The Energy Crusades

by Valerie Noble

  "I want to speak to my brother." I could hear the steel in my voice as I addressed Ajax. It was easier to focus my anger on him rather than the grinning and likable Balor Marc. It was obvious he meant well, and every feeling I got from him was pleasant. He was truly happy to meet me and more than ready to protect me. I wasn't at all sure about Ajax's feelings, since he knew too well how to mask them. I stared at his face as he processed my request, his features gaunt and tired looking, as if he hadn't slept in ages. I wondered if my face looked the same way, for I rarely had a restful night's sleep.

  "Well then, I guess you'll have to wait until Professor Baal gives you back your mailbox," he answered, leaving me with my resentment as he stalked out of the room.

  Chapter Three

  Tennis

  My brother often remarked that nothing solved a problem faster than a good right hook to the jaw. In my case, a good left hook. I'd always discouraged his violent tendencies, especially since it was a waste of energy, but Tiergan could be short tempered and quick to solve disputes with his fists. Fighting was strictly forbidden in Athlete Academies, but impossible to control. Heavy competition, little contact with loved ones, and an endless training schedule bred a restless frustration that often resulted in physical skirmishes.

  I would be lying if I said I'd never used my fists to work out a problem. If you picked a fight with Tiergan, then you picked a fight with me and vice versa. However, most of the fights I'd been involved in were between Tiergan and me, the two of us stubborn and unbending and knowing all too well how to push each other's buttons as only siblings can. I knew how to take a punch and I knew how to give one.

  I sat across from Ajax in the cafeteria, fuming over his refusal to let me use his mailbox. Balor had offered me the use of his, but I didn't want to start off in his debt. What I wanted was to use my left hook just then, if only to let out my frustration on the unpleasant boy who made me feel insignificant, but I knew it wouldn't solve anything. I had to accept the reality of the situation. Ajax was not the friend I remembered, but merely a stranger doing his job.

  "You'll probably find him quite charming once you get to know him," Balor attempted to ease the tension between the two of us as we ate our snacks in silence. I didn't feel like eating, but Ajax insisted, knowing I hadn't eaten since early morning and reminding me of the long day ahead of me. We sat in a corner away from the other Students who seemed to be just lounging around as if they had nothing else to do. Were there no other Athletes at this University?

  "Why, does he become charming?" I reluctantly answered Balor, though I wanted to remain as silent as Ajax. Balor pretended to think about the question.

  "No," he answered truthfully, "he's pretty much always like this."

  "That's what I thought." I allowed a small smile to form on my lips in answer to the huge grin on Balor's. Ajax and I avoided looking at each other, and I took comfort in the certainty of Tiergan finding some way to contact me. I simply had to wait until he did. I should have never asked Ajax for a favor in the first place.

  Our next stop was the Athletics Building on the eastern end of the campus. The building was large and well kept. I was familiar with the place as it was host to several tennis matches. There were approximately twelve tennis courts in all. The stadium court was directly behind the building, with the other courts spread out to the north. The running track surrounded a football field to the south. The building itself held the locker rooms, sporting equipment, a fitness center, and lounge.

  We entered the building up a short flight of stairs flanked by flowering peach trees, a few of the over three thousand dotting the campus. Floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded glass and steel doors that I leaned my weight against, propelling them open. The two-story building had been retrofitted and the white stucco walls and wood beams were nicely preserved. The roof had once been fitted with red clay tiles but now housed a rooftop garden. Inside, the high ceilings served as a backdrop to beams made of long planks of dark wood. With some care, the wood had stood the test of time. Stone floors led us to a large counter manned by a short woman with dark skin. Behind her were rows of shelves bursting with various sporting gear.

  "Hello, Wallis," Ajax greeted her. I admired the way her hair was braided intricately all around her head.

  "Hello, Ajax," she answered, "What will it be?"

  "Tennis. But not with the Virtuals." If we were to play with virtual partners, we would need more protection. Virtuals hit the ball back with speed and accuracy, and they never missed. If the ball hit you, it hurt. I was relieved I wouldn't have to wear the virtual gear my first day there.

