Tailspin, page 29
I opened it and read quickly.
I’d been given a full clear pass, and yes, it also said I’d almost been able to save Kuri’s life. My quick actions helped him. He felt no real pain, and he would have slipped away without suffering.
I sat there in silence as they all talked around me. “Class,” the sergeant said. “Eyes front, we have a lot to cover before tomorrow.”
All eyes were on him in a moment. Mine, too. We listened to him cover all of the material from the beginning, giving a very quick rundown of everything I’d started to pick up with Betty and Malaki. Then he turned to the more serious stuff. Actual flight and control with that flight.
He started to list some of the things that could go wrong and how often they were likely to do so, then he let the others talk through how they’d fix it.
I learned a lot from just listening. I asked questions when I shouldn’t have, but they all let me.
It was actually really nice to be a part of a class that respected me and wanted me to be better.
Declan explained more than a few terms and uses to me, and I made a mental note to check his background. If Malaki could do that for me, then I could do it for him or anyone else in here, right?
That meant I might be able to check out who Niko was.
I felt bad when the class made a move to do practices.
“Master Sergeant West,” Declan said. “I’m more than comfortable in the helo. May I stay behind and help Airman Korolyov?”
That did shock me, and even more so when Master Sergeant West agreed.
Then they were all gone.
Declan moved his desk in front of mine. “Let’s see what you got.”
34
Declan tapped into his desk and then pulled up something on mine, too. “You good for a few hours?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “What are we doing?”
“Some higher-level testing,” he said. “You’re not into all this basic shit, I can see that.”
“My questions?” I asked.
“Exactly,” he said. “Any cash to make this interesting?”
I looked at my account, already knowing I had nothing. “No,” I said. His brows furrowed, so I added, “What I can offer you is worth more than money.”
“Oh,” he said. “What’s that, then?”
“You already know I’m heading out of here tomorrow, right?”
He frowned. “Yeah, there’s been a few rumors that you’re not staying for another full year.”
“If you’re taking tests above your station, you’re not going to be hanging around either,” I said.
He smiled. “I hope not, no.”
“Then I’ll make a wager based on that.”
“Okay, I’m interested. What have you got?”
“A thousand credits if I win,” I said, risking it. These kids were rich, all of them. Malaki had admitted it. A thousand credits would be a massive start for me. I really, really needed it. “If you win, I’ll help get you where you want at OOF when you’re there.”
“You don’t even know what I want,” he said.
“That’s my price to pay.” I tapped the desk. “Deal?”
“Deal,” he agreed. “These are next level helos’ flight controls and terminology.”
“To what level?” I asked.
He winked and hit the button.
That hour I never worked harder. The questions were not just technical, but seriously hard. I failed all the tech questions. I mean, I knew I would. I had no manuals for these kinds of helos. I got the odd dial right; they were pretty much the same in all of them. But the rest? No clue at all.
When we swapped papers over the desks, though, to review the answers, I saw something I really liked. “Declan, you’ve a ninety-four percent pass.”
He frowned, though. “Fuck, I thought I’d have nailed it there.”
“What were you aiming for?”
“I can’t seem to get it over ninety-five. I really, really worked hard for this.”
“Your tech knowledge is perfect,” I said. “That’s a hundred percent score. You just seem to fail on practical application.”
“And yet you’re the total opposite,” he said. “You’ve a hundred percent score on everything practical, but twenty percent on the tech side.”
“Did you really think I’d know helos above this level?”
He laughed. “No, but you’ve got a fantastic mind for application.”
“So, I’ll help you, too,” I said. “Let’s go over the next test together, but you tell me what you’re thinking before you fill it in, okay?”
“I’m supposed to be helping you,” he corrected.
“Err, with my scores, I’m not worried at all. This is for my future, though.”
“You want the thousand credits? That’s no cheap bet.”
“You bet I do,” I said.
“You get me over ninety-five percent and the money is yours.”
Now that was a deal. I knew exactly where to push him. “You’re on,” I said. “But I’m raising it, if you don’t get ninety-eight percent in the next test…”
“Rus,” he said with a frown. “But deal.”
Every question he got, he read out. The tech side was fantastically fast. But the thinking ones… “What would you do out on a mission if your team was seriously injured, and your medic needed instruction as you both flew?”
“You’re out at night, and you’re hit with an EMP. Your dials fry, and you’re flying not only blind to all tech, but to everything you could use to get you to land safely.”
We went through his answers methodically. When he said something I didn’t agree with, I stopped him and just asked, “What would you do if you couldn’t do that?”
When he picked his second answers, I nodded and let him carry on.
Waiting for Betty to tally his score, even though it was instant, was nerve-wracking.
“Test score available,” Betty reported.
“Ready?” I asked him.
“To keep my credits, s—”
I opened the file.
“Ninety-nine percent pass.”
“What?” he questioned. “That’s gotta be a mistake, right? Betty?”
