Project Infinity

16/17

Chapter Tris-teen

After the training session is over,I confront Evangeline.The images of the traumatised initiates are still swarming in my mind like an infection.No matter how hard I try,I cannot shake them from my mind."Why did you have to force them to take the pain serum?"I ask her when she's on her way to the instructors' lounge.She arches an eyebrow at me and gives me a puzzled look."They just came in.The instructors decided that we needed to train the initiates to be immune to pain,and therefore immune to our enemies."She presses her finger to the door and it reads her fingerprint before clicking open softly.She goes in and turns to give me a condescending look."After all,don't you think the Ascendancy needs to be put in place,unless you think otherwise?If so,I'm obliged to call you a traitor."

The door swings shut and I am left staring at my reflection in the glass door.Something's a little off about this.And I'm just here,waiting and watching helplessly.I don't like not knowing;no one does.But it's worse for me.I feel like there's a heavy weight dragging me down and I'm carrying it with my shoulders,like everything is perfectly fine.

~*~

Time flies by me in this footrace and I find myself walking sluggishly back to the training tower B.Even though I'm not in the mood,I promised Instructor Robert that I would try.And that's what I intend to do.

When we finally gather to resume training,Instructor Robert passes us each a gun and presses a button.30 meters away,at the other side of the training tower,targets reveal themselves from behind a counter.

"I need you all to hit that target,right at the head so when you enter the Ascendancy's headquarters,you can attack and with precision.Got it?"

Instructor Robert lifts an arm pointing towards the targets,and steps back.

My fingers are trembling.I've never held,much less fired,an actual gun before.And if I don't make this training session,I'm going back to initiation.I can't do that.

"Go on,"he snaps,sending me a glare.I lift it slowly and realise something:I don't know how to fire a gun.

"Uh..."I turn and look at him,forcing myself to return his fierce gaze.

"I don't know how to fire a gun."

Instructor Robert snorts."How nice.You pull that thing up there and press the trigger.How hard is that,unless you're that dumb..."

I ignore his insult and turn back to the target.Heat rushes through me-I've come to know that feeling as my kind of adrenaline-and I know that I just can't miss in this moment.

I hold my breath tightly as the bullet flies through the air,as if in slow motion.Then it's over,and the bullet hits the target square in the centre of the head.In real life,the person would've been dead.Right now I might have done it,but I am afraid that in a real situation,I won't be able to do it.

Diana gives me a once-over and smiles slowly."Looks like you aren't that goody-two-shoes after all."

"I never was."

"Please,it's just beginner's luck."Travis scoffs,firing again.The bullet goes pinging off a metal pipe and crashing to the floor.

"Then why don't you have any?"I ask slowly.A bunch of 'ohhh,burn' and 'some ice please!' rise up from the other trainees.

He punches me in the shoulder and I push him back to his position.

"Focus,you midgets!"Instructor Robert bellows,jerking me right back to work.A small smile fights its way to my lips,and I let it push through and stay there for the rest of the session.I finally feel like I belong.

Chapter Seventeen

Within the blink of an eye,a month has passed since the day I was the scared little initiate joining the official training program.Now,I find myself improving.I predict my opponent's fighting style before engaging.Before I do,I protect myself from any injury while my mind whirs and forms a pattern of my opponent's style.

"You're seriously good at fighting,"Cassandra tells me as we head to the Skylark library which is a large class dome that connects the main foyer and the training tower B.It's filled with all sorts of books old and new,and a huge selection of genres.Overtime,during our free time in the weekend we hang out here all the time.

I shrug."Not really."

"Don't be modest,Beth.It's true."

I stay silent,not knowing how to respond or how to tell her that she's right without sounding obnoxious.Instead I choose to shrug and open the door to the library for her so I can lag behind.

"Beth!"Another trainee from my training program waves me over to their seat.Instructor Robert is with them,talking silently to not call attention to them.Cassandra stops and turns around,and I give her an apologetic look and walk over to them.

"We've been looking for you everywhere,"Instructor Robert tells me,his pen tapping against the glass table impatiently.

"Anyway,for some reason Angela wants me to send you to the Ascendancy for spying.It's dangerous work,so you need to listen up."

My heart leaps.The Ascendancy?Spying?The thought makes me both excited and scared at the same time.What if I get caught?What will happen to me?

"Are you paying attention,initiate?"He snaps a finger in front of my face.The insult hurts.I'm not an initiate anymore-I may be new but I'm much more than that.And he just doesn't see it.

"No,I'm not."

A few other trainees glance at me as if to say,you're dead meat.

Instructor Robert raises an eyebrow."Tell me why.Is this not important enough to you?Do you really want to get killed on your first step out on the field?"

"I'm not an initiate,"I say,forcing myself to turn my eyes hard and returning his gaze.I will not show weakness."I'm Beth."

"You better watch yourself,Beth."He says quietly,and then resumes like nothing is wrong.But I can tell from the trainees' faces that I've earned their respect.

"So when you go out there as a group,you need to be convincing.Use your training to lie and get yourselves inside as new guards for the Ascendancy.If you manage to do that,you won't get killed."He pauses and looks in my direction."But I believe Beth doesn't need to know this because she has a death wish."

Teasing laughter rises up among the other trainees.I just roll my eyes and lean against the wall.

Instructor Robert continues his prep talk and we listen.By the time we are released,I know that I only have one week to prepare to enter our enemy's headquarters.

Can I just ask for quick feedback on this book?Thank youuu :)