I back away from the herd to track her position. Only a mess of fallen branches remain and the Flicks teleport out. The high frequency hum sounds louder over my head. No sign of the captain. I need higher ground. In the trees I can track what`s coming and locate her.

　　I remember to maneuver as if being watched, because I am. I make a show of running hard, dramatic swing of my arms and pumping my legs, to display enough momentum for a high jump. I launch into the air a few steps away from the tree trunk, and exaggerate a stretch to grab hold of a limb. I grip the limb with both hands and swing back and forth, then throw my legs up to get on top of it.

　　But I put too much power in my swing. I propel over the top too fast and now I`m air born. My arms shoot out to grab a limb and I`m halfway up the whole damn tree. Hopefully, the thick leaves and branches covered me.

　　"Captain come in, over."

　　No answer. Is she in trouble? Someone would`ve stopped the test if that was the case. Or, shit, the doors could be jammed like during my academy trial. I grab the branch above and continue upward. I`m closing in on the hum in the rafters but stop before I`m too close. I don`t know what type of demon is up here with me. My warrior marks glow steady ready to manifest my blades. I scan the area for the captain one more time before moving on. I need some distance from this unknown demon. I don`t have a lot of combat room in the tangle of branches if it attacks.

　　Two Flicks scout the arena blinking in and out. I push off the trunk and launch into the next tree, swinging from tree to tree to her last position. I jump to the ground and find her comm link underneath a scatter of broken branches. The Blaze herd chuffs and advances on me. I quickly switch on her traps. The circuit isn`t complete with mine still off but the glow from hers will keep them back so I can investigate the area.

　　I should`ve engaged my traps. But my only thought was to find her. I pick up the captain`s comm and listen for her heartbeat. It`s like a beacon to my abilities, I should lock on to it easy. But the hum from the unknown demon above drowns out everything else. I close my eyes to focus harder. The air crackles over my skin from the technology. And sulfur coming off the Blaze demons block her sweet scent. I wonder why back up isn`t here. The captain could be injured or worse.

　　"Iva, copy?" Nothing but silence.

　　Iva said sometimes the fog interferes. My head pounds with gnawing anxiety, and my senses are desperately stretched. I have to find her. The fog grows thicker the longer I stay still and wish for a way to use my powers in the open. Then it moves like a gentle wave rolling towards me, engulfing the area in complete coverage. The fog swirls before me as if called.

　　Now I can use my speed to move around the arena. I`ll stay inside the tree line for coverage from the observation window. It won`t help what they`ll see on the hologram from my tracker but it can`t be helped. The two Flick demons blink into view and block my path.

　　They never reveal themselves together. Flicks team up to disorient their prey. Blinking into existence to box you in or to herd you to your death. Yet here they stand, completely still, side by side. Their long arm-like appendages end in sharp talons that rest on the ground. But it`s their poisonous teeth that have all my attention.

　　Their lipless mouths hang open as if the rows of needle teeth keep them from closing. They rub shoulders in a slight rhythmic sway. Eerie, murky white eyes set on me. My powers don`t wait for what they might do next. My legs take off as fast as I decide to move. The same speed I found in the tunnel kicks in. With a burst of energy, I zip straight at them.

　　I`ve only taken off when I find myself past them. I spin around and meet the back of their heads moving up and down, left to right, in search of me. With a synchronized tilt of their heads, they turn to face me. Swaying back and forth as they study me. A bone shaking shiver runs down my limbs and jars me enough to summon my blades.

　　With the glow of my weapons, the Flicks snap out of their haze and blink out of sight. I turn in a circle, both blades raised on either side in a protective stance ready for their attack. I`m met with nothing but thick swirling fog. The swoop, swoop of trap nets fire behind me and Luce`s raspy voice calls, "All clear," through the comm.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

　　The fog retreats and I squeeze my eyes closed. My body is rigid and I`ve stopped breathing as I wrestle my powers back inside my chest before someone is too close. I disperse my blades when the crunch of boots and a familiar heartbeat draws close. The captain emerges from the trees before me, unharmed, followed by her team. I stand at attention. She doesn`t speak but I can feel her eyes move over me.

　　"At ease warrior."

　　"So which test did I pass and which did I fail?" I don`t hide the bite in my question.