“I do not make mistakes, Airman Harbor,” she said.
He stared at the screen. “How?”
“Slow down,” I said. “You’re picking the first things that come to your mind without thinking it through. I almost guarantee that in the hardest situations, you should take your second choice for progress.”
He sat back in his chair. “Want to take it again?” he asked.
I laughed. “No, let’s go grab some early dinner. I have to go see the doc too.”
“Wrist,” he asked. I put my wrist out. “A thousand credits well earned.”
“I kinda feel like I conned you a little there,” I admitted.
“Not at all. If you’d won any other way, maybe. But that was fair play, and you really helped.”
“When you do get to OOF,” I said, “I’ll help anywhere I can.”
He smiled. “Then I’m very glad I sucked up my ego and came to see you.”
“Must have been hard.”
“Don and Malaki saw us threaten you, it wouldn’t have taken long at all till we were in the investigators’ sights.”
“You were worried about that?”
He frowned. “I don’t have a perfect life if they go digging.”
I admit that shocked me. That honesty.
“Well, I’m glad you did,” I said. “I need all the friends I can get.” I meant it. I now had another friend, possibly four friends, a class that didn’t hate me, and a thousand credits. That was months’ worth of work for me at home, a year even, and I’d earned it in less than an hour. I really needed it as well.
There was so much stuff I needed here that I just didn’t have. I didn’t want to get to OOF and suddenly be more than a pauper.
“You think they’ve gotten anywhere on the investigation?” I asked him.
“I haven’t heard anything, but I can ask a few friends. They will let me know soon as the higher ups know.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes,” he confessed. “And honestly, I want to know who the hell it was, myself.”
***
Malaki joined us after we’d finished eating, and I picked the dessert off her tray, to her growl.
“So,” Declan said and waved his hand from her to me. “Tell me you two aren’t together?”
Malaki growled again at me, but then relented. “No, we’re not,” we both said at the same time.
“Well, you’re fooling everyone in here that you are.” He turned to Malaki though. “But if you’re not with him, would you even consider a date with me?”
I almost spat out her dessert.
“I don’t date younger guys.” She smiled. “Sorry.”
Declan glanced at me. “Was worth a try. Ace saw you both in the pool. He said you’ve got chemistry.”
“We have,” I said. “But not like that. Our chemistry is working. She’s smart, pushes me, and is the most attentive partner I could want.”
“Damn,” he said. “You going for it?”
“Going for?” I stared at her.
“He doesn’t know all the politics at OOF yet,” Malaki said to Declan.
I kicked her under the table. “What’s he talking about?”
“There are a few rumors that one trainee there is heading for leaving in two years, not five, and they doubled the bonuses.”
“Rumors,” she said.
I knew that was a lie. “What’s the bonus?”
“You get through three years early. They save nine million credits,” he said.
I felt the goosebumps up my arms. She might have had that sort of money. I sure as hell didn’t have it. But I could do with it. Like right now, do with it.
“They’re essentially paying you to get out early?”
Malaki nodded. “Yes and no. It’s not something they really offer.”
“You think we can do it?”
“Technically, I’ve already been there too long, but you, you probably could, yes.”
“Wouldn’t it be classed as cheating? ‘Cause you’re with me?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “Maybe, maybe not. You’re one of the fastest learners I’ve ever met. With the right team…”
Declan surprised me. “I want to be on your team.”
Malaki turned to him. “You’re not even out of basic yet.”
“If I can get to OOF and advance in six months to your year and level, will you take me with you?”
“What about your friends, your cousin?”
“They’re never going to advance that fast. They already know if I can do anything faster, I’ll be moving up. They understand, and they don’t want me to hold back.”
“I’m not even sure what kind of team we’re going to aim for,” Malaki said honestly.
“I do,” I said to her surprise.
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, and I faced Declan. “If you pass all your tests, above ninety-seven percent, you’re in.”
“Ninety-eight.” He held out his fist for me. “You got it.”
“You’re crazy,” Malaki said.
“I’ve never seen a guy with tech numbers like it. If he nails his tests, we’d be stupid to say no.”
“Tech,” she mused. “Tech would actually work really well.”
“Very much into tech,” Declan said and pushed his chest out.
That got another raised eyebrow from her. “What level?”
“We both took fourth-level tests today.”
“Both failed, at first,” I added.
“You passed?” she quizzed me.
“No, not on tech. Not at all.”
She laughed, “Shit, I was gonna freak out if you started passing level four already.”
“He did,” I said. “Ninety-nine percent.”
“Care to share the results?” she asked.
Declan frowned, looked at me, then his eyes lit up. “If you agree to the terms, I’ll let you see them.”
She looked at me and blinked twice. “Agreed. I trust Rusty. I don’t think he’d even say it if he didn’t believe it was possible.”
Declan held his wrist for Malaki, and I saw her eyes flash. “I’ll look at that later.”
