Nova  P.O.V

Date: November 12, 2238

"Jorge. Mendes," Sergeant Carter looked between the two boys standing off to the side of the observation room.

Their faces dripping with sweat and chests heaving. Clearly exhausted and unable to hide the disappointment in their eyes. Their attempt at the simulation had ended in failure, with mutants surrounding them before they could even cross the bridge.

"Nothing about your performance today was satisfactory. And I have half a mind not to give either of you another chance."

Jorge and Mendes exchanged glances before Jorge said, "No, please. We can improve."

"You better." A chill went through me at Sergeant Carter's piercing stare, even though it wasn't directed at me. "Or you have no hope of passing my class. Now, go." He jerked his head toward the door.

They nodded before hurrying from the room, avoiding the interactive board with the footage of that moment still frozen on screen.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Sergeant Carter turned back to us. "Alright, next up is..." He scanned the list of names on his clipboard. "Bishop and Rose."

Fuck.

"Break a leg," Cindy leaned over to whisper. Whether or not she meant it as a wish of good luck or literally was anyone's guess.

Instead of replying, I stood up on trembling legs and followed Sky from the room. Somehow, managing to make it all the way downstairs without falling flat on my face.

"What's our plan?" I asked Sky as we grabbed our equipment from the carts beside the bleachers.

"Be fast."

"Simple plan." I fastened my vest, slowly walking toward the edge of the padded floor. "I like it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." I slid the black elastic band off my arm and tied my hair into a ponytail. "After all, we can't do much worse than Jorge and Mendes. Right?"

She didn't answer me as the countdown began.

"Three..." A pre-recorded female voice blared from the speakers.

"Two..." The voice spoke again.

"One." The voice finally stated before falling silent.

I cautiously stepped onto the padded floor, expecting the first mutant to appear before us and quickly end the simulation.

Calm down, calm down. I repeated the words like a mantra, slowly breathing in and out to calm my pounding heart. My eyes flitted over the forest from top to bottom and everything in between in search of the first threat. The vibrant green trees, the lazily flowing river, and the unruly bushes all seemed serene and picturesque but that could all change in the blink of an eye.

A sharp crack broke the silence, drawing my attention to the bush to my right. Sky kept a lookout while I peered around it with my baton raised. Small beady eyes clashed with mine as the squirrel sat on its hind legs.

When its head tilted towards my baton, with a curious gleam in its eyes, I cleared my throat and quickly lowered my weapon. Sky rolled her eyes as the squirrel turned away, skittering towards the trees.

"Is it broken?" Sky asked as we inched closer to the bridge.

"Definitely not. The timer is still ticking down." I nodded in the direction of the timer. "Stay ready."

This had to be a trick. Sergeant Carter was probably waiting for us to drop our guard to send a ton of mutants our way. Each of the previous teams' simulations had been different, so there was no way to predict where and when the first attack would happen. Troy hadn't told me the exact details of his simulation, but now I wish he'd given me some tips.

If only he'd shown up to class today. Then I could've asked.

The waiting and anticipation was the hardest part. I didn't care how many mutants Sergeant Carter sent, but I wanted him to hurry up.

A guttural snarl sounded behind me, standing the tiny hairs on the back of my neck on end. I spun around, catching a glimpse of a gray figure approaching Sky before focusing on the mutant in front of me.

"Sky behind you!" I warned, charging toward the mutant and plunging my baton through its chest. A bleeding black wound formed as my baton sensors flashed green, then red before the mutant dematerialized.

And through the last flickering fragments of its body, I spotted two more emerging out of thin air. Their black, bottomless gazes devoid of any emotion as they headed straight for me. Slowly releasing the air from my lungs, I stepped forward once, twice before breaking out into a light jog.

Upon reaching the first one, I wasted no time jabbing my baton through its chest, sideswiping the claws of the second, and then bashing it over the head.

I turned to look for Sky, only to come face to face with another one. I jumped back, avoiding its snapping jaws, then thrust my baton upwards straight through its left eye. Bloody black spurts shoot from its socket, splattering on the ground as its body flickered away.

"Eww!" Sky exclaimed, jogging over to me with her lips twisted in a grimace.

I bent over with my hand on my knees, struggling to catch my breath. "Go for the cane." I panted.

"By myself?!"

I nodded, glancing at the timer. There was still four whole minutes left for Sergeant Carter to fuck with us. Great.

She looked across the river to the massive boulder that held the cane. "It's still a long way away. One of those things could pop up and kill me. Let's do this together!" She grabbed my arm, dragging me to the bridge.

Halfway there, a low snarl came from behind us. Slowly, we turned our heads, glancing over our shoulder to see not one or two but five mutants spawning. We took off running for the bridge, and every step of the way, I cursed Sergeant Carter for his cruelness. At the start of the simulation, there'd been absolutely nothing in those few glorious seconds. Nothing! Except for a squirrel. Now, he'd unleashed back-to-back mutants.

I stopped in the bridge's entrance, and realizing I was not behind her, Sky turned back. "What are you doing?!" She demanded, eyes constantly shifting between me and the approaching mutants.

"I'll hold them back. You go!" I quickly said.

There was no time to explain time was of the essence. But hopefully, she would see my plan. The bridge opening was narrow enough to slow down the horde of raging mutants, allowing me to take them out one at a time.

She nodded once and started to turn away but stopped at the gray bald heads poking through the cerulean currents, baring their eyes and nose as they drifted closer to the bridge.

"Shit!" She squatted down, jabbing her baton through the rails at the heads.

And while she dealt with them, I focused on the ones before me.

A short while later, she announced, "This is my last one!"

"Alright, head for the cane as soon as it's dead."

"Okay." She squeezed my shoulder. "Watch your feet."

I briefly nodded before smashing another mutant over the head. The original five we'd spotted had turned into loads more as they continued to spawn, one after the other. My arm ached, but I didn't stop.

Couldn't stop. Not until she reached the cane.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe a few seconds, but suddenly all the mutants froze. Confused, I stood at the ready, waiting for whatever would happen next. But only when the mutants disappeared did I feel more at ease.

"4:43!" Sky yelled, running over to me with the cane in hand.

"Oh, my god." I chuckled, swiping my arm across my sweaty brow. We'd done it with seventeen seconds to spare.

"Every part of me hurts, but it's worth it after seeing the time." She threw her arm across my shoulder, leaning on me as we headed to the bleachers.

"Same."

After dropping off our equipment, we rejoined our classmates in the observation room. Light applause greeted us as we came through the door.

Sergeant Carter held up his hand, and everyone quieted down. "Better." He simply said before playing the footage already cued up on screen.

If anyone was worse than Mrs. Steven's when it came to compliments, it was him. A stranger might take offense at the short response. But we knew it wasn't personal.

"Sergeant Carter, why did it take so long for the mutants to appear?" A boy from the back row asked while watching us wander on the screen for thirty seconds.

"Pause video." Sergeant Carter spoke the command to the screen before leveling his gaze on the boy. "Why do you think?"

He lazily shrugged one shoulder, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "To toy with them."

The two boys on either side of him lightly chuckled at his response but stopped as Sergeant Carter spoke. "No, to test their patience under pressure. And this is a lesson for all of you. Don't expect things to happen in a set time frame just because this is a simulation. The world doesn't work that way. So, always be prepared for your enemy to strike at any time. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone replied in unison.