ll understand how it works around here. I can`t wait to . . ." The buzz of the lunch crowd and the clatter of plates muffle out the good parts.

　　Great. I knew the squad would come for me eventually. Their friendly act was too obvious. I was hoping being away from my region meant people would be different like Edna said and that the Elite`s would be more interested in their duty than me. I`ll let the squad have their fun tonight. Let them do whatever they have planned. Let them think they put me in my place.

　　Servers whiz by the cafeteria doors in a swirl of white. I pass the entry and follow the sounds of clanging pots and pans to a hidden narrow hallway with set of metal doors at the end. I crack open a door to peek in. Oversized industrial shelves with boxes and bulging burlap sacks are stocked high to the ceiling. Just beyond, the kitchen staff stand around metal counter tops chopping, mixing, and pouring.

　　The storage room is dark, but my eyes adjust to scan the shelves for nonperishables. The boxes of nutrient bars are in the far corner behind the grains and rice. This uniform may be more form fitting than I`m comfortable with, but the pockets running down my arms and legs are handy.

　　I make it back to my pod without running into anyone with my stash. At the academy, I made a hole in the wall behind my closet to keep my ratios safe. The only wall not connected to another pod is the one with the built-in desk and a crack in the wood would be hard to hide.

　　The pile of rations on my bed would fit nicely in one of the many empty cabinets lining the walls but easily found. I kneel by the dresser and open the bottom drawer and find a small catch on each side that lets pull it all the way out. There`s a big gap between the dresser drawer and the floor, a perfect spot.

　　I swallow the last bit of a chalky nutrient bar and check the time. I have about ten minutes to get to the mission room. A wave of calm comes over me as I walk down the dim lit aisle. I avoided the squad at lunch and can check rations off my to-do list. The empty halls are nice and the persistent push of my power eases up letting me enjoy the small moment of peace.

　　"Oren!"

　　The captain in face first in my chest and I jerk my body backward. Her honey scent scrapes my heart as the nightmare from the transport blasts through my mind. I take another big step back and straighten up to salute.

　　"Stop!" Her eyes are blazing green and she pinches the bridge of her nose.

　　"If you salute me one more time without other officers around, you will have latrine duty for the rest of your training."

　　"Well, if you didn`t always throw yourself at me maybe I`d remember that." Oh shit. I just said that. When she`s all fired up like this, she`s Nugget, not my commanding officer.

　　"Well, if you`d just do as your told, I wouldn`t have to be on your ass." She spits out before pressing her full lips into a thin line.

　　We stand there collecting ourselves. I`ve never been more grateful to be able to master my expressions, to appear unbothered but inside, I want to run.

　　"Why aren`t you at lunch with the squad." She demands in a quiet, even voice.

　　"I wasn`t hungry and thought it would be an effective use of time to learn my surroundings."

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　　Her eyes dart to either side of us before coming back to me. "You need to stay with the rest of the squad at all times. Stick to your assigned schedule. That means meal times too. Am I understood?"

　　"Yes, captain."

　　She sighs and walks past me to take the long hallway to the barracks. I`m rooted to my spot. First my powers are begging to be released, and then they abandon me when I need them. I look around the hallway trying to see what the captain was searching for but sense nothing.

　　***

　　Goggles are shoved into my chest the second I step into the mission room. Iva stands in front of me, neck bent over his wrist device. He looks up when I don`t move to take them from him. I stand in the entryway and blink at him slowly. I`m going to let them take their jabs at me tonight. But I`m not giving an inch for the rest of the day. His brown eyes look up and almost roll before he throws the goggles behind him. They land perfectly on the chair I sat in this morning.

　　"Captain`s orders." He says looking back at his device.

　　The large monitor in the table lights up and several screens flash in sync with Iva`s swipes. He stops and a holograph of the arena floor appears. Instead of the wide open space I sparred in this morning, it`s been transformed to look like the terrain in the Mist.

　　"You`ll be watching live combat training." He points to the holograph. "The arena simulates the terrain and conditions of the Mist. Live combat means we`re training with live weapons against multiple demon classes."

　　He gives me his full attention and his posture transforms before me as he runs through the arena conditions. I glue my eyes to him and notice I`m leaning in to hear every word. He has the presence of someone well past his years. A natural born leader. Add a bit more ambition and he could be dangerous.

　　"Our comms have tracking capabilities." He says pulling out a small bean shaped device from his ear. He shows me the green blinking light on one end before shoving it back in. "But the fog and demon abilities can interrupt the tracking."

　　Which is a good thing for me.

