The Games Heroes Play (13 page)

It took Jay a moment to adjust to his newfound sight.  It was much different to view the world from a third person perspective, but he compensated surprisingly fast.  With his new perspective, he could now see that his right foot was close to the side of a large crate, so he kicked out at it, propelling him and his captors sideways in the other direction.  With those around him off balance, Jay pulled one arm free again, but this time he could see the person moving to grab that arm, and he quickly dodged the grab, and instead took hold of their arm and pulled them onto the Titan who still held onto his other arm.  The collision was enough for him to free his second arm, and with his arms free, the rest of his body soon followed.
 

He was now free to weave in and out of the crowd as he pleased.  Even the Hermes around could not catch him now, as their sight was limited by what they could see through their own goggles, and as such were moving cautiously.  Jay began gathering up as many pairs of goggles as he could, snatching them off the heads of those around him.  Each one he took decreased his own sight, but by the time this was significant enough to inhibit his motions, he simply put on
one of the pairs he had taken, and grabbed the last few off of his opponents.  He dashed off with his new bundle, back towards
the rest of the scouting crew.

Jay could see that the others were getting anxious when he arrived back, but he could also tell that their discomfort vanished upon seeing the package Jay had returned with.  “Decathlon, what did you do!  You must have taken e
very pair of goggles they had!”

“I hope so, it would certainly give us an advantage
,”
Jay responded with a smile.  “Let’s get back to the oth
ers and give them our… report.”

They sped off, back towards their own group.
 

When they arrived back to where Hammer was, their reception was certainly a welcome one.  Hammer excitedly distributed out the goggles that Jay had collected.  To her surprise, Jay had gathered twelve pairs of goggles.  “But we only star
ted with ten?” 
s
he
questioned.

“They have a lot of supplies that we don’t have.  I think they have been opening the boxes and finding usef
ul items inside
,”
Jay replied.

Jay could not see Hammers face clearly, but he could read just enough of her thoughts to tell that she felt a little silly for not having thought of that herself. 
“You three, with the shovels!
  Start using them to pry open boxes, and
report to me on what you find.”

With the report given, team A was sent back to keep an eye on the opponents, and make sure they
did not
recover enough to become a threat again.  Jay was sent off to scout out
on his own for the orb
.  After half an hour of searching, a dim green light came on in the arena.  Jay knew what this meant; someone on his team had found the orb and pressed their button.  Jay threw off his goggles, as they now made it more difficult to see with the amount of light visible, and ran as fast as he could in the direction of the ray of white light which must be the signal as to
the location of the orb.  He got there quickly, and found his team already
setting up a defense around it.

“Come on Decathlon, join the line!  We are creating a circle around Hummer, who has the orb.  We’re backing towards the back wall of the arena,
then
sliding down towards the corner.  The fewer directions we need to guard against, the better!”  Hammer was calling out her plan with a mix of excitement and paranoia, glancing every which way to
see when an attack would occur.

They hadn’t reached the wall yet when the attack came.  Duke had called out shortly before the attack came that there were many greys around, but they were still not prepared for such a thorough, well organized attack.  Jay had kept towards the center of the group, close to Hummer, in order to be a last defense.  It was not long before he saw some of the grey team members breaking through the line.  He realized the grey team had chosen a section of the green teams’ defenses, and were focusing their attack there.  As the first of them broke through, Jay ran over and met them.  With a tackle resembling that of a football player, Jay scooped up the front grey team member with his shoulder, and using him as a plow pushed back the whole line of grey team members.  This allowed
his own
team the time and space needed to reform their defense, putting the grey team back at square one on their attack.  Jay was now on the outside, and decided his best way to help would now be to run around the outside and pull off anyone who was making progress through the line.  With the defenses now held strong, the grey team was unable to make a second push through the line.  The lights came on to their normal strength, and the loudspeaker called out with its usual message, signaling the end of the game.  They had lasted through the twenty minutes, and had won another match.

There were no cheers this time.  No words of congratulations, and no pats on the back.  Most of the team were dumbfounded that they had actually won the game, and not only won the semifinal match, but had beaten one of the top teams.  Those who had gotten passed the sense of awe had moved on to the next emotion; fear.  Up until this point, the idea of facing the red team had been a distant notion, with far too many obstacles coming before it to give the idea any real thought.  Now it was official - they would face the red team the next day.

CHAPTER 13

THEY GOT TOGETHER
immediately for a practice, without even going back for showers first.  Many of them were covered in dirt from digging, or from being knocked down during the final attack, but they ignored the grime.  It was never actually declared that they wou
ld have a practice – rather the
whole team just followed Hammer.  She walked out of the arena in silence, up to the school in silence, and all the way to a practice room without a word while her whole team walked silently behind her.  Jay could see people whispering to each other as the team passed in the halls.  He noticed Michael on the side as they passed. 
Did you win?
  The thought came. 
Yes.
  Jay thought back, with a smile.  Michael respond
ed with a big smile of his own.