  Wallis motioned me over. "Hello, Kaia. It's a great pleasure to meet you. I'm Wallis Banks and I'm the Athletics Director here. It's my job to make sure you have all of the gear you need." She weighed me and took my measurements, entering them into the monitor on the counter. When the calculations were complete, she found a tennis outfit tailored to my specifications. She brought nothing back for either of the boys, and I assumed they already had their assigned clothing. "You're playing tennis?" She looked at Balor in disbelief.

  "Well, I don't want to show off," he laughed off her incredulity. "I'll stick to the weight room."

  Wallis turned her attention back toward me.

  "Your coach is waiting for you. Go get changed and be sure to check in with him immediately." I bowed to her and we headed up stairs. I stopped at the entrance to the girls' locker room and looked at Balor.

  "Thank you," I bowed to him slightly and he bowed back.

  "I'll see you later, okay?"

  "I hope so," I answered. I gave a slight nod to Ajax and then headed inside.

  The locker room was warm and inviting. The walls were lined with wooden lockers, each equipped with outlets for energy suits to be plugged into. Throughout the middle of the room were rows of benches, used as a place to change or sit, pull off clothing or even just relax. The floors were the same stone as in the lobby. Opposite the entrance I could see a glass partition leading to the showers and bathrooms.

  "Hello, I'm Tory Keevah." A girl stepped in front of me the moment I entered, as if she'd been waiting for me. She dipped her head as she introduced herself. Only about 1.6 meters tall, she was a little thing, with a halo of long blonde hair falling in curls down her back. She kept it away from her delicate face with a headband, making her large eyes appear even larger. They were a beautiful light brown color fringed with long dark lashes. Her pale skin contrasted prettily with the shade of her eyes, and there was just a hint of pink about her cheeks. Despite her small stature, she appeared quite sure of herself. Tory stood perfectly straight and looked me square in the eyes, unfazed by how I seemed to tower over her. Intelligent eyes and a quiet manner enhanced the sense of calm radiating from her being. In quiet tones, she managed to speak purposefully while leading me to the back of the locker rooms and away from the other Students.

  "I've been expecting you. I'm the only other girl on our Crusade team, and I'm also your roommate. I apologize for not being there to greet you earlier, but I was detained in hydroponics."

  "Nice to meet you," I dipped my head toward her and continued, "We're the only two, huh?"

  "Afraid so. And, I don't want to rush you, but Coach Renier is anxious to see you on the courts. You still need to earn your energy for the day, correct?"

  "Yes. Do you play?"

  We pulled off our energy suits and hung them in side-by-side lockers while we talked. The suits would be drained of energy while plugged in, and the information would be sent to our accounts. Our tennis clothes worked the same way our energy suits did, but instead of long pants, we had skirts with tight compression shorts beneath, not unlike the tennis skirts in the era before the Great Oil Wars. My tennis outfit, like my energy suit, was black, and again, I stood out amidst a sea of gray.

  "I do play," Tory smiled, "I'm sure I'm nowhere near your level, but I can hold my own. It is an honor to be here with you."

  "Thank you." I lowered
my head again, touched by her sincerity. "Have you met all of the others? I've only met Ajax and Balor."

  "No," she answered. "I've only met those two as well. Some of us have been a while at the University, but I am newly arrived from the Aquila Grid."

  "Well, I am newly arrived too, and now I've met you." We exchanged friendly smiles and headed out to the courts together. Making friends suddenly seemed possible, and my spirits lifted just a bit.

  Outside, the sun was bright. It felt wonderful on my bare legs after the confinement of my energy suit. I had an Athlete's lean physique, which served me well on the courts, but I couldn't help wishing I was a bit curvier, like Tory. Where her hips curved, I was straight as a board. She let her hair flow around her shoulders, while mine was braided tightly down my back, the auburn color bleached copper in places from many hours spent in the sun.

