SENTINEL 555: WAR ✔

6 LUCK

All HQs had...pockets. That was the best way to describe them. Pockets of free space that could be inhabited for a limited amount of time. They received ten hours each week to train in each pocket. That wasn't much time, especially since it was per team, and not by individuals.

With some pockets, used for weight training and consequently weightlifting tests, occupied, Dev selected one small room for shooting.

It was a blank room, a fact that confused the boy. He spun around in all directions. "We lost? Lotsu says it's impossible to get lost in this place."

Lotsu, the friend who was late for evaluation. With how knowledgeable he seemed to be about the inner workings of the Volunteers, she half regretted getting this little guy and not the big strong one.

"We're not lost," she assured him. After detaching her matrix from her hip, she brought up the proper commands. A few taps of her security code had the walls to their right flipping over.

Black guns, black arrows, black granades. The boy gasped then laughed but Dev wondered if absolutely everything in this place would be black.

He rushed the wall, pulling her back to reality, and she ran to intercept him. "Whoa. These are all bare," she explained.

Though she waited for him to nod in understanding, he simply blinked at her.

A part of her groaned internally. He was useless.

"Bare. All weapons assigned to a Volunteer are encoded to that person. You cannot just pick up a Volunteer's sidearm without losing your own hand." She nodded to the wall. "Or bare ones." Their eyes met again and she teased, "What? Lotsu didn't 'say'?"

His face reddened and she regretted the misplaced joke.

"Well, show me what you know how to handle and I'll evaluate you."

The green eyes roved the wall.

"Go ahead and give me your name," Dev instructed. He said it and she had to pick her head up to make certain she wasn't hearing wrong. "What?"

He wouldn't repeat it.

"Sonini?" she asked. "What? That's what, three districts. Who gave you such a weird nickname?"

He bristled. "It's not a weird name."

"It's the axes point for three districts. Of course it's a weird name." She erased the entry and asked again, "Give me the real one."

With how rigid he stood, her brain finally caught up with her stupid mouth. It was his name. His real name. His information was purchased.

"Could..." Dev slowed in her speech then typed in the name then shortened it and tried to type it in again. Instead of Sonini, she entered, 'Oni.' Better one district than three.

"You can call me Oni," he offered, unaware of her preemptive nickname.

"Oh?" Dev played along. "Thank you. I'll just enter that in, shall I?"

But he didn't smile back despite her jovial tone.

"Don't feel bad," she insisted. "My dad's name was the joining of two districts, too." With one final tap, the weapons on the wall all flashed blue then fell dormant. "Here. You have access to all of them."

So—Oni made his way to the wall. "So...if I try to show my skill set here, will your evil cousin shoot me with one of these?"

Dev smiled in spite of herself. "We're here to prevent that."

"What's with him anyway?" Hands on his hips, he looked her way. "Or is this how Volunteer kids behave?"

That was a good question. And it was one she tried to answer for herself.