Free The Armor of God by Diego Valenzuela Page A

roster.
    “You’re very young, and it’s easy to forget your mortality at your age. In the dining hall, you’ll find the pictures of every member of the Creux Defense Program who have died fighting against the laani.”
    “That’s a grim sight during a meal,” he heard Jena whisper. Alice, who had watched over the entire lecture, looked at her.
    “I want you to look at them every day, and don’t forget it could be your picture hanging there next. You have in your hands the power to win the world back for humanity, but you need to stay alive to make it happen. Any questions?”
    All four of them raised their hands.
     
    Two hours later, Dr. Mizrahi joined them in the auditorium to end orientation. All four were left with too many unanswered questions but were assured that, if there was an answer, it would be covered in the lecture halls.
    “Jena Crescent,” Mizrahi said. “As per your request, your father will be transferred here in two days. You will be able to see him then.”
    “Thank you very much,” Jena said.
    “After your lunch, you will meet with Dr. Mizrahi in the compatibility lab so we can take tissue and blood samples and determine to which Creux you belong. It may take a few hours, but we’ve found the anticipation makes it an exciting thing for new pilots. Anyone have anything to add?” Dr. Yuri said. “Yes?”
    Ezra cleared his throat. “I would like to make a formal request to have someone transferred here as my personal counselor, sir.”
    Mizrahi and Dr. Yuri shared a confused glance, then looked at the others. “You’re dismissed. You—” he pointed at Ezra. “You come here, please.”
    Ezra watched Akiva, Jena, and Poole leave their seats with their booklets in their hands. “We’ll see you later,” Akiva said, passing Ezra by. He wished they wouldn’t leave; Ezra didn’t want to step out of the auditorium and take his first steps inside Zenith alone.
    Dr. Yuri started picking up his materials, books, and documents from the instructor’s desk. “You’re speaking of Corporal Higgins, am I correct?”
    Ezra was surprised. “Y-yes, sir.”
    Dr. Yuri seemed to know it was going to happen. “Blanchard, why are you making this request?”
    “Because I’d like her to be my counselor, sir.”
    “And how did you know you would have a counselor?”
    Ezra felt trapped and didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t want to lie to Dr. Yuri, but he also didn’t want to expose the conversation with Susan; she had made it very clear that she had taken a risk talking to him.
    Thankfully, Dr. Yuri didn’t keep him in the snare for too long, and continued speaking. “Surely Corporal Higgins told you she had made a request to join us before. There is a reason why we have denied it twice already.”
    “Sir?”
    “She is not fit—not fit to work here,” Mizrahi interjected in her own strange way of talking. “She does not handle stress well. She grows too attached to subjects. We keep her in a place where we can use her talents adequately.”
    “You should know, Blanchard, that Corporal Higgins has been through a lot of counseling herself in the last years. Twice before she’s lost a child in utero, and she recently discovered she might never bear one. She immediately grows too attached to the children she meets in Roue and then sends to us. This environment would not be a good match for someone with her history and tendencies.”
    Ezra didn’t know any of that, and wondered why Susan hadn’t shared it. It was sensitive information, of course, but she had seemed so sincere in her wishes to be part of Zenith. She had certainly hidden this sad history remarkably well. Had she kept anything else from him? Maybe Susan wasn’t really the person she appeared to be.
    Maybe she had manipulated Ezra into getting her a job in Zenith.
    “You can still make the request, but you would still need to take a test to make sure she’s a good match with you, and it still needs to go through an