Free The Armor of God by Diego Valenzuela Page B

admissions committee that I know has grown tired of her. I know you believe you’re doing a good thing in bringing her here, but it might be best for her—and you—to remain detached from one another. With that in mind, do you still wish to make the request?”
    “Yes, sir,” Ezra said.
    “Very well. I will let you know how to proceed tomorrow. Now, join your companions for lunch and be in the Compatibility labs at 2:00 PM sharp.”

    “What was that all about?” Jena said when Ezra finally joined them in the dining hall, which looked remarkably similar to the one in the D-District Army Base. “Did you get in trouble?”
    “No, of course not,” Ezra said and sat down without getting anything to eat. “I just had something to ask.”
    “Susan asked you to transfer her here, didn’t she?” Akiva said, taking a spoonful of soup.
    “Dammit, now how do you know?”
    “She asked the same thing of me,” he replied, and it hit Ezra in the gut.
    “She did?” So she had definitely lied to him. Susan had been clear when she said she was trusting Ezra because she sensed they would be a good match. It hurt to think it was a lie she told everyone she could.
    “Don’t get me wrong: She asked you first. I suppose she just wanted me to make the request as a backup. If you forgot, or if you two weren’t a good match,” Akiva said. “What did Yuri tell you?”
    “They’re gonna do the tests, I suppose. I don’t think she’s gonna get the transfer. Now I’m not sure I want her to.”
    “Oh, don’t say that,” Jena said. “She’s a good person. She just wants a job she’ll hate less. She seemed unhappy, didn’t she? Maybe you can help her change that.”
    “Yeah. I suppose,” he said. Ezra couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, despite also feeling a bit betrayed. In retrospect, she had definitely seemed unhappy; Ezra couldn’t remember seeing her smile, and there was always a disappointed look in her eyes. It was bizarre how he hadn’t really noticed.
    Of course, he had been rather busy.
    “I’ve known her since I’ve been in the army base,” Poole said, her violet eyes unreadable. “I still don’t know if she is to be trusted.”
    Ezra couldn’t have imagined it, but Susan had become a mystery not unlike the Creux themselves. She had shown one of many faces to him, and he couldn’t know if it had been the real one. Suddenly the idea of a person he could have easily grown to trust and consider a friend had begun to blur. Poole refused to give the details of her experience with Corporal Higgins, which was also troubling.
    He decided he’d let that story play out. He’d take the tests and see what happened: if she was a match, then all this worry was for nothing; if she wasn’t, he wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore and wouldn’t have to feel guilty.
    “Enjoying your first meal?”
    Ezra turned around to face a group of people standing behind Kiva, who had brought the bowl of soup up to his mouth to drink. He didn’t even seem to acknowledge them.
    “You’re the new guys,” the man who appeared to be the leader of the group said. His name was written on the uniform that matched Ezra’s: Sp. Garros Parks . He was massive enough to make Kiva appear small. His incredibly bushy beard and shaved head added degrees of intimidation to his demeanor. Opposite his name, there was another patch: the words QUANTUM ARES in a heavily stylized font, and two cartoon-y yellow eyes that seemed to belong to a demon of some kind.
    “Are you a pilot?” Ezra said.
    “Specialist Parks,” the man said, walking over to Ezra and shaking his hand. “First name Garros. I’m Quantum Ares.”
    “You mean you pilot Quantum Ares,” Kiva said, and there was an edge to his voice that worried Ezra. Kiva seemed to be in a defensive position that told everyone he wasn’t someone to be bullied. Were these guys here to bully them?
    “That’s what I meant, big fellow,” Garros said.
    “Relax your shoulders,