Free Fixed by Beth Goobie Page B

angles. Like that weird feeling she got sometimes, when for a brief moment she had no idea who or where she was.
    “Attention.” On command, every cadet turned to face Col. Jolsen, who was standing at the front of the room. Head of Black Core Personnel, he was in his mid-forties, a tall barrel-chested man with bristly eyebrows and the cropped hair required of adult males not out on assignment. “All of you have been given your tasks,” he said, scanning the group’s disguises with a keen eye. “Some of you will be doing surveillance, others running distractions, and twelve of you have been selected for the primary tasks.”
    A sweet high-pitched thrill ran through Nellie and she settled back into her seat. Selected for the primary tasks . That meant her. A stealthy smile crept across her lips, the kind she figured a full-class agent would wear.
    “But no matter what you’re doing,” continued the colonel, clearing his throat, “you’ve all practiced your routines, and your instructors tell me you know them inside-out. Well done, cadets. The Goddess blesses you with Her light.” He gave them the grim quirk of his upper lip the cadets had secretly dubbed “Jolsen In Ecstasy.” “As you know,” he added, “you’ve already been split into ten teams and will be departing in ten separate vans. Take a moment now and check to make sure you have your necessary equipment.”
    Opening her purse, Nellie ran a reverent finger over the silver ballpoint pen that lay nestled inside. A-Okay, everything in order, Star Leader Jolsen , she thought silently.
    “Of the four teams assigned the primary tasks,” continued Col. Jolsen after a pause, “Team A will go with Lt. Sanders, B with Lt. Neem, C with Lt. Nanji, and D with me. Now before we leave, we will recite the dedication prayer to the Warrior’s Bow.”
    In sync with his last words the overhead lights dimmed, and a far-off galaxy appeared on the wall screen behind him. Abruptly the viewfinder zoomed in on the Warrior constellation, focusing on the star that glowed at the tip of the Warrior’s bow.
    “We are the followers of the Warrior’s Bow,” began Col. Jolsen, and the cadets took up the short prayer, saying it with him. “We live in the realm of its holy light. Our thoughts, bodies and action shine in its service. We are servant warriors, obedient to our Masters, the Lords of the stars.”
    Col. Jolsen held out his right hand, fingers splayed. “We are foot soldiers in the Great War,” he intoned.
    “We are foot soldiers in the Great War,” repeated the cadets, extending their right hands.
    “All is light to a soldier of light,” said Col. Jolsen.
    “All is light to a soldier of light,” repeated the cadets.
    “And all is dark to the Dark,” shouted Col. Jolsen, closing his right hand into a fist and jamming it upward.
    “All is dark to the Dark,” the cadets cried in unison, repeating the gesture.
    The overhead lights came back on and the wall screen dimmed. Taking a deep breath, the colonel leaned forward. “Out onto the streets,” he ordered, pointing to the door. “Take the light of the great Warrior out into the Dark!”
    Surging to her feet, Nellie joined the cadets streaming toward the door. Her heart was thundering and the blood singing through her brain. How she loved the pre-Street Games warm-ups, chanting the ancient prayers and feeling the hearts of the other cadets beating in rhythm with her own. As they ran along the hall toward the complex’s main garage, she lifted her fist with the others, chanting, “Ride the light! Ride the light!” Feet pounded the floor and voices ricocheted off the walls, making the group seem twice its size. Louder and louder they shouted, ramming their fists into the air. At the door leading into the garage, there was the inevitable drop in energy as they split into their predetermined teams, each following its leader across the vast cement floor toward one of ten unmarked vans. Tucked behind Lierin,