They arrived at the room, and for a few minutes nobody spoke, they just rested.  Most took seats on benches, or on the floor.  Hammer immediately went over to the weights and started lifting.  After a few reps, she came back over to the group.  She had cleared her head,
and was finally ready to speak.

“We won
,”
s
he said, with a smile.  A few members of the team laughed, but many remained unmoved from their solemnity.  “I know,” Hammer continued, “I know just like you do that we hav
e our toughest match tomorrow.”

“Tough is an understatement
,”
Duke’s friend retorted.  “I’d say we have a n
ear impossible match tomorrow.”

“I’m glad you agree
,”
H
ammer replied.

“So yo
u realize it’s impossible too?”

“You didn’t say it was impossible, you said it was
near
impossible.  I was agreeing that we do have a chance.  If we are going to be ready, we need to see what we know about the red team.  Duke, what d
o we know?”

Duke stood up, and began recounting the information he had found.  “Well, the most obvious weakness is with their first year, Sapphire.  She has had fewer classes than the rest, and is less trained, so she would be the most likely one for us to be able to catch with a traditional Hermes catching tactic.  From what I’ve heard she got caught pretty quickly in their first match, but in the second she avoided all obstacles with ease.  I’m sure Brain has spent considerable time working with her on these areas.  Then there’s Tornado – he is a Hermes, but he’s also without a doubt the strongest non-Titan in the school physically.  He’s the closest thing to multiple powers outside of Decathlon here.  His weakness is that he likes to show off by indirectly challenging Titans.  Then there’s Cyclops.  Some say he got his name because he was so good at mind reading he could peer into a person’s soul with the glance of a single eye, but upon further investigation I discovered that he originally got the name because he has a lazy left eye, and when he needs to see something clearly he closes his left eye.  He is a very good mind reader though, so the typical plan of attacking him from the left may not work, since he would still, in a way, see you coming.  The rest appear flawless.  None have had to take a weekly test more than twice except their first year, and Brain hasn’t even had to go for a sec
ond time since his first year.”

“Brain does have a weakness though.”  Jay had meant for this realization to stay in his head, but in his moment of realization the words came out of their own accord.  The whole team turned to look at him giving their complete attention, so he had to continue.  “He wants to win.”

Hammer smiled.  “We all want to win.  I don’t see how tha
t’s a weakness.”

“No, we all want to win the game, but Brain is looking for more than that.  He had a tough first few years here, and he wants to use these games to prove his capabilities so he can be used accordingly in the field when he leaves here.  He doesn’t just want to
win,
he wants to dominate the game.  Maybe we could use his desire for perfe
ction against him in some way?”

Duke was incredulous.  “How do you know he had a tough first few years?  Did you…did yo
u manage to read Brain’s mind?”

“No, not even close.  You probably don’t want to hear this, but I met with Brain at one point.  He told me about how he was picked on during his first two years, and that these games are how the administration places the graduates.  He wants to show he can make
it out in the field.”

“Maybe he was lying to you Jay, to thr
ow you off
,”
Hummer chimed in.

“No,” Duke replied, “Brain never lies.  I heard that just before the games last year a sixth year Titan was picking on one
of the smaller Titans that was
on Brain’s team at the time.  Brain stepped in and told the bully that if he didn’t knock it off, he would pin the guy to the gro
und using a piece of broccoli.”

“And he did?  How did he pull that off?”
 
o
ne
of the Hermes questioned.

“The Titan went to push Brain, so Brain dropped down and flipped the Titan over himself using the guy’s own strength.  The Titan got up and tried again, but Brain kept using the Titan’s own strength against him.  Finally after a few minutes of this someone came out of the cafeteria nearby holding a plate with some broccoli on it.  Brain grabbed a piece, flipped the Titan around one more time, this time pulling his arm around so that the Titan hit the ground on his back. 
Brain moved as if to hit the guy, but instead he stopped just before the Titan’s face, holding the broccoli up right between his eyes.  The Titan probably could have gotten up if he tried, but he was so shocked that he just lied there until Brain let him up.  Brain made him look like a complete fool, and he certainly
didn’t lie.”

“That’s an amusing story,” Hammer said, “but it doesn’t tell us how we could use his desire for glory against him.  I’ll think this over and come up with some possible scenarios.  For now, we need to get this practice started.”

JAY COULD NOT
sleep.  All he could think about was the upcoming match against Brain,
Zahrah
, and the red team.  On his way back to the dorm after practice he had heard two people talking about the upcoming match.  They were discussing who they thought would win, the red team or the green team.  The first one had said that he heard rumors that the new first year on the green team was literally unstoppable, with twice the strength, speed, and mental abilities of any other student at the school.  The other disagreed, saying that Brain has proven himself to be the most powerful student in the school, and even if the newbie on the green team took second, the red team outdoes the green team in every other way, as the second to least on the red team is clearly better than the s
econd best on the green team.

