Page 14 of Sol Survivor

His eyes narrowed before he settled his focus on her, at last.

“I’m used to real men.”Lies, but he didn’t need to know that.She patted his chest and slipped past him, throwing an arched brow at Erv leaning against the canteen’s metallic wall.

“Sleep well?”The older man pushed off the wall to approach her.

She glared at him.Like he cared.“Perfectly fine.”She grinned to show him her teeth, all of them.

He grunted and gestured to her to follow.Her stomach cramped.She cast a longing glance at the trestle tables and the colorful food items she wouldn’t get to sample.Sighing, she trailed Erv, hesitating when he pointed at Ande.“To me.”

Ande grabbed round objects and shoved one in his mouth as he clambered over a bench to reach them.He pressed the softness into her hand when he fell into step beside her.She sniffed the sweetness and bit into the warm gooey substance.Moaning, she shoved the thing in her mouth, barely able to chew.That wasn’t necessary when it melted on her tongue.

Licking her fingers, she asked, “what was that?”

“Sugar bun.”

She slowed to a crawl while she gaped at him.“Real sugar?”

He smirked.“Of course not.”He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged her to catch up.Erv hadn’t waited, but when he reached the massive obstacle course set to the side of the training room, he stopped.

“Farg,” Ande whispered.“Good luck, Vic.”

Cold drenched her spine.A white metallic drum, its diameter about ten feet, spun but switched direction without reason.Rectangular cutouts made running through the drum more difficult.Dark red splotches on the gleaming metal suggested blood stains.She clenched her jaw, praying the red was paint and not…well, the real thing.Before the drum, massive arms with spiked balls swung across a narrow bridge.The starting platform was wide enough to stand on but nothing more.To reach it, she would have to climb a ladder.The end platform on the other side of the drum held a flag—the target.She settled a wide-eyed gaze on Erv, who waved that wretched device that triggered the thing in her neck.

“Didn’t peg you for a coward.”He nudged his head at the death-defying contraption.

“Nor am I stupid.”She folded her arms, challenging him.

“It’s too soon, Erv.”Ande slid glances between the drum and Erv.

“If she grabs the flag, Ande, it will determine what training she receives.Mr.Carne wants her in the arena tomorrow.I must know who to pit her against.”

“Heris standing right here,” Vic snapped.

“Hershould be climbing the fargen ladder.”Erv threw out his arm in a wide sweep.

“Try, at least, Vic.”Ande patted her shoulder as if to say ‘it’s been nice knowing you, kid.’

She inched toward the ladder, then gripped the rungs, enjoying the solid feel of them beneath her hands.Clambering up, she balanced on the small platform and eyed the static flag.She wasn’t scared of heights.Some of the solar plates she’d worked on were high off the ground.Placing her feet with care, she faced the swaying pendulums between her and the drum.There was a timing to it.Thwack, pause, pause, thwack, thwack, pause, thwack could read as left, go, go, right, left, go, left.Easy, except for the arrows whizzing across the bridge.

This was insanity at its finest.

Raising her foot, she waited.The unstable bridge was comparable to the platforms she balanced on when she did repairs.On Earth, the wind was at its worst behavior.Here, not a breeze stirred.She could do this.

The red flag beckoned.

“Left, go, go, right, left, go, left,” and she bolted.

Dodging left, she underestimated the moving floor and slipped.She caught her toes on the edge of the bridge and teetered, throwing out her arms to catch her balance.A faint whistle preceded an arrow.She ducked, mimicked the action of the first metallic arm and leaped forward.On the padded floor below was a tumbling dart, as long as her forearm but as thin as her pinky finger.If that had hit her, it would have killed her.

“Fargen hell,” she growled.

Taking a step brought her close to the second pendulum, as more whistles warned her to duck.As soon as the arm swung past, she lunged across.She cried out when a spike scratched her thigh, but she couldn’t pause to check.Ignoring the blazing agony trembling her leg, she rolled across the bridge, a dart flicking out one of her curls while the third pendulum thrummed past her ass.

The returning swing of the fourth metallic arm descended.She had a left, go, and a left to do before she reached the drum.Why the hell was she doing this?A glance down caught Ande’s pensive face and Erv’s nod, his arms folded across his chest.Instead of inching across, she lunged for the pendulum, catching its arm with her left hand.Its momentum dragged her off the bridge and flicked her up, her legs flying outward.

Ande whooped.

As she rode the pendulum, she grinned but didn’t dare focus on him.Three more to go, but from this angle, she swung from arm to arm and land firmly on the narrow section of the bridge between the seventh pendulum and the drum.

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