The Academy Defenders

by T. J. Robinson

  Sean and Milo rose from the ground. Sean tried to kick the raider, but he deflected the blow and then sent Sean sprawling back to the ground with a push to the chest. Jack, Guga, and Skylar stepped out from their hiding places. Lincoln waited. His job was to handle any rite attacks.

  This time the raider didn’t hesitate. He shot an air blast at Jack and Skylar. Lincoln didn’t have time to think, only to react. He dissolved the wave of air, turning it into nothing more than a faint breeze by the time it reached his friends.

  The raider realized he was overmatched and turned to flee. Milo dove at him again, this time grabbing his leg. The raider was busy trying to yank his foot out of Milo’s grasp when Kennedy jumped out from the bushes and whacked him on the back of the head with a tree branch. He slumped to the ground.

  “Good work, everybody,” whispered Milo. He glanced around to make sure they were still alone. “Let’s get him to the lair.”

  The raider began stirring as they approached the lair. Kennedy whacked him with her branch for a second time. He stopped moving.

  “Geez, Kennedy,” said Sean. “He can’t talk to us if you kill him.”

  Milo opened the lair entrance, and together the recruits carried their prisoner down the stairs. They dropped him on one of the mattresses. Under the lights in the lair, they were able to get their first good look at the man. He was thin and had a sharp chin and a small, pointed nose. He had not shaved for at least a week, and the clothes beneath his grey hoodie were tattered and dirty. He smelled like an outhouse. Kennedy wrinkled her nose in disgust. Whoever this man was, he had lived a very rough life.

  Milo nudged the man with his foot. He didn’t budge. Milo nudged him again, this time with more force. The man groaned but didn’t move, so Milo squatted down next to the man and began shaking his shoulder.

  “Time to wake up, old man,” Milo said, still shaking the man’s shoulder. The man groaned again and then finally opened his eyes.

  He slowly sat up, rubbing his head and wincing under the bright lights. “Ugh ... where am I?” He spoke with a thick Scottish accent.

  “The last place you want to be,” answered Milo. His voice had lost its usual playful ring. “We’ve got some questions for you.”

  It happened so fast that Lincoln almost missed it. The raider’s eyes flashed grey, and he tried to slow time, hoping to sneak out of the lair before anyone could grab him. Lincoln noticed just in time, however, and quickly blocked the raider’s attempt.

  “Uh-uh,” Lincoln told him, “none of that.” The raider looked confused. Lincoln guessed he was probably wondering who had stopped him, since no one else’s eyes were glowing.

  Milo reached into his pocket, pulled out one of the vials, and dangled it in front of the overwhelmed prisoner’s face. “Do you know what this is?” Milo asked. The man shook his head.

  “Deleo poison,” Milo continued. The raider’s face grew white. “If you answer my questions, this goes back in my pocket. If you don’t ... well then, you know where it goes.” The raider nodded. “Let’s start with an easy one. What’s your name?”

  “Duncan,” the raider answered stiffly.

  “Well, Duncan, what are you and your friends doing here at our academy?”

  “They’re not my friends.” Milo screwed the top off the Deleo poison vial. Duncan raised his hands defensively. “Wait ... just listen for a second, would ya? A few days ago, a friend of mine told me he had a job for me if I wanted it. He’s a shady character, but life’s been kinda tough lately, you know, so I jumped at the chance. He never told me what we would be doing.”

  Looking at Duncan’s clothes and his gaunt face, Lincoln could imagine him taking a job without asking too many questions.

  “Then what happened?” Milo prodded.

  “We were told to meet just outside of London at midnight two nights ago. They loaded us into cargo planes and we were off. We landed a few miles from here and then hiked to the outer wall. The ones in charge gave each of us a hoodie and one of these.” Duncan held out his arm to show Milo one of the Barrier wristbands. “Then they told us what the job was.”

  “And what was that?”

  Duncan grimaced. “Help them take over the academy. I had no idea that was what they were planning. A couple of recruits met us at the wall and led us to the tower. Then we broke into the Assembly Hall, grabbed everyone, and locked them up.”

