Sixty-Seven Salamanders

by Jeffary Joseph

  I gave the needle a nervous glance. “You do know how to use that thing, right?”

  “Well…”

  I scooted back in the VR pod.

  “That was a joke.” She giggled.

  It took me a moment to register what she'd said. “A joke…” I chuckled, not knowing she could even joke. “You got me.”

  The older girl gave a reassuring smile. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry. Just hold your arm out.”

  I did and looked away, knowing I’d get queasy if I watched that sword of a needle coming towards me. A moment later, there was a wet, cold sensation in the crook of my arm.

  “I’m just sterilizing the area with an alcohol wipe, here comes the poke.”

  My face scrunched up as I endured the foreign object invading me.

  “There, done. Are you okay?” She pulled back.

  I checked my arm to see it wasn’t even bleeding. “Yeah, it actually wasn’t that bad.”

  She smiled and got up with the blood-filled syringe. “I have to run this down to the lab. Do you want me to escort you out?”

  “I think I’ll rest here for a minute.”

  “Okay. Well, you’ve now officially completed the Addison College aptitude test, congratulations and welcome to the Organization, Adin.” She had a wide smile.

  I gave her an even bigger one. “You helped a lot. Thanks, Kei.”

  “Oh, before I forget.” From her lab coat, she produced a piece of paper and blue journal with her free hand. “This is the Addison College planner and your team information sheet. Everything you need is in there, including directions to your new dorm house.”

  I took them and thanked her again. After, I rested for a short while, then left myself. The sun’s rays illuminated the entirety of the courtyard outside. I shielded my eyes from the brightness and looked up, seeing there was barely a cloud in the sky. My grandfather had a saying; the sun didn't always shine on the same dog’s ass but I felt today was my day. I then peered down at the paper and headed for the Team Umbra dorm house.

  Chapter 15 – Team Umbra

  I sat on a mahogany bench, gazing at a field of neatly cut grass, then glanced down at my newly acquired Addison College planner for the third time. According to it, I was in a section of the school called the relaxation zone. There was nothing but grass and a few benches in the area. I guess it was kind of relaxing if you liked a lot of grass. A few other recruits occupied the field, and their eyes had lingered on me when I stumbled into the area for a short break, but they quickly lost interest and went back to their own business.

  To be honest, I was thankful for it, wanting to be in my thoughts for a while. Off in the distance, there was a tall barrier that cut off the end of the field; it surrounded the entire Addison campus. At first, I thought it was strange to have such a pulverizing thing at a school but now understood why - secrecy was everything here. I leaned back on the wooden bench and surveyed the New York sky. Instead of the clear blue I was used to back home, it had more of a yellow hue, probably due to all the smog and pollution.

  Welcome to New York, I guess. A lone cloud floated that transformed into Taylor Louis’s face, forcing me to jolt forward and some heads to turn my way with questioning looks. I suddenly felt hot, but it was a cool day, the grass in the field swaying back and forth as evidence. Dammit. No matter what I did or tried, Taylor’s face followed me like a stray dog. There was rarely a day since the incident where I didn't see him, his eyes open but devoid of life, glaring at me in a damning accusation. Murderer.

  I shut my eyes and sat still, not moving a single muscle. After a minute or so, I reopened them and saw that the clouds were just clouds again. Completely clearing my mind was the only thing that seemed to get rid of him. Something in me had changed since the incident. I mean, I'm sure anybody would change after taking a human life, but it was more than that.

  It was like there was a whisper in the back of my mind. Was I just imagining it? Maybe it was a side effect of the transformations? I honestly didn't know anymore. I took a deep breath and blew it out. Maybe I was losing my mind. Holding up the paper Kei gave me that contained all my team information, I read it.

  Team Umbra Personnel Report.

  Team Leader: Mina Park, twenty - Displays exceptional individual and leadership skills, but standoffish personality causes communication issues with others.

