Thirteen glanced at his watch, clicking away at the remaining time before the counter started. If he arrived at the perfect conclusion, they should have three minutes and two seconds left. One second. Two minutes and fifty nine seconds. Fifty eight.

"Stop staring at that damn clock," Sixteen beside him. Crouched on the grass and hiding in the thickest part of the undergrowth must have gotten into her nerves. "Your hair's going to fall off should you keep at it."

He scrolled through the channels, obliging the girl's request. "Five, in position?" he asked.

A soft chuckle. "I can hear Sixteen's sentiment. In position," she replied. "Nervous?"

Thirteen could have denied it, to save face or something, but Five beat him to it. "If everything works out, this will be the last counter for us, right?"

"If my calculations are correct." He scratched his chin, the stray leaves from the neighboring branches ticking him. If he swatted them away, he might alert someone from Section H. Another glance at the watch. One minute. Fifty nine seconds.

He switched to Fourteen and Seven's channels. "Confirm scope and position."

A hearty clink crackled in Fourteen's line. "All good," she said. The soft rustle of leaves brought about by her slight shifting to prop the rifle's stock on her shoulder shone through the comms. "Seven?"

Another fizzle. "Clear." Seven's mellow whisper streaked through the line. "Target in sight. Approaching blitz point. Time to counter?"

Despite Sixteen's glare digging at the back of his head, he glanced at his watch for the third time. "Thirty seconds," he said. "By fifteen, deactivate all abilities."

He pursed his lips, squinting past the spaces between the leaves blocking his view of Section H's headquarters. The only reason their two targets for this frontal attack still walked upright was because they never strayed far from Karrel. It wasn't because they have powerful abilities nor did they know how to use it to their full potential. They just found the perfect rock to latch on to like barnacles.

The numbers on the watch flicked to zero, running out until the last millisecond. As if on cue, a loud ringing flooded the grounds. A curse flitted out of Thirteen's lips. He could never get used to that annoying noise. Through the gaps in the foliage, he watched figures clad in red jackets and trousers rush out. No sign of Karrel. Slate must have done her job. Good.

Fourteen and Seven didn't need to be told twice. The moment Kalyani stepped into Fourteen's line of fire, a bullet whizzed out of the silencer peeking between the shadows and twisted branches. Within seconds, Kalyani was on the ground, blood streaming from a smoking hole on her head. Before Jason could react in terror, Seven's blade lashed in the air, slicing a neat line across the former's neck. A second body joined its companion on the ground.

"Retreat, both of you," Thirteen said to the comms. "Run before Karrel gets here."

He didn't check if they understood or followed. His attention was on Five, Eight, and Sixteen. "Turn off all abilities when Karrel gets here. That includes you, Sixteen. No regeneration for the time being," he said. "Seventeen will assist you if you have any trouble dealing with Karrel."

"Five, bring down Verez," he continued. "I'm sure you know how to do that now."

She didn't reply, somehow miffed about that jab. Only it wasn't a jab. More like a loaded reminder. They didn't spend the last week studying and practicing Verez's attacks just for her to fail now. Take too long, and the margin for failure would widen. "Eight," Thirteen continued instead. "Focus on Abelle. Remember—no abilities."

A tongue clicked on the other side. "Stop treating us like babies, Thirteen," Eight snapped. "I didn't forget the briefing early this morning. Make sure you and the others are in position if this goes south."

Before Thirteen could berate her for talking back the same way as he talked to them, she flicked the channel off. The nerve of that kid. He was taller than the girl, so he should be older, right? That was how he always thought of Five as the oldest among them with her gigantic height.

"Two, Eighteen, standby," he said to the comms in its rightful line. "We'll jump in should the battle requires it."

He switched the comms off and undid the bandages on his wrist. If push came to shove, he would be the one facing Karrel. He had to be ready. With the chips stored safely in their pockets stitched on the inside of his jacket, he would have approximately twelve seconds to slit his arm open, change chips, and wait for the ability to take effect. His fingers brushed against the handle of the gun on his waistband. If it came to that, he'd have more than one way of buying time.

A guttural scream rippled across the field when the rest of the Section H made it to where two of their members lay in their death. Karrel cradled the girl's head on her lap. She reached over and laid two fingers on Jason's neck. When she felt no pulse, her expression morphed from shock to the one Thirteen was more comfortable with—anger.

"You know what to do," Thirteen whispered into the comms, opening it to everyone in the field.

The foliage rustled, and Five dropped into view, going straight for Verez. He pushed Karrel out of the way, the latter's face sprawling on the grass. Five's blades glinted in the afternoon sun, aiming for Verez's neck. Karrel stood up to help but was blocked by Sixteen. Sword drawn, the leader tackled her attacker. Metallic clangs peppered the air, Thirteen bearing witness to every single one.

His eyes barely followed Five and Verez's exchange, much less Sixteen and Karrel's. When both parties followed up, Abelle thought to leap into Karrel's defense. Eight zipped into the fray, blocking the girl's blade and stealing her attention from her leader. He glanced at the watch. Half an hour left. A lot of things could happen within that frame. The longer they take, the more variables could pop up and skew their chances of ticking their goals for this counter.