  Duncan sighed. “Like I said, I came for the job, but the things we were doing didn’t sit right with me. Some of those men and women out there, they’re pure evil. And the way they treated those kids ....” He shuddered. “I mostly stayed out of everyone’s way as soon as I realized what was going on. I was skipping out of here when you grabbed me.”

  “Yeah, right,” Kennedy muttered, still holding her stick.

  “It’s the truth, I swear it,” protested Duncan. “I was leaving when you guys grabbed me. At first I thought you were part of the Legion.”

  “The Legion?” Skylar repeated.

  “That’s what they call themselves. Xander’s Legion.”

  The interrogation paused for a moment as the recruits digested what they had just been told. If Duncan was telling the truth, he was nothing more than a hungry, desperate man who had gotten in over his head. Lincoln almost felt sorry for him. First Grace, and now Duncan. It seemed no one was who they expected.

  When Milo spoke again, his tone was much less threatening. “We need to know everything you can tell us about this Legion and how they’re guarding our friends.”

  Duncan noticed the change in Milo’s voice. He sighed in relief. “Like I said, Xander’s the one in charge. He and a group of his followers led us on the raid, and then once everything was secured, they holed up in the director’s office. They’re still there, far as I know. The only time they go out is to look for their secret weapon.”

  “Who is he?” Sean asked.

  “Dunno. The Legion leaders met us here when we landed. They were all wearing white masks, and they’ve never taken them off.”

  “So how many of you are there?” asked Kennedy.

  Duncan scrunched his face and scratched his head. “Close to three hundred, maybe more. At least a third of them are kids, some your age, some older.”

  “And they’re all Guardians?” Skylar asked. Duncan nodded.

  How did Xander get a hundred teenage Guardians to help him invade the Academy? Lincoln wondered. Who is this guy?

  “Okay,” said Milo, retaking control of the interrogation. “Tell us about the prisoners.”

  Duncan frowned. “They’re all in the tower. The recruits are still in the auditorium where we found them. The adults were split into two groups. Academy staff members were moved to the RTC, and the Council and their aides were moved to the seventh floor offices.”

  “And how are they guarded?”

  “The recruits are tied up, and the auditorium doors are locked. There’s a bunch of guards in there keeping ‘em in line.”

  “How many?” asked Milo.

  “All the kids and thirty or so adults,” answered Duncan.

  “Okay, what about the others, how are they guarded?”

  “The RTC has some sort of contraption on the door. My friend who brought me here told me it keeps those inside from controlling rites. Amazing, huh? They’ve got another twenty or so guards outside the doors, just in case the thing breaks down. As for the others, they’re making the Council and their aides drink Deleo poison and posting a few guards at each office.”

  “Is that everyone?”

  “Not even close,” said Duncan, shaking his head. “There are two more guards at the tower entrance, plus twenty or so roamers. The roamers are supposed to investigate anything suspicious reported by the patrollers. I already told you about Xander and his goons up in Rockwell’s office. Everyone else is either out on patrol or guarding the outer wall.”

  “That’s a lot of guards,” admitted Milo as soon as Duncan finished talking.

  “Yeah,” agre
ed Sean. “Seven on three hundred isn’t great odds.”

  “If we can free the Atlas staff, then those odds get a lot better,” Jack pointed out.

  “Thanks, Sherlock,” mocked Sean. “And how do we do that?”

  “Shut up, Sean,” snapped Milo. “He’s right. If we want to do this, we’re going to need them.”

  “I was just saying it’s not like we can snap our fingers and then, poof, they’re free,” Sean grumbled.

  “You’re right,” agreed Milo. “Our only chance is to get to the third floor without the other guards knowing we’re up there. So, everybody, what’s the plan?”

  Silence filled the lair as the recruits tried to come up with a plan. Kennedy began pacing back and forth. “It would be a lot easier to sneak in without the roamers,” she finally pointed out.

  “Yeah,” agreed Milo, “we’ll need to get them away from the tower.”

  Duncan cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him. “Sorry, couldn’t help but overhear your little discussion, and I think I can help.”

  “How?” asked Milo in a guarded tone.