  Gunner: Vince Riley, nineteen - Exceptional skills in field combat, but lack of compassion for others make him an inadequate leader.

  Scout: Josh Harper, eighteen - Exceptional observation skills, excels as both scout and hacker. Little initiative or ambition limits improvisation in the field.

  Gunner: Hope Dexter, eighteen - Although a new recruit, already displays unrivaled talent in firearms combat. Stoic and quiet personality causes communication issues.

  Scout: Bianca Costa, twenty - Former track, gold medalist. Speed makes her exceptional scout. Incidents of insubordination have occurred repeatedly.

  Grenadier: George Batista, twenty - Bomb disposal and IED expert. A hothead, has difficulty controlling anger.

  Sniper: Noir Ancel, nineteen - Talented in all aspects of infiltration and espionage but excels in long-distance sniping. Failure to cooperate with others causes conflict.

  I read the last bio a second time, not believing Noir was on my team. According to the report, she like everyone else was skilled at what they did but displayed at least one flaw. A few other names on the list surprised me as well, Candace’s friend, Bianca and the pair that had been fighting in the courtyard earlier that morning, Mina and George. I could be wrong, but there were only sixty-seven recruits including me, so that was unlikely.

  Now, I was the tactician of this Team Umbra which all seemed to have personal issues that probably required more of a hands-on approach. The closest thing I'd ever done to lead anyone was guide the line of my classmates in kindergarten, and I’d felt pressure even then. How was I supposed to make this ragtag bunch listen to me? Sighing, I got to my feet and stretched. There was no use stressing over it, time to meet Team Umbra.

  I reached their dorm house a bit later and was face-to-face with a barred fence. Behind it was a three-story dormitory with mostly grey and white stripes running across.

  The fence's entrance was down a few feet, so I walked up and pushed, but it barely budged. “You wanna play rough?” I readied my shoulder and rammed into it next, but it remained shut. Frowning, I rubbed my shoulder in pain and reared my foot back to show the fence who its new boss was.

  "You're only gonna hurt yourself."

  I turned to see a male standing not far behind me, his helmet hair bristling in a gust that passed by.

  He had to be around my age but looked a little younger with a pale, smooth face and small features. "You have to pull, then push." He walked near me and demonstrated by placing his hand on one of the bars, then pulling and giving it a light push to make it swing open.

  "Thanks. It’d be kinda awkward to explain to my new teammates I broke my foot trying to open a gate." I gave a friendly smile.

  "Yeah, not a very good way to introduce yourself."

  I raised an eyebrow at him - from the way he spoke, he sounded as though he might just be one of those teammates. "Josh Harper."

  His own eyebrow shot up. "How did you know?"

  I didn't want to offend him, but he looked like he was the computer type. If anyone was the hacker of the team, it was him. "You look like you know your way around a computer."

  "You mean like a nerd." He frowned.

  "No... more like a Bill Gates."

  "The old guy."

  I grinned. "The old, rich guy."

  "Good point." He gave a half smile back.

  "I’m Adin Anderson, Team Umbra’s new tactician." I offered my hand, trying to sound confident.

  He looked down as if I was offering poison, then after a few, awkward seconds shook it. "I know, you're already making a name for yourself, and you've been here for what, like a day?" />
  He could only be talking about the airport incident.

  "I gotta give you points for style. I was not expecting that." Josh chuckled.

  Or maybe not. "What are you talking about?"

  "The aptitude tests. The whole team was there."

  So, they had been there watching me. I wonder if the laughter I’d heard had come from any of them? If so, I wasn't off to a good start. "Oh... you saw that?"

  "Yup." He started walking forward.

  "Hold on!" I followed him past the fence. "Got any advice for me?" I still didn't know what to expect.

  "Yeah, run away while you still can."

  I chuckled but stopped when he didn’t share in the humor of it. Beautiful. This was totally new to me. How should I address them? Should I demand respect or did I have to earn it? The next few months were going to be very interesting.

