Chapter 19: Training Exercises, Part 2

"Watch behind you." Hearing another scrape, he rolled out into the corridor. Not Dan, Lizzy just completed a full circle. He fired three shots, each one hitting her torso. He finished his roll into the corridor and pressed himself against the wall. He heard a strange sound from behind him, but he finally identified it. Lizzy was laughing. He walked to the almost-closed door and told Dan he could surrender or wait until they all starved. Dan came out with a grin on his face.

After that exercise, the group began to accept Trey as one of their own. They also started to explore what Trey had to offer their group. Each had an area of expertise.

Trey had seen Red hacking the dogbot network when he'd met the Chief. Trey could use a computer well enough, but what Red did might as well have been magic. She worked the group on more basic hacking maneuvers, especially how to hijack security systems.

"Our best friend is the target's security system once we own it. Instead of alerting them to our presence, it tells us how many people are present and where they are." She had them hacking into networks she created. "No security software will warn you if you're busted, so you need to be aware of what is going on in the background. Sudden movement around the target is a danger sign. But don't forget to watch your physical location for danger."

Dan was their instructor in unarmed combat.

"Let's warm up with a few punches," Dan stood in sweat pants and torn t-shirt in the room they used for training. "Fifty each side, count them off."

Dan left Red counting punches at high speed and came to watch Trey.

"Pull your hand back to your waist, like so." He moved Trey's hand. "When you punch your hand twists to strike with the two largest knuckles."

Trey'd never given punching much thought, other than how not to be the target for someone else. He finished the fifty just as the others completed fifty blocks.

Dan broke them into pairs. Trey wanted Red, but she made a beeline for Dan so he got Jimmy instead.

"Slow motion, no contact. One punch, one block, then switch."

Jimmy's first punch blew past Trey's attempt at a block. It landed just below his solar plexus and made him grunt. He tried to breathe and get back in the ready stance, but his lungs wouldn't cooperate.

Dan came over and put his hand on Trey's shoulder.

"Breathe slower."

He stood in front of Jimmy.

"Let's try it again."

Trey expected Dan to clobber Jimmy and from the expression on the smaller boy's face he expected it too. Instead Dan moved with glacial slowness and forced Jimmy to match him. They stayed with it while Red got the rest of the group working on kicks. When Trey looked over briefly, Dan hadn't broken a sweat, but Jimmy looked like he was ready to drop.

"Enough," Dan walked back his spot at the front. "Remember, control is power. If you control yourself completely, you control your opponent.

Dan invited Trey to bunk with him instead of the temporary room. Trey slept better with the sound of another person breathing in his room.

Trey collected a new set of bruises as he learned the basic skills. Like Red's game, the unarmed combat training consisted of the other team members throwing him around, then Dan showing him what he did wrong. For all his size and ferocity in the combat training, he had an ever-present smile. A little unnerving when Trey ducked and wove away from a flurry of kicks and punches, or worse when Dan would reach down to pull Trey to his feet, informing him he was dead. Again. Jimmy never partnered with him if he didn't have to.

"What does Lizzy do while we're thumping each other?" Trey rolled to his feet yet again. Dan was trying to teach him a leg sweep.

"She has her own training, but it wouldn't be safe for her to work with us here."

"C'mon, nobody would hurt her."

"That's not the issue," Dan swept Trey's legs out from under him, then offered his hand to help him up. "She's afraid she'll hurt one of us."

Trey caught the absolute seriousness of Dan's expression, so he rolled to his feet and let the topic drop. Though he didn't understand how someone who looked no more than eight could be as dangerous as everyone said. Lizzy treated him like she did all the others in the group apart from Red, which meant she tolerated him as a nuisance.

***

One afternoon, Jimmy sidled up beside Trey.

"Hey, you. Up for some fun?"

Trey put his mostly empty cup on the tray and carried it over to the rack. Maybe he could do something about the wall between him and Jimmy.