  “If you can get the roamers away from the tower, I can get you to the third floor.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Kennedy asked suspiciously. “We just met you, and you were working for them. For all we know, you could be leading us into a trap.”

  “I could be,” Duncan agreed, “but I’m not. I have no way of proving myself, darling, and I’m not excusing what I did earlier. But everyone deserves a second chance. I guess you’ll just have to decide if you think you can trust me.”

  All eyes turned to Milo. He looked at Guga, who after a moment gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Milo nodded back.

  “Okay, now all we need is that distraction,” said Milo.

  “Or an army,” joked Sean.

  “How about both?” asked Lincoln. Everyone looked at him, surprise on their faces. Throughout the interrogation, he had been silent, quietly listening to his friends and Duncan. But when Milo had turned to look at Guga, one of the wristbands from Milo’s pocket had fallen to the ground. As Lincoln watched the wristband fall, an idea had popped into his head.

  “What do you mean?” asked Milo. And this time, everyone else listened quietly as Lincoln told them his crazy plan.

  CHAPTER 21

  SAMSON

  THE EIGHT OF THEM TRUDGED ALONG, slowly making their way through Sector 8. Duncan knew the approximate locations of the patrols and guided the group away from those areas. Still, they were forced to stop two or three times, hiding in the surrounding trees as a patrol marched past. Fortunately, none of them had death hounds, which according to Duncan were kept closer to the outer wall.

  The terrain grew rougher as they closed in on their destination, making the journey even more difficult. The good news was they no longer saw any patrols. Apparently, Xander wasn’t concerned about this area of the academy.

  A faint, red light shimmered in the distance. Lincoln had never seen it before, but he knew what it was. The NE Barrier, the entrance to their destination. He felt a pang of fear in his stomach and had a sudden urge to tell his friends never mind, his plan was ridiculous. He resisted, and after a moment the feeling passed.

  Ten minutes later they were standing at the base of the translucent Barrier. Its red glow and the moonlight combined to provide just enough light to see into the area beyond the Barrier. It was full of dense foliage, tall trees, and giant boulders. Lincoln stepped in front of the others to get a better look. As far as he could see, the area looked empty.

  He felt a hard slap on his back. “I think Milo’s rubbed off on you, mate,” Sean said. “Your plan sounds like one of his.”

  “Nah, not enough style,” countered Milo. He looked at Lincoln. “You ready for this?”

  “No,” answered Lincoln, crinkling his forehead and shaking his head. “But it’s our only real shot at saving everybody. You’re absolutely certain the yeti can understand us?”

  “Most definitely,” confirmed Milo. “I caught it listening to us and the Keepers talking before they brought it here. It’ll understand. The question is will it listen?”

  That is the question, Lincoln admitted to himself as he continued to peer through the Barrier. Milo had enthusiastically endorsed Lincoln’s idea to beg the creatures from the NE Zone to help in the fight. They were minutes from finding out if it was the smartest or dumbest part of their plan.

  Milo turned to Sean and Guga. “Give us two hours. If we’re not back by then, you know what to do.”

  Sean and Guga nodded. According to Milo’s plan, they would be staying here just outside the NE Barrier, keeping an eye on Duncan. If the others weren’t back in two hours then the three of them were supposed to make a run for the outer wall.

  Lincoln glanced down at the NE Barrier wristband secured around his wrist. Everyone going into the NE Zone had grabbed several from the red locker at the lair. He could feel the extras he had stuffed inside his pockets pressing against his thighs.

  Lincoln looked back up as Milo stepped forward. A thick fog immediately rose up from the ground on the other side of the Barrier, as if it sensed his presence and wanted to keep him from entering. Milo didn’t seem to mind. He turned back to his friends, gave them a confident smile, and plunged forward.

  One by one, the others followed. Lincoln was last. Crossing the NE Barrier felt completely different from crossing the Sector 8 Barrier. It was thick and slimy, like a wall of wet cement, and Lincoln burst out the other side gasping for breath.

  “Check it out!” Milo whispered, pointing to the Barrier. Everyone turned around to see what had Milo so excited.