Sixteen and Eighteen's caution about worrying his hair white nipped at the back of his mind. He pushed it deeper. Let him worry. That was his job. And Five was taking too long with hers.

On the ground, Five backed Verez into the edge of the clearing, pressing his back on the rim of the thick foliage. The pale boy must have seen through that plan because he danced away from Five's herding techniques, aiming instead to drive her nearer to Karrel. Thirteen's teeth jabbed on his thumb, digging deeper with every slash blocked by Verez. Come on. Hurry. Never let him predict one's moves. Be faster.

Five's violet eyes flashed with urgency, executing a pincer move she got from Verez himself. The boy leaped back in stunned silence, twisting his sword in his hand in an angle meant to block his own attack. He was smart. He knew how to win against his own methods.

"Now!" Five screamed out of the blue. Verez whirled around, using his ability to scope his surroundings for any hidden attacks. A bullet pierced through the foliage, aiming for Verez's exposed back. Thirteen frowned. Was that from Fourteen? Didn't he tell her to scram? Did she cut another plan with Five? Really?

The bullet tore through the air in a split second. Verez's eyes flitted back and forth just as Five's dagger thrust into his personal space. The world slowed, showing Thirteen the exact decision Verez made. The pale boy twisted, taking Five's blade to his chest. When the bullet embedded into a spot between Five's boots, Verez fell backward, shock etched on his face.

From his perch, Thirteen knew why. Verez knew someone within Section M's ranks had absolute aim. If they aimed only at the ground and never at him, his last second decision wouldn't have mattered. His implicit bias about the bullet digging into his back made him partial to choosing the other alternative, which was Five's dagger.

A smirk followed by a short snort ripped off Thirteen. Five one upped him with that move. He ought to congratulate her later. Or when they eventually got out of this Game.

On the other side of the field, Eight cornered Abelle and was about to drive a dagger into the latter's throat when Karrel's blond zipped into view. Thirteen turned to where Sixteen lay, squirming against the pain torn through her gut. "Sorry, I had to," a strained voice gurgled into the comms, matching the hand pressed against Sixteen's ear. "Karrel did a number on me."

"I can see that," Thirteen answered. "She can use your ability against you now. Get out of here. Take Seventeen with you."

Sixteen staggered up and nodded at the mop of cheese-yellow hair hidden behind the nearest bush with similarly-colored flowers. Together, they disappeared deeper into the foliage, taking them farther from Section H's headquarters. "You too, Fourteen," Thirteen said. "They can handle Karrel and Abelle."

He didn't take his eyes on the spot where the bullet fired from. Let her understand he meant it. No more hidden plans and serious risks without his knowledge. The silencer retreated into the undergrowth. Within seconds, Fourteen's lithe frame clambered down the tree and flitted off after the others.

He tuned back into the ongoing action. Five had wrenched Karrel from her comrade and peppered the leader with blow after blow. Karrel blocked and attacked. With Five's abilities lying dormant and no one else was around with active abilities, the fight was tied at best. Only the slightest mistake could tip the balance to either side, and with both of them cautious with every offense, they knew that too.

Eight managed to trip Abelle, and on the latter's way down, she stabbed down. The blade bit Abelle's shoulder, and despite her ability, she couldn't squirm out of it. With a scream, Eight knocked the girl against a trunk, forcing the blade deeper into her flesh. The other hand closed around Abelle's throat and squeezed. Even without an ability, Eight could steal the air out of someone. The dark-skinned girl sagged. Eight's shoulders relaxed as she stepped back, slashing her dagger against Abelle's neck. A second later, Karrel was the only one left of Section H.

Thirteen swung his leg over the branch he perched on. He shimmied down, his boots gripping the rough ledges of the old bark. He dusted his hands free from remnants of splinters and faced the ebbing combat. Five slammed her boot into Karrel's ankle, and the leader tumbled forward. Her wrists stopped her fall, giving Five enough time to grab a fistful of hair, yank her head back, and poise a knife on her throat.

Thirteen drew the gun from his waistband and pointed it at Karrel. "Game's over," he said. "Any last words?"

Karrel smirked despite her disadvantage. "I shall tell the truth," she said through gritted teeth. "Thirteen's been lying to all of you all this time. He steals abilities and uses them for his own. He has the chips with him now! Don't believe me? Ask him to produce them. He has some of your comrades', some of my friends', and a couple of others. The sleeper unit! He used Section H to kill them so he could steal their chips. We all have those, but he discovered what they could do and now, he aims to get ours for himself. He even asked me about them—"

A gunshot rang through the clearing. "I meant to pertain to words that can save you, not doom you further," Thirteen rasped. Smoke rose from the hole centimeters from Karrel's knee.

"We'll see about that," Karrel said, her knowing smirk never melting from her face. It irked Thirteen to the core. What was she aiming to accomplish by that hail mary pass?

The foliage rustled, and before any of them could react, a blur of dark blue and black rushed towards Thirteen, the rage laced around the stark scream telling him enough. He messed up one last time, and Karrel somehow knew that.