CHERUB: The Syndicate

4: Plan

George managed to get some sleep after dozing off during an episode of some home improvement programme, but he knew he was still going to be exhausted all the way through the exercise. The team gathered again in Katie's room, and this time George had made sure he wasn't late. Her room was decorated with pictures of male film stars and athletes, which made George and Ralph laugh until they caught a look from Katie. George was more impressed by the shelf covered in trophies, but he didn't get time to examine them more closely.

"Okay, so I've got a map of the compound," Katie said, spreading it out in front of them. "I've asked around to see if anyone knows any more information about the exercise, like whether there will be equipment drops, but nobody seems to know so we'll assume there are." She paused for a moment. "If anyone has any questions or something, let me know. I really don't want to lose, because that usually means getting shot up a lot, so if you think of something, tell me.

"I've worked out who most of the other teams are and they're mostly older than you lot, so we're at a disadvantage. They'll be able to stay awake better and will have more endurance, so we'll really struggle as it goes on."

"How do we overcome that?" Letty asked. "I mean, we can't win the exercise quickly or anything, so we'll have to last the whole twelve hours."

Katie shrugged. "It'll depend how we get on, but I suggest that since the instructors have put us at a deliberate disadvantage, we should bend the rules a little."

"Huh?" Kimberley asked. George had only met Kimberley a few times, but she was insanely clever and she was in classes with mostly navy- and black-shirts. He also got the impression that she liked to play by the rules.

"We're not going to actually break any rules, since there are cameras all over the compound and if you get caught, you get a huge punishment," Katie explained, "but not everything is actually against the rules. Firstly, if you get a clear shot, always shoot your opponent in the head. Those helmets protect you from most damage, but the visors are nearly impossible to clean without finding some standing water somewhere and if yours gets cracked, you're basically out of the game."

"But won't we get in trouble, since it's dangerous?" Kimberley asked, sounding anxious.

"Just claim you meant to aim for the chest but missed," Katie replied. "They can't really prove you did it deliberately."

George wasn't convinced but it was plain that they had to do something if they wanted to stay in the exercise, so he said nothing.

"What about our flag?" Letty asked. "Someone has to carry it, but if they get caught, we'll lose it."

"I'll have the flag," Katie said. "Those trophies over there are all for athletics, so if it comes to it, I'll drop everything save the flag and run away. There's nobody who'll catch up."

"But if you leave us, we'll get massacred," Ralph complained.

Katie nodded. "The aim of the game is to gather flags, so a defensive strategy won't work. If you get taken prisoner or something, just escape when you get the chance and try to find weapons somewhere. It's better that four of us get caught and the flag escapes than someone gets our flag"

"Yeah, plus, if one team has nearly all the flags at the end, we can ambush them and try to get them all in one go," George suggested.

"Exactly," Katie agreed. "Now, my general plan was for us to split into two sub-teams. I'll pair up with one of you grey-shirts, and Letty, you go with the others. My team will just try and avoid trouble and maybe take any opportunities we can to grab a flag, while the other team and hunt for flags. By being mobile, you avoid being pinned down, and we'll probably find plenty of nice material lying around.