  “Wow!” exclaimed Skylar.

  The Barrier was quite different now that they were on the inside of the NE Zone. No longer translucent or red, it looked like a giant rock wall rising out of sight, blocking their view of the outside. Lincoln cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to his friends across the Barrier, “Can you hear me?”

  “Shut up!” Kennedy whispered, pointing around them. “Remember where we are.”

  “Sorry,” Lincoln whispered back, silently cursing himself for his own stupidity.

  Milo ignored them. “It’s brilliant. The Keepers can see everything, but the creatures have no idea what’s on the other side of the Barrier. I’ll bet they never come near it.”

  “Hate to burst your bubble, Milo,” said Jack, “but that’s not a good bet.” He pointed to a giant boulder to their right. A large, catlike creature sat crouched on top of the boulder, its yellow eyes glowing through the fog. It didn’t move from the boulder, but instead just sat there, watching them.

  “What now, Milo?” Skylar asked.

  “What am I,” he growled, “a website on bizarre creatures? Here goes nothing.” He took a step toward the catlike creature. Immediately, the creature growled and crouched low, preparing to pounce. He lifted both of his hands in the air and took a step backward. “It’s okay, we’re your friends. Please don’t kill us ....”

  The growling ceased. What if the yeti wasn’t the only one that could understand human speech? There was only one way to find out.

  Lincoln stepped forward. “We came to see the yeti.”

  “Link,” Milo muttered though clenched teeth, “what are you doing?”

  Before he could respond, the creature leaped off the boulder and began trotting toward the recruits.

  “Oh, crap,” Milo groaned. “Okay, guys, get ready.”

  The creature was now close enough for Lincoln to reach out and touch it. It resembled a large panther, except on the side of its neck it had a series of slits, like gills on a fish, and its tail ended in a sharp point, like a scorpion’s. It circled the recruits, sniffed around, and then stopped, its face inches from Lincoln’s. The recruits stood still, prepared to defend themselves if attacked.

  With quickness that not even a Guardian could duplicate, the creature lunged forward. Lincoln tried to jump away, but he was much too sl
ow. The creature snapped its jaws, grabbing Lincoln’s shirt with its teeth.

  “Link!” Skylar screamed.

  The creature stepped backward, pulling Lincoln with it. Then, just as Lincoln and his friends were preparing to attack, the creature released his shirt and trotted forward. The creature took a few steps and then stopped. Lincoln exhaled in relief.

  “I think it wants us to follow it,” he whispered.

  “Yeah, but where to?” asked Kennedy.

  “Only one way to find out,” said Lincoln, and he stepped forward, ignoring Kennedy’s protests. Before he could count to three, Milo was walking beside him, and a few seconds later, Lincoln heard the others hurrying to catch up.

  The creature was fast. The recruits were forced to jog in order to keep up. As they trotted behind the giant panther, other creatures would suddenly appear, running beside them for a while before disappearing into the surrounding trees. After doing this for what seemed like hours and hours, they found themselves at the foot of a small mountain on a narrow dirt path. The panther paused and glanced back, as if to make sure the recruits were still there, and then began climbing.

  Their guide led them to a dark cave hidden between two large cliffs about halfway to the top of the mountain. Crouched at the cave entrance were two saber-toothed tigers, identical to the ones Lincoln had killed during squad tryouts. They growled threateningly as soon as they saw the approaching recruits. The panther growled back, stepped forward, and squatted down between the two guards. The two saber-tooths stopped growling and joined their friend in squatting on the ground.

  “Fantastic!” muttered Kennedy sarcastically. “A creepy cave, that’s just where I hoped we were headed.”

  “You’re welcome to wait out here with them,” said Jack, motioning to the three giant cats. As if on cue, one of the saber-tooths growled again.

  “Actually, now that I think about it, a creepy cave doesn’t sound that bad after all.”

  Milo took the lead again, and the five recruits stepped into the cave. Within seconds, they were engulfed in complete darkness. Using the rites, Lincoln created a ball of white light and pushed it out in front of the group. They continued forward, following the light through the winding passageway and eventually into a spacious cavern.