Clear the road!

Leave me alone. Yan's mind was consumed by the thought. The team planned to operate on him tonight after he had been restrained in the same sterile hospital bed for more than two days. He would miss everything if these doctors kept stalling for too long. They said they were keeping an eye out for drug allergies, but the doctor's justification sounded prepared. As if someone had instructed him to say that. Is that feasible? Yan stared at the white tile ceiling in wonder. If accurate, it indicated that they had been found. Arrest may be on the way. His friends might already be imprisoned in cells.

 Though he knew it was pointless, the thought startled Yan bolt to his feet. He had looked around the room twice already. There was absolutely nothing that could be done to get around the door lock. No windows. Nothing sharp. Only his bed, a television screen, a coffee table strewn with cheap magazines, a monitoring station, and a couple of visitor chairs were in the room. Meals were occasionally delivered by nurses, always in groups of three. Yan realized that getting out was almost impossible. He made the decision to hold off until the evening meal was delivered. Then he would witness the true toughness of these nurses.

 1513 hours. The infiltration started two hours and seventeen minutes later. Everyone was paying attention. Nayla's agility simulation captivated Luna, Nora, and Nayla. Okani was meditating deeply once more. Meanwhile, Kieran was meticulously honing the blades on his staff. The new resonance edge had been dulled by a negligent assembly mistake, and it was becoming a laborious task to sharpen it back. Kieran complained to himself that it was already three hours and that he still had half a meter to go. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of using a two-meter weapon was maintenance. Even Yan's powerful four-foot broadsword needed less maintenance. Although the sword was excellent for attacking, nothing could match a staff for pure defense, and Kieran was an expert at defense. Kieran had discovered his ideal counterpoint; let Yan take care of the heavy attacks.

 He looked down at his mechanical hand and thought, "Well, at least I've got a robot handling this." With its incessant servos, precise control, integrated toolkit, and gripping power measured in metric tons, he had become quite accustomed to it. Who gave a damn if his original forearm was now probably being shown to college students in a trauma center or dissected in some ballistics lab? There was a peculiar sense of satisfaction in being able to alter his own body parts, something he had never done before. Furthermore, he reflected cynically, not even God, if He exists, could remove this staff from my grasp during combat. When they take it from my cold, dead hand—or, more accurately, my cold, living hand—

 "Bodyball court rendered. "Three participants," Nora told the simulator.

 Her childhood favorite, bodyball, was a great way to practice reflexes and agility—training that was deftly presented as enjoyable. She wanted to show it to Luna and Nayla. Players took turns returning the ball with just their heads, shoulders, feet, or forearms—racquets were not permitted—in a game that looked a lot like squash or handball against a wall. Scoring zones were drawn on the surrounding walls; higher points were awarded for hits nearer the center. Failure to make a return resulted in disqualification. The games went on until there was just one player left. Scoring areas were frequently located on the side walls of the enclosed arenas. Neon highlights illuminated the active scoring zones and the players' uniforms. Bodyball was very adaptable; it could be played by one person, in a team, or with dozens of people at once. Even the number of balls was left up to the rules; in a championship match between two players, up to ten balls could be used simultaneously.

 "The score is zero, zero. "Start," the computer said indifferently.

 To choose the server, the three women had already rolled a die. Nora prevailed. In her hand, a hollow rubber ball appeared, its bright yellow color intended to blend with the neon targets and create a striking contrast with the black wall panels. Nora threw it briefly into the air, allowed it to fall, and then violently swung her leg, making contact just before it struck the ground. The ball struck inches from the center of the target after traveling straight and true.

 "50," the computer said aloud, as it always does with each hit. Only when a person was disqualified were the total scores revealed.

 After the ball bounced once on the floor after bouncing off the back wall, Nayla dove and quickly swung her forearm back to return it. Her shot struck the outer rim of the main target on the back wall after briefly bouncing off a side-wall target.

 "35. 10," said the computer.

 After fifteen minutes of intense play, Luna was eliminated. She was too unbalanced to recover for the return shot after an overzealous dive that sent her flying into the wall. For twenty more minutes, Nayla and Nora fought until Nayla jumped for a high ball, misjudged, and hit the three-meter ceiling so hard that she missed her next return.

 Nayla rubbed her head and muttered, "Next time, I wear a helmet,"

 "But take a look at who prevailed! "Oh, yes!" Clutching the ball and doing a spontaneous, funny victory dance around the court, Nora crowed.

 "Final score, computer?" Coolly, Luna asked from the sidelines.

 "Player one: 1265. Player two: 2405. Player three: 2425."

 "Close," said Nayla. Nora stopped dancing.

 "Rematch?" she inquired in jest.

 Nayla gave a headshake. "Maybe tomorrow." Then she turned and left.

 "Chicken!" At the closing door, Nora shouted.

 It is 1645 hours. There were fifteen minutes left. Gathered on the bridge of the Kyara, the five fighters reviewed the mission plan and made last-minute preparations. They would meet Amelina at the secret side door they had used before. She would then lead them to a path that would take them straight to Lek's office door, avoiding all alarms.

 "How about Yan?" Nora inquired.

 "We could just leave him here…" A few gloomy smiles appeared as Nayla pondered out loud.

 "On our way out, Amelina can lead us past the infirmary," Kieran proposed. "It can't be too heavily guarded."

 "There might be medical staff present as well," Okani said, lubricating his rifle's mechanism with lithium grease.

 "Good point," said Kieran. Duh! cried a tiny voice in his head.

 Luna calmly said, "Five people with guns," while fastening a silencer to her barrel. 38 handgun. "They should grasp the logic of cooperation."

 After dry firing her foldable crossbow, Nayla tucked it into a belt pouch and folded it neatly. "Let's do this."

 Through the deep shadows between streetlights, five pairs of feet moved silently. Without night-vision gear, no one would notice them passing at all. Nayla took the lead, her feline instincts coming out as she ran gracefully and low on all fours. With their crossbow at the ready, Nora kept a close eye out for any dangers. For the last approach, they had opted for stealth over speed and left their motorcycles in a municipal lot half a mile back. With its enormous walls silhouetted against the urban glow, the arena loomed ahead.

 Nayla halted suddenly, cocking her head and opening her nostrils a little. No odd smells. There are no sounds, except for the annoying techno beat that throbs from a club a few blocks away. Hold on, car!

 Urgently, she hissed, "Clear the road!"

 Just as a silent electric car rounded the corner behind them at a breakneck speed, the others scurried aside.

 "Close," Nora inhaled, her heart thumping against her chest following Nayla's scathing caution.

 "Keep moving," Luna curtly suggested.

 They continued, shaky from the close call. There was still half a block. They were a little late, arriving at the side entrance at 2137. A few meters away, Amelina emerged from the darkness and gestured for them to approach.

 She muttered, "I was starting to think you weren't coming." Her entire outfit consisted of a knee-length, long-sleeved dress and matching heels in black. Her hair was tightly pulled back into three braids.

 "We wouldn't miss the fun," Okani said softly in response.