Free The Ninth by Benjamin Schramm Page A

this!”
    “Maybe so, but I didn’t attack Owen for having bad luck!” Hiroko shouted back.  “Besides Owen and Brent none of us were really tested!”
    “You both have a point.”  Dante interrupted the shouting.  “These exams don’t seem to be designed to test our individual abilities.  Why do you think that is, sir?”
    It took Brent a moment to realize the question was directed at him.  No one else seemed to share Brent’s confusion as they stared at him, awaiting his answer.
    “Maybe they are testing us for something else,” Brent answered.
    “Something else?” Erin asked in exasperation.  “What else could you want from new recruits than to know their abilities, or lack thereof ?” Erin stared at Hiroko as she finished her statement.
    “Maybe they want to know if any of us are stuck’ up core worlders who are best seen and not heard!”  Hiroko shouted back.
    “What about how we respond as a group?”  Owen ventured a guess.
    “I doubt that, Owen.”  Dante’s voice had an analytical edge to it.  “If they wanted to see a group reaction, why single out the first and last recruits to pass through the scanner?  As Miss Taguchi stated, only the two of you had major roles to play.  If they wanted a group reaction they’d need something that would impact us all equally.”
    “Miss?  Erin asked calming down a bit.  “I wouldn’t bother being formal in regards to her .  Besides, it’s a moot point.  After the exams we’ll all be invited or assigned to different divisions.  Why would anyone even care how well we functioned as a group?”
    “She’s right, you know,” A male recruit added.  “If we don’t start showing what we’ve got, we’ll end up without a division.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather die than be assigned to a division.”
    A loud hissing interrupted the conversation.  The recruits standing near the far edge of the room quickly backed away from the sound.  Two large doors slowly opened, revealing a meadow.
    “What are you all doing out there?  The real fun is in here!” a loud voice boomed.
     

Chapter 4: Stealth
    Almost in unison Hiroko, Owen, Dante, and even Erin turned their gazes on Brent.  Feeling as if the gazes were boring into him, he took his first steps into the new room.  It was a large, wooded grassland with a clear, blue skyline.  A few light and puffy clouds dotted the otherwise pure blue sky.  The trees were numerous but not very wide, each with a plethora of branches covered in brown and red leaves.
    “Well come on,” the voice boomed again.  “We can’t start with all of you standing out there.  Come closer!”
    As the group quickly headed toward the voice, Brent noted the tremendous noise the dead leaves made as they trampled them.  This was completely unlike the first exam.  Instead of a confined space with a deadly drop, they were in a serene forest that seemed endless.  As they got closer to the voice, the trees started to thin out.  Soon there was only light tree cover, allowing him to make out a clearing ahead with some sort of structure in its center.  It was a small, square building with dull blue walls about one story tall.  In the center was a large man sitting in some sort of command chair.  He was a heavyset man with a thick beard that was twisted upward in a large grin.  As the recruits entered the clearing, the heavy man pressed one of the controls on his chair, and a table with several large rings jutted out of the structure.
    “Good day, recruits!”  The instructor’s voice was deep and rich with a volume that bordered on shouting.  “Today I get the pleasure of being the one to assess your stealth skills!  First off, you’ll notice the wristbands in front of you.  Everyone please take one and put it on.  Don’t worry about fit; they’ll resize if necessary.  While you all do that, I’ll explain today’s game.”
    “Game?” Hiroko asked, placing the band on her left wrist.