　　"So, you`ll need to wear goggles to watch our maneuvers through the observation window."

　　I reach into the side cargo pocket of my pants and pull out my modified goggles. Iva nods, his brown wavy hair falls over his eyes before he jerks his head to the side to whip it back.

　　"I use my own gear too." He hands me a small silver box.

　　I take it and slide the cover back to see a comm cradled in silver-colored foam. The comm is slick and heavy. I slide it into my right ear canal.

　　"Let`s sync yours and make sure it`s on the right frequency." Iva says.

　　"Comm on."

　　"Again." Iva taps his wrist screen a few times.

　　"Check." I say a little louder to be sure it registers this time.

　　"Good. Keep it in. We`re starting as soon as I get down there." He exits the mission room and I`m left alone, standing by the captain`s chair.

　　"Ten seconds captain." Iva`s voice sounds in my ear.

　　Six green blinking dots appear on the holograph clustered together at the arena entrance. There`s a line of red dots against the opposite wall. I pull my goggles over my head, pretend to turn them on, and push some energy out to my eyes. I walk to the observation window and exhale at the transformation before me. It`s like looking over the Mist from high up a tree.

　　The ground is uneven with patchy grass, tree roots, and stones scattered under a thick canopy of living trees. A shallow swirl of fog dances over the damp earth, growing thicker. There`s a fenced in area where the red dots are on the map. Electric blue flares in the window as I push more power into my sight. The red dots are the demons they`ll face.

　　The squad enters the arena. The fog is thick and rising. They spread out, each going their own way. Not the combat style I expected from such a tight unit. I`m excited to see what they can do, and what I`m up against. I`ve seen Kane in action, and Iva hints at hidden skills but I have no idea about the others. A sinking feeling settles in as I watch them move soundlessly with fluid grace and precision from years of advanced training.

　　Movement in the trees reveal Fletcher in the left center of the room climbing a support beam disguised with vines. His legs dangle freely, arms flexed, stretching his uniform tight as he climbs higher, using only his upper body strength. One long leg hooks over a crossbeam that runs across the ceiling above the trees. He gets on top of it, flat on his stomach, and slides forward. He`s snake-like as he glides across the top, stopping to perch over the center of the room.

　　While watching Fletcher`s impressive moves, I lost sight of Kane. He`s the one I want to focus on most. I want to find out how he camouflages so easily. I turn back to the blinking lights on the holograph, but I can`t tell who`s who and the trackers are fading out.

　　I scan the length of the arena through the observation window. The fog has risen up the trees now and if it wasn`t for the puffs of air randomly coming through my comm, I`d think the squad had left. The only one I can spot is Fletcher. And that`s because I had eyes on him when he took his position. I shake my hair forward to cover my eyes and push more power into my sight. I`m alone in the mission room, but I always assume I`m being monitored. Even with the extra enhancement, I still can`t distinguish their forms from the terrain. They are good.

　　"Three Blaze northeast quad, two Flicks center, and one Flyer on our six." Addy whispers through the comm.

　　She`s already located all the demons while the others were still moving into position. I find her settling in low behind a rock formation under Fletcher`s position. She crouches to a stop and stays so still she starts to blend in with the surroundings. I catch my reflection in the window and see a smile. My hand flies to cover my mouth.

　　"Set and loaded." Iva`s hush report calls next. I locate him settled behind a tree in the center across from Addy. He`s intent on his surroundings. I`m surprised his device is untouched. I`d wondered how he fights while looking down. There`s a faint shimmer in the trees all around Iva and Addy`s position. Something disturbs the fog, radiating up from the ground and rising about six feet in the air. The visible waves look like the air is super-heated. I focus my sight on the trees, looking for a Blaze, but there`s nothing there.

　　"On your ready, captain." I scan the area, for Kane, but it was Fletcher`s serious voice.

　　Addy is as still as the rock she hides behind, Fletcher is quiet and professional, and Iva is confident and focused. Watching them in combat reveals their opposing natures. I can`t wait to see what the others reveal about themselves. Especially the captain. I never expected to figure them out on the first day, but they`re going to be more slippery than I thought.

　　Luce comes into view holding a massive arm cannon. She takes up a position in the center clearing. Unapologetically out in the open, daring anything to come at her. Her red, bright hair hangs wildly behind her shoulders. She looks more approachable with her angry eyes behind goggles.

　　Still no sign of Kane. There`s movement along the outer edge of the trees converging near the far wall of the arena. And that`s when I see a herd of Blaze demons moving in to surround the captain.