“Now I really am glad I ate humble pie,” Declan said. “However, I really need to go. I’ve got some stuff I need to clear before tomorrow myself, and I want to nail those exams.”
“You will,” I said. “A hundred percent.”
“I wish,” he replied, and off he went with his tray.
“You should have asked first,” Malaki gibed.
“Sorry, I thought…”
The corner of her lips turned into a grin, and she yanked her dessert back.
“Well, at least I got half.”
“The best half.” She frowned and sat there, almost licking it out of the pot.
“Can’t help it at all, can you?”
“Nope, I’ve never had this before. I’ll be glad when I am back on base and back on rations.”
“You’re leaving in the morning, right?”
“Yeah, you go off for the tests, and I’ll be heading back to base. There’s no point in me hanging around for the day.”
I sighed. “A night alone, then.”
“You’ll miss me, already.” She grinned. “Awww. Made a great impression.”
“Do we get to share bunks at OOF?”
“OOF training is split like the base is. Four sections. We’re classed as Sector Four, but they all call us the 99s. Your class, year one, will share bunks. So when you arrive, it’s not going to be weird till you move over to year two. But I’ll be the only odd one out then. You’ll at least have done some work together; I won’t know any of them.”
“Why not bring you back into year one for the last session of the year?”
“Wouldn’t work. At least coming into my bunks, they’ll know I’m top. If I went to yours…”
“They’d think you were fair game.”
“Exactly, you’ll need to be careful,” she warned.
“Because I’ll be the new one on the block?”
“Because they’ll think you’re a rich shithead with no skills.” She put the pot and spoon down. “You’ll be fine. You can handle anything, it seems. They’ll ask a billion questions. I’ll stay out of the way for a little bit, but I’ll make sure they know whose team you’re on.”
“I like that idea,” I said. “I really do want to be there. As much as I know, I have a lot to do every day. I want to fit in with the right people, and I feel I’ve missed out on so much of that already.”
“You have, but it’s not a dealbreaker.”
I frowned, and we both went silent.
“Come on, we need sleep.” She picked her tray up, and we left.
***
I didn’t get much sleep, though. I tossed and turned in bed, and I could hear Malaki doing the same. “I need a drink,” I said. “Is there somewhere we can get a coffee or beer?”
She sat up. “We can get coffee,” she said. “No beer. Exams.”
“I was kidding. Almost.”
She laughed, threw on her outer clothes, and when I’d done the same, we walked down to a bar where she ordered the coffee with a nice sweet, frothy milk. I enjoyed it.
“I should have bought these,” I said. “After all, I did get paid today.”
“You got paid, for what?”
“Showing Declan how to nail his tests, a thousand credits.”
“Frig me, that’s awesome, and a fantastic start out from nothing.”
“Right?”
“You’ll be earning extra money all over the place if you can help others like that.”
“I’ll try,” I replied and ate one of the cookies accompanying my mug.
“This place has all the best foods and drinks.”
“OOF not got anything like this?”
“Depends. I’ve got such a sweet tooth that nothing is like this. It’s healthy, made for fitness, and to build your mind. It’s fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but I just can’t help it.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll miss the desserts too, if all I’m going to get is protein bars and shakes.”
“Yep, you will.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. And made a mental note that I was coming back here before I went to the base.
***
After a lot more restless tossing and turning, I went for the final module’s exams. Written exam first, then practical. The room had been sectioned off a lot better. There were now temporary lines down the aisles, presumably so we were all an exact spacing away from each other.
Two unfamiliar faces stood at the front. One was a tall, thin woman in uniform, more official looking than any sergeant could be. No, I knew her. I’d seen her in a different uniform. This was Malaki’s CO. Senior First Lieutenant Marx. “You have three hours to complete the tests. There are four sections. All must be completed for you to pass and move to the practical. Your HUD access is suspended for now; you cannot use it, or the net, for anything. This is standard practice. If there’s anything at all wrong, or you need help, raise your hand.”
“Questions?” the other man said.
No one replied.
“Then you may open your desk controls, select the exam, and fill in your details to take the test.”
35
I touched my desk, and to my surprise, it hooked into my HUD. I could see all the instructions clearly. I filled in my details and started the test.
Nothing was outstandingly difficult, though there were some odd questions thrown in that I felt didn’t have any place in this kind of basic test. There were also some multiple-choice questions that, of course, tried to trick you into thinking some answers were the correct ones even when they weren’t.
The test itself was smart. Sadly, though, I sped through it. Then I realized that wasn’t the best thing to do. What if they were watching all of that, too? I slowed my answers down, mulling over them and perhaps those in the class who might have answered them wrong.
We were a large class, and I knew most of them might not make it. It was easy to tell from just a quick glance around who was struggling and who wasn’t. I also observed the two at the front of the class. They were not, by any means, normal staff for this facility.