  The two of us walked to one of the practice courts where several other Students were standing. Ajax was among the group, and he watched us approach. My first thought was how good he looked in his tennis shorts, which hit just above his knee, and my second hurriedly squelched it while I reminded myself not to spend any time noticing the way he looked. He was my mentor, not my friend, and I repeated it like a mantra in my mind, mentor not friend, mentor not friend. I shifted my focus to his necklace and how it twisted at his throat, providing an inexplicable urge to reach out and straighten it. Instead, I balled my hands into fists and turned my attention away from him.

  Coach Renier was directing Students on another part of the court. He spoke with some of the other coaches but I could see the change in his body when he detected my presence. His shoulders straightened and he stood up straighter, searching for me. As his eyes met mine and our energies connected, the familiarity of our togetherness eased some of the tension from my shoulders. Around us, the conversations hushed while Coach Renier addressed me.

  "I see you took your time getting here," he greeted me, using long strides to close the distance between us. Clouds hadn't shadowed the blue of his eyes so he wasn't as annoyed as he wanted me to believe. My coach was a tall man, lean, and honestly, quite handsome. I didn't know his true age, but by the salt mixed with pepper in his hair, I guessed he'd seen nearly one hundred years pass while still appearing every bit as youthful as my own parents. Descenders did not age as quickly as humans, and even humans lived much longer than in the pre-war era. Many effects of aging had been reversed with a clean food supply, clean energy, and advanced Danunian healing capabilities.

  "I just left you a few hours ago, Coach Renier," I bowed to him and kept my smile hidden.

  No matter what she told you, you still answer to me. His features remained neutral as he spoke inside of my head.

  She said I need to obey her.

  He did not answer directly, but gave me a look I knew all too well. Shedding his authority wouldn't be an easy task and, truthfully, he had the upper hand. I had obeyed him most of my life. It was natural for me. Maybe I had known Astrid Baal longer, but I had been with my coach for a more significant portion of my life.

  He addressed the other Students and called for us to warm up using the ball walls. The walls rose from the baselines of the tennis courts and were programmed to light up at varying degrees of difficulty. You would face the wall, a target would light up, and you would attempt to hit the target, then hit the next one and keep on going as the difficulty increased. The object was to hit as many of targets as you could.

  When it was my turn, I kept my head down, eye on the ball as I worked through the drills. I could tell Coach used the hardest levels on me, but I kept my concentration and hit the targets as I was trained to do. My racket felt like an extension of my left arm, my weapon against the world, and when I placed my feet on the court, I could tune everything else out. Often, I could hit the targets before they illuminated.

  When we finished the wall drill, Coach had about ten of us gather in a group.

  "Ajax, do you regularly hit with such accuracy?" he asked.

  "Yes, Coach," Ajax answered with a slight bow.

  "Why didn't you ever come on tour? There are a lot of Athletes who can't hit with the same precision. You did almost as well as Kaia." An impressive feat, I had to admit. I looked at Ajax with a newfound respect. He met my eyes and gave a little nod, pleased by the recognition from Coach Renier. His parents hadn't allowed him or Cadmus to leave home to try out for the tour. They had lost too many children to the Juvenile Plague and wanted to keep their boys close.

  Coach asked if I would permit the other players to hit with me, one at a time. I was hesitant to do so. None of the players could match my skills, and I didn't want to be labeled a show off on my first day.

  "I just want you to hit the ball back," he explained, "We'll let them work on whatever aspect of the game they want, and you can serve as a backboard for them, okay? We'll have some fun and you can earn your energy for the day." I agreed to do it and faced each Student one by one. I hit to their backhand or forehand, whichever they were working on, practiced my serve as they practiced their return, or returned their serve so they would know to get ready once the ball left their fingertips.

  Finally, Ajax stood across from me. Coach asked us to play a whole set against each other. He wanted to see what Ajax could do.