  Josh led me to the dorm’s front door and put his hand on the knob. "Good luck." He opened it.

  We were immediately hit with a wave of noise and chatter from a group of five gathered in the living room. Most of them were seated on sofas or standing up, though there was also a pool table that two of them were engaged with.

  "Hi, everyone." I tried to raise my voice over the racquet, but they didn't react. How should I get their attention? I already felt like I was being tested.

  "Everybody, shut up!" Josh hollered, forcing their heads to snap our way.

  "Why are you yelling, Josh? Shut up." The hothead from earlier that morning, George glared from one of the couches.

  "Thanks, Josh." I said out the side of my mouth.

  He nodded back.

  "Hi, everyone. I'm your new teammate and tactician, Adin Anderson. I look forward to working with all of you."

  "Hi, Adin! I can't believe you made team tact out the gate, that's pretty freakin’ impressive." Bianca waved; she was on a lazy boy with her feet propped up next to him.

  "Thanks, Bianca." I smiled at her.

  "Great, we got a boy scout for a teammate." George chimed in again. He was at a distance earlier, so I didn’t get a good look at him. He had thick eyebrows, a brown, round face with a mustache and goatee. The top of his head was short in a buzzcut. Like Bianca, he had Hispanic features.

  "Shut it, George. You're just mad because you lost the bet." She stuck her tongue out at him.

  "What bet?" I asked, looking between the two.

  "Georgie boy here bet us fifty bucks that you wouldn't last the first round against the dome-dummy." Bianca jerked her thumb at him.

  "How many people bet on me?"

  "Well..." She began with an awkward smile.

  I gave her a friendly one. "My feelings aren't easily hurt, Bianca. You can tell me."

  "Me and Noir."

  Ouch. Only two out of seven, did I look that soft? "Hopefully, I can gain your trust in the future."

  They all stared at me in silence. There was no way I could map out strategies and plans if they didn't believe in me, so I needed to make it a mission to gain their trust.

  "That's the spirit, Adin!” Bianca raised a fist.

  I still didn't recognize a few faces, so thought it'd be a good idea to have them introduce themselves. "If everyone doesn't mind, I'd like to know who you are."

  "Bianca Costas, scout extraordinaire. If you need something searched and prodded, I'm your girl." Once again, Bianca was the first to speak.

  "Mina Park, team leader." She leaned against the sofa George was on. And like him I had only seen her from a distance earlier that day. Her long, dark hair was straight as can be and shined in the bright-lit room. She still had a blank look on her brown face with thin eyebrows and a pointy nose.

  The last time I'd seen her, she was being led away in those weird handcuffs by that ogre and his gang, but she was already back and seemed to be okay.

  "I’m Josh Harper, the Bill Gates of the group." He said next to me.

  I turned to him and smiled.

  "My name is Hope. I'm one of two gunners in Team Umbra. Nice to meet you." One of the faces that I didn't recognize spoke up. She was a small, Asian girl. She couldn't have been taller than five feet, and her hair came just to the tip of her shoulders. The rest of her was small too, including her nose and face.

  Across the pool table from her was a male that didn't seem too interested in what was going on. He was the only one left yet to introduce himself, but instead of speaking, he put down the pool stick he was holding and approached me casually.

  I wasn't sure how to react, so just carefully watched him. He stopped inches short when close which gave me a full view of his face. He had spiky hair that must've at least taken thirty minutes to style and thick sideburns framed his square face. And I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he looked familiar.

  "What makes you think you can be the brains of our team?" His blue eyes bored into mine.

  I honestly didn't have an answer for him. After all, I was still trying to figure that out myself, but couldn’t let him know that. "I'll make you a deal. You pick the time and place, and I'll prove it to you in any way you want." A friendly smile was on me.

  He continued staring for a few seconds before his mouth split into a smile, too. "Deal." He stepped to the side and walked past me.

  "You never introduced yourself." I turned to him.

  He stopped before he reached for the doorknob. "Vince Riley." Then opened the door and left.