　　I let my blank controlled gaze meet hers and place my hands behind my back, feet apart. I don`t hide the bite in my question. She set me up. Again. She said she wanted to see what I could do but I didn`t expect to be set up, lied to again like in the tunnels. All their talk before had me thinking. Thinking I`d found warriors that honored each other above duty. But the total abandon for my safety rages inside. What could`ve happened if any other warrior was left to face seven demons on their own? She has no respect for warrior lives, just like Centrum.

　　I clench my jaw and shift my eyes to stare at the trees behind her, offering the submission officer like, the submission from someone beneath them. Her pulse accelerates at my dismissal. She hates formality and being treated separately from her team.

　　"You don`t approve of our methods, warrior?" She nods to herself in my peripheral. Accepting my silence as my answer.

　　"Warrior Oren, every squad member since the beginning of the Elites formation has endured this final test. We observe skills, strategy, and reaction in a real, in-field scenario. This determines your specialty as well as qualifies you to be part of the Elite Squad."

　　She steps closer to me with only a few feet between us. Her breath is warm with a slight hint of coffee. I fist my hands tighter to keep control. She set me up with seven demons while she enjoyed her coffee.

　　"Unfortunately, your test was cut short. The technicians were unable to regulate the atmosphere. When the arena flooded with fog, your observation could not be completed. And once your tracker blinked off the map and reappeared over ten feet from where you`d been standing, we agreed there were too many tech issues to continue. Once, Luce and Iva infiltrated the closed testing area to contain the Flicks, we concluded the test."

　　Iva looks up from his wrist band and throws his wavy brown hair back with a flick of his head. He gives me a two-finger salute before giving his attention back to his tech.

　　I glance at Luce expecting the steely stare she saves for me. Instead, she`s head down, locked on the empty launcher in her hands. Her skin is flushed red. She doesn`t get embarrassed, so she`s pissed she had to come to my rescue.

　　"Congratulations, Warrior Oren, and welcome to the Elite Squad."

　　"I failed to secure the objective."

　　The captain grabs the tablet a tech offers her. "Every member of this squad understands that no objective is more important than the safety of the team, or their fellow warrior."

　　Her words echo in my head as the technicians cage the demons and start to disassemble the arena around us. I want to laugh but fear grips me tight at the reality of my situation. They have been telling me since day one. The Elite Squad is a team, they look out for each other and I never heard it, never let it sink in, never accepted it. Even with the tech issues it`s clear I abandoned the objective. Failing the mission to save a warrior was the only way to pass. I`m not going home.

　　"What was the seventh demon?" I ask to distract me from my fate and giving into the storm inside.

　　"Dude." Fletcher sidles up next to me to drop his arm around my shoulder. "We wouldn`t do that to you. The test is only ever with six demons. Four Blaze, the captain secures before she leaves the arena, and two Flicks."

　　But there was a seventh. One that threw off my senses. The captain stares at me, her stance rigid, jaw flexing.

　　"It`s only three targets if you think about it, since the herd always sticks together." Fletcher finishes.

　　I heighten my hearing to locate the high frequency of the seventh demon. Pushing Fletcher off, I turn around to scan the ceiling in case it`s still loose. Most of the trees are gone and the rafters are clear.

　　"Okay Elites," the captain grabs our attention, "while Oren`s test was cut short, we have enough data to determine a specialty."

　　"I failed to secure the herd. And had to be rescued." I try to argue. A last-ditch effort.

　　"The real test is your reaction when a mission goes wrong. Priority is never about the demons or the objective when we`re out in the field together." Kane steps in close.

　　"It`s always about your team, about making sure everyone comes home." Luce finishes with a determination in her eyes.

　　"You rushed in to save me."

　　Her flush deepens and she gives me a half nod. "You went after your squad first, like we knew you would. Like we all did."

　　"We`ll debrief in the mission room for lunch and declare your specialty." The captain turns to leave.

　　"Hell yeah!" Fletcher throws a light punch to my arm. "You`re officially one of us now man. We should initiate him again!"

　　"No," everyone says at once.

　　I shuffle behind the squad to exit the arena, every inch of me numb. I should have been able to sense she wasn`t in the arena. I could`ve played it differently; I could have failed if I`d known. Is suppressing my abilities causing them to go haywire? Maybe there wasn`t another demon. I turn back for another scan of the rafters. Dr. Quinn stands in front of the far wall. He stares straight up into the rafters to one of the large vent grates. It swings open, bent, hanging by one corner.