Jay wanted to step in and argue with them.  They clearly did not know he was listening in, and he was certainly not a part of the conversation, except as a topic, but he still wanted to approach them and defend his team, to tell them that the green team was better than they think,
and that they really did stand a chance against the overrated red team. 
Except he
could not
.
  The problem was
,
he felt like they were right.  Jay knew that he may hold more power within him, but without being able to control that power it was far inferior to what Brain had.  Brain had a control over his mental abilities like none of the other students, and he was extremely smart as well.  Jay believed that it was no contest at all, that Brain was clearly the top student in the games, not just because of his control over his ability, but also because of his renown as a leader.  It was also true that the rest of Brain’s team were the best in the school, while Jay’s team consisted mostly of those who were
n’t accepted onto other teams.

Jay lied in bed, trying to think of how they could outsmart Brain.  After a few hours, long after the hopes for a good night’s sleep had come and gone, Jay drifted off to sleep to the usual images of the dreams of those who slept around him.

JAY HAD
A
moment of peace the next morning before it came back to him what the day had to bring.  It
was not
so much that he remembered as saw the blaring, excited images coming from Duke’s head.  Duke was rushing about, trying to get ready as quickly as he could without making too much noise.  For a moment Jay thought Duke might be rushing because they were late, but he could see the clock from where he lay, and the
re was still time to get ready.

It being a weekend, the only people out of bed at that time were Duke and Jay, and Duke having already taken a shower, Jay had it to himself.  He took his time, mostly to avoid seeing Duke running about the way he was.  Jay was doing all he could to remain calm, but he
could not
help but become nervous while watching Duke.  It was also nice to get away from the rest of the first years in their room, who were clearly watching Duke and Jay.  They remained in bed, but most of them were woken up by Duke’s activities, and the excitement was contagious.
 

Jay finished his shower and got dressed.  Upon exiting the bathroom, he immediately noticed a tray of food sitting on his bed.  Jay
could not
decide if he was hungry or not, or even if the food would stay down if he did eat.  A note was shoved in between the pancakes and ham that read “good luck, -Snake”.  Jay looked down at Snake, who was lying on his back relaxing on the lower bunk with his hands up under his head.  The only sign that he had been out of bed was the fact that his boots were still on.  Michael looked over at Jay with a smile and shrugged.
 

“Thanks,” Jay got out.  He was immediately embarrassed by the way his voice
sounded; it was weak and shaky.

“No problem bud.  Knock them dead out there.” Michael
was not
sure what else to say, so after a moment he went back to looking at th
e bottom of the bunk above him.

Jay decided to eat a little of the food, if only as a courtesy to Michael’s kind gesture.  Once he started eating the hunger took over, and it
was not
long before he finished off the whole tray.  Jay realized Duke had already left, so he grabbed the empty tray and made his way out himself.  He entered the cafeteria to return the tray, and as he did the noise level decreased to a whisper, and then went out.  Jay kept his head down as he walked to the counter and returned the empty tray.  He knew everyone there was looking at him, and he had no desire to see this with his eyes.  He quickly made his way back out of the cafeteria, and off towards the starting door of the arena. 

HE ARRIVED TO
find a few of his teammates already there waiting in silence.  There was Duke, Hammer, Hummer, and a few others, all stretching out or moving about to stay loose.  It
was not
long before Hammer noticed he had joined the group, and called him to the sid
e.

“How
are you feeling today?” 
s
he
asked him with a solemn look.  Jay could almost feel her hanging on his response, as if the whole game w
ould be decided then and there.

“Good…a little nervous
,”
Jay admitted.  His abilities were all intact, but he
could not
help but dread what would h
appen if they kicked out again.

“Ok, I want you fully warmed up in every way.  Finish stretching, then grab that backpack over there, put it on a
nd
run a few laps through the halls, reading at least one thought from every person you pass along the way.  I filled the backpack with sand to make it heavy.  Get back here when there are two minut
es left until the game starts.”

Jay wished he
did not
have to perform this warm up task.  It
was not
that it would be too difficult, on the contrary, as he picked up the bag he realized his strength was doing quite well, and with his blanket reading still working, he would read minds whether he wanted to or not.  The problem was that he
did not
want to read the minds of those he passed because he knew what they would say.  Jay started off, and was soon proven right; whenever someone noticed him running by, their thoughts turned to the game, and the odds that the green team could beat the red team.  Jay was surprised to find how mixed the thoughts were however.  Previously all he could read from people was that the red team would dominate the game hands down, but now he could see many people thinking he, Decathlon, coul
d actually accomplish the feat.

By the time Jay arrived back at the arena door, the rest of his team were there waiting, and Jay’s confidence had at least risen off the floor from the thoughts of confidence he saw during his run.  He took off the backpack and placed it down by the door, and joined the rest of his team in their silent contemplation.