  Facing forward again, I checked the rest of the room but didn't see her. "It's nice to meet you all, but according to my team report, one member is missing? Noir Ancel." As soon as her name left my mouth, the atmosphere changed.

  Bianca who was usually the energizer bunny didn't say a word and even Mina who was a rock cast her head down.

  "She stays somewhere else on campus." Josh finally revealed.

  "Why?"

  He shrugged. "She just does.”

  Obviously, there was more to the story, but I was willing to let it go, for now anyway. "Who can show me where I can pass out for a few hours? It’s been a long day.”

  "Follow me; I'll show you your room." Josh started towards the stairs that were located on the far side of the room.

  At the top, he led me down a long hallway with several doors to each side until we reached the last one on the right to open it and step inside.

  "Your bags are in the closet, and the bathroom is on the third floor." He turned to leave.

  "Thanks again, man."

  He stopped and turned back to me. "Can I ask you something?"

  "Sure."

  "What made you think to unplug the dome-dummy?"

  I thought for a second and smiled. "I really like my face.”

  "Goodnight." He let out a small laugh and left.

  My new room was bigger than the one back at home. I walked to the bed in the corner and plopped down and was so tired found myself wondering whether the soft sensation under me was what sitting on a cloud must’ve feel like. A vibration interrupted my admiration and forced me to the closet in the back to ruffle through the bag that held my phone.

  Checking it showed fifteen missed calls from home. I had promised to call once in New York, so they were probably worried by now but I needed a serious catnap first. There was also a text from Candace. We rarely fought, but when we did it never lasted very long.

  [Candace:] Only u would think to unplug the dome dummy

  [Adin:] Cuz I'm one of a kind

  [Candace:] Ur something alright

  [Adin:] This isn't a very good apology

  [Candace:] Who said I was apologizing?

  [Adin:] It’s okay Candace. I forgive you

  [Candace:] -_-'

  She texted me again right after.

  [Candace:] I have something planned for you, be ready

  [Adin:] What is it?

  [Candace:] SECRET

  [Adin:] Boooo

  [Candace:] Goodnight :)

  I switched off the screen after and collapsed on my bed, and was out within seconds.


  Chapter 16 – Demonstration

  A blaring horn startled me awake and made me sit up in the darkness. I grabbed my phone and saw it was still pretty early. Even roosters weren't awake at this hour. “What the heck is that?”

  It sounded like someone was trying out for a jazz audition and failing horribly. Groggy from my interrupted sleep, I got up and staggered to the door. On the other side, Hope was marching in place with a trumpet that was starting to give me a headache in its loudness.

  "May I ask what you're doing, Hope?" I asked politely.

  She finally stopped her awful playing and looked up at me. "Waking everyone up."

  "Why?"

  "Training."

  Crap. I had totally forgotten training started today, but did it have to be at such an ungodly hour? "With a trumpet?" I thought it was a little overkill.

  "This is the only thing that seems to work."

  I noticed she already had her training gear on; a black tank top with fatigues and boots.

  "Okay then, thanks for the wakeup call.” I smiled at her.

  She nodded and began playing again. I put my fingers in my ears. That’s going to take some getting used to. If I remembered correctly, the bathroom was on the third floor, and I was in need of a shower, having been too exhausted to take one the day before. After grabbing the necessary items from my duffle bag, something fell out. It was Arena's stuffed, purple lizard.

  I smiled; she loved the stupid thing to death - what kind of eleven-year-old girl liked lizards anyway? She must've snuck it in while I wasn't looking. I set it down on my dresser and left the room. Inside the bathroom, I spotted Vince in front of a sink and mirror brushing his teeth with only a towel on at the back.

  "Get enough beauty sleep?" He asked as soon as he saw me.

  "You can never get enough beauty sleep."

  He barked out a laugh, or maybe it was more of a sneer. "Well, it'll be real interesting to see your pretty face in hand-to-hand today."