Page 14 of Failed State

I wait until both of them are turned away before I let the frown settle on my features. Thad is incredibly worried; he used the nickname for Syd that heneveruses in public. The last time I heard it was when she got sick with the virus for three weeks after I first arrived. He was scared to death that she was going to die. It seems like he’s similarly afraid for her now.

“We’re going to be okay, you know,” I say casually. “Syd’s smarter’n a room full of clocks and the humans’ porch lights are on, but no one’s home. We can outwit them, and if we’re very good, we can wing this thing. We just have to stick together and make sure our new ‘friends’ understand the goal.”

Sydney frowns as I get even with them. “You’re a ray of sunshine all the sudden.”

I shrug, winking at her. “I don’t see the point in letting these fuckers see they’ve affected me.”

That comment works because Thad straightens up, looking big and intimidating once more, even if it's a lie. Our girl straightens her spine and her gait changes to an annoyed stomp as she heads for the table with the high supes. When we get there, she slams her clipboard down and glares at them until their bleary eyes focus on us.

“Take us to our fucking team. I’m ready to play.”

You’d think that kind of statement would jerk these idiots out of their stupor, but it doesn’t. They must be so doped up theydon’t even know their names. I slam my board down, making the eagle jump a little, and Thad follows suit. The wolf grabs the papers and hands the empty boards to the fancy bird, who hands them off to yet another cranked out supe.

“Step over to the door numbered 3. Stand at the door until it opens. When it opens, walk inside in a single file line. At the end of the hall, a team building assistant will greet you. They will take you to an intake room and when we have your extra players selected, they will meet you in the monitored team intake space you’ve been assigned.”

I rub my temples, hoping to hell I can keep us all calm until this ridiculously long and bureaucratic nightmare ends. “Okay, darlin’. We’ll stick to your boundaries for the moment.”

The shifter looks at me with an empty expression. “I don’t have boundaries. But you should follow their instructions or it will not end well.”

Baphomet’s big hairy goat balls, that scares me more than anything I’ve heard today so far.

Door three opens slowly, and I jerk my head at Thad as I walk in first. I’m the least destructible of us all, so I’ll play the hero demons rarely get to be. Nothing comes whizzing out to kill me and I gesture behind my back for Sydney to follow me. The bear will have her back and when I hear the sound of the latch clicking, I know we’re all inside. We’ve only been attending the university level of F.E.A.R. for a short time, so not recognizing this area isn’t surprising; it’s a huge complex and I’m sure there arelotsof places in the building we don’t ever want to witness.

The self-awareness rooms are only one example, but they spring to mind first.

As instructed, we walk down the barren, sterile path quietly in a single file line. My eyes skitter around, taking in the structure of the building, looking for cameras, and generally memorizing the place for future reference. It’s cool, which means well-ventilated, and other than that, unremarkable. Unmarked doors are evenly spaced along the inner walls, so this is used for something, but who the hell knows what.

The lack of detail makes my horns itch to break free. I don’t like situations I can’t gauge and this is definitely in that category. The junkie wolf said to walk forward and meet the person at the other end, though, and I don’t see as how we have a choice to do anything but. There’s nowhere to escape to and I’d wager my last spur those doors are all locked up tight.

“Fucking creepy,” Syd mutters and I shake my head a tiny bit.

We don’t know who’s listening or watching.

When we finally reach the door at the end, a loud buzzer sounds and it opens to reveal a woman who could be Melinda’s double dressed in a bright pink pantsuit. She beams at us in a clueless way, her white teeth shining as brightly as her platinum hair.

“Welcome, brave competitors! My name is Krista Philbert and I’m here to guide you on your personal journey to fame and fortune!”

Syd’s eyes widen and the abject horror streaming from her fills my tank. I have to smother a chuckle when I realize this Barbie-style bimbette’s enthusiasm scares her more than the thought of teaming up with imprisoned supes. Our girl is nothing if not fiercely independent and down to earth, so the idea of someone so opposite being tied to us is making her teeth grind.

“Good mornin’, Miss Krista. I’m Huck, that’s Sydney, and the big guy is Thaddeus. Pleased to meet you,” I say. I’m laying the accent on thick because it charms most humans and if thiswoman holds the keys to the kingdom in any way, I want her on our side. I don’t trust humans—ever—but I’ll use them for my own needs.

She beams wider, pushing the door open and gesturing for us to walk inside. “That’s the spirit, Huck! Now, we’re going to an intake room. Don’t you worry about that name—what we do is have doctors examine you in privacy pods, then a mage will assess your powers, and after that, we’ll have a tailor measure you for the base uniform for the games. You’ll get five of those, but any other clothing or decorations will have to be won through various methods during the training period.”

Thad frowns. “What about weapons?”

“Same!” she chirps. “Everything you could ever want will be yoursifyou’re smart and brave enough to get it. That’s a win-win for everyone, you see, because it gives the hard workers advantages and the viewers a treat.”

That’s… not good—to put it lightly.

“After we get you suited up, you’ll take your packets, clothes, and information we give you from our medical and magical assessors with you to meet your new teammates. The algorithm uses that data to pair the teams appropriately and we’ve been assured its artificial intelligence is state-of-the-art. I’m certainmyteam will be on top quickly!”

“Mother Morgana,” Sydney mutters and I imagine she’s rubbing her temples in absolute misery.

I’ll admit, this much sunshine in one go is going to make me puke soon, too. Clearing my throat, I attempt to ward off the woman’s sudden death and our execution by walking faster. “Miss Krista, I imagine there will be some sort of orientation. Am I right?”

Her blond head bobs as she claps her hands. “Yes, indeed, Huck. We’re having abigfancy party in five days to introduce all of our fierce competitors to the world. Your team—and all theothers—will have that length of time to get what you’ll need to shine for the cameras. Best to keep those ears and eyes open!”

“Things we need?” Thad echoes. “Like… clothes?”

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