  "He's taller than you, and he's fast. I'm betting he'll get everything back," he appraised Ajax while he spoke. "Pick on his backhand. And you," he pointed a finger at Ajax, "Don't make the mistake of hitting anything short to her forehand. She'll make you pay for it. She is an all-around player, so you need to get your fist serve in and try to find a weakness."

  Ajax was also a lefty. As we played, Coach called out various tips for each of us. He directed us to the other's weaknesses, forcing our games to improve. It was a rare treat to play against another left-hander and Ajax provided more than enough of a challenge. He returned everything I sent his way, and we battled for each point. An hour passed before our set was complete and I only won by a single break of his serve. On the tennis court, I exuded confidence; it was my domain, but I had worried about finding a decent hitting partner at the University. My concern was needless as Ajax showcased his capabilities with the sport.

  When our match ended, Coach motioned for us to shake hands across the net. I was reluctant to face Ajax, but no matter the opponent, tennis players had to shake hands after a match. When I began to walk in his direction, Ajax simply nodded at me then left the court without coming to the net, leaving me alone with my Coach. "He doesn't have very good manners, does he?" Coach observed, recognizing the flush of anger upon cheeks.

  "Maybe he wasn't raised right?" I tried to make a joke of it but the rejection stung. Coach placed a hand on my shoulder.

  "You're going to have to get used to him. Just don't take it personally."

  I sighed heavily and fiddled with the strings on my racquet. "Why did she do this? Why didn't she let me train with my brother? I hate this."

  "Give it time, Kaia. She has her reasons. I wouldn't have let you leave the Academy with Tiergan anyway, and the truth is, she had to do a lot of coercing to get you here this year."

  "So I have you to blame for this?" My voice wasn't as light as I wanted it to be but Coach didn't take offense.

  He tugged on my braid and shooed me off the court. "Go on now, get changed and keep your chin up. You're an Athlete, and you need to remember to leave your emotions out of it."

  I bowed to him and headed for the locker rooms to shower and change before heading to wherever else I was meant to be. The day grew longer, and I was feeling the weariness creep up on me. I'd traveled nearly five hours to get home, had little to eat, and had just exercised intensely. While in the shower, I let the warm water cascade over my shoulders and stepped out a bit rejuvenated. Tory had gone on without me, and I felt the loneliness settle in once again.

  When I stepped out of the locker room, Ajax stood leaning against the wall, waiting for me. His hair was wet, but this time it was from the sh
ower, rather than from the heat of the tennis court. It bothered me the way my heart leapt into my throat at the sight of him. Mentor not friend, I reminded myself again, then held all of my emotions in check while I studied him.

  "Professor Baal would like to see you in the food lab," he said. His eyes met mine and he didn't look away.

  "Yes, sir," I nodded respectfully and brushed past him, ready to leave him behind and finish my day. Had I been braver, I would have asked about dinner, but his slight on the tennis court still stung and I didn't dare.

  Once outside, I paused and looked toward the football fields. I could see the players out practicing on the fields, passing the ball among their feet, lightning quick, and shooting at the goal. Their practice gear was not unlike tennis gear: long sleeved gray shirts with solar reflectors across the sleeves and back, and shorts hitting just above the knees. The only difference was the knee high socks covering shin guards and black cleats for ease on the turf. Boundary lines for the football field were active, though the players were only practicing. Practice or not, their feet moved swiftly while they flicked the ball back and forth in total concentration as they approached the goal. My feet itched to join their game where I might lose myself in the activity rather than have to face Professor Baal again. Tiergan would have appreciated my willingness to play football as an escape from the food lab.

  "Do you see the red head? The one racing toward the goal right now?" I nearly jumped out of my skin when Ajax spoke up right next to me. He'd followed me out of the Athletics building and I hadn't noticed. My heart pounded in surprise as he pointed toward a Student fitting the description. The player in question was a bit stocky, but quick with his feet.

  "His name is Caden. He's also on our team."

  "Okay," I answered, glad for the information. When I continued on my way, I knew Ajax kept pace with me. He walked just slightly behind me, but I knew he was there. He didn't say another word as we made our way across campus and back to the food science building.