They had taken barely ten steps when all hell broke loose.
Domik and Oren ran at full speed down the incline towards the shuttle, a mass of Xakul flowing over the terrain behind them, their many legs eating up the distance rapidly. Laila and CJ watched as they were rapidly overrun, the two men disappearing from sight as the insect-like aliens pulled them down. CJ screamed and fell to her knees, Laila grabbing her harness, yanking the shocked medic to her feet.
Zac knew how this scenario would unfold. He had done it himself, and he had run countless teams through this simulation. But this time, it felt like the first time all over again; it was as if he was living every emotion that Laila felt.
He flinched as an explosion rocked the ground, sending a geyser of sand and rock spraying out around them. Visibility plummeted, dust filling the air. Laila dropped to one knee, lifting her laser rifle to scan around her.
“CJ?”
“I'm alright,” came the reply, the two women coughing as the dust clouded their vision.
“Zac?”
“I’m fine.”
“We need to get to the shuttle. Three... two... one.... GO!”
The trio sprinted towards the shuttle, sliding behind the cover of a fallen tree as they fired at two Xakul who leaped at them from behind a boulder. Shaking his head in admiration at her skill and bravery, Zac smiled.
The Xakul barely faltered as they raced towards them. Zac reached for a plasma grenade and lobbed it at the oncoming insectoid aliens, who exploded in a cloud of gore and exoskeleton at the grenade’s impact.
“Fuck! That’s gross!” CJ’s disgusted shout reassured Zac that she was alright.
Laila got to her feet. “Let’s get move—”
BOOM!
A second gigantic explosion shook the ground as the shuttle went up in flames, sending shrapnel flying. The noise abruptly cut out as the simulation ended.
Zac blinked to clear his vision and stood from his crouched position, shouldering his weapon. T’arq emerged as Laila and the rest of her team slowly got to their feet. CJ took her helmet off and, running a shaky hand through her closely cropped blonde hair, leaned heavily against Domik, who put an arm around her shoulders. The two spoke quietly.
Removing her helmet, Laila approached Zac. “I assume that we all died, seeing how the sim just cut out, right?” she asked, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand as she approached him.
Zac nodded, “Yes, it’s an unwinnable scenario.”
“What?” Laila asked, eyes wide and incredulous. “What purpose does that serve?”
Zac took in her flushed cheeks and sweaty hair that had escaped her low braid and was now plastered to the side of her face. He couldn’t remember seeing a more beautiful sight.
He cleared his throat, eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “It’s a very useful scenario.”
Her eyes narrowed as she held his gaze. “How?” She asked, frowning.
Zac scowled. Why couldn’t she understand?
“It tells us how the leader, and the team, handles the situation and the eventual defeat.”
She scoffed, turning her head aside to look over his shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes.
“So you were testing me? In a situation I had no hope of winning?” Her words were clipped and acidic, her posture rigid. “Lovely.”
“There’s no way to win. Trust me, I’ve tried,” he said. “The sim adjusts to your decisions and throws everything at you.”
She nodded stiffly. “We need to debrief.”
Not waiting for Zac’s reply, she turned on her heel and stalked towards the team before leading them from the sim suite, Zac following.
* * *
