The Dangers of Saving a Life

Chapter 14: Kwin

Hock note: It's Saturday morning, the day after Dr. Chocka requested the military to visit Atraville, and Kwin Vacker is practicing with her soccer squad above the Atraville central campus area. 

Kwin gasped when she spotted him. The boy hurried along the walkway beneath her, his bright red welts grabbing her attention. He had some mighty big protons, that boy. She would never appear in public with welts like that. She'd be hiding. She'd be running. Why was he still out in the open? Why was he still here? Why hadn't Axion done anything?

She stared too long.

"Goal!"

She remembered too late to keep pumping her legs, and she had sunk down toward the mossy center of the Atraville campus. The ball sailed over her head, out of reach. Soccer was like that. Keep your head in the game or miss the ball. Coach Logan reminded her all the time, like right now.

Coach pumped her legs in a flurry, flying over to where Kwin treaded the air. Coach was in good shape for a middle-aged woman. Her long hair flew about her face and her toned body moved as well as any of them.

"Where's your head, Kwin?"

Coach flew right up into Kwin's face, moving those muscular arms with exaggeration as she shouted at her. Coach didn't have any trouble finding Kwin's head.

"What were you doing over here? You weren't even in the goalbox. You're a goalkeeper, Kwin. goalkeepers block goals. That's what you're supposed to do."

Coach pointed to a floating rectangular soccer goal, which was now far above her. Her pros huddled behind Coach, glaring at Kwin and agreeing with Coach. She didn't want to see her spectators. What did they think of her miss? They were quiet. It was just as well.

"Yeah, Coach, I know."

"Another miss like that and you'll be benched. What if this had been a real game? They would have scored."

"Yeah, Coach."

"I expect you to keep your head in the game."

"Yeah, Coach."

She pumped her legs as if sprinting up a slippery escalator, scrambling to get back in front of the goal. The shoes worked that way, keep pumping or sink down toward the ground. When Coach blew the whistle and started the play, she was right there. Nothing would get by her this time. She was the best goalie in the league; her fans told her that every day. She was going to take Atraville to the championship. They were going to win the cup, and she didn't want to blow her big chance.

The team practiced in the air over the large green area of the central campus. Spectators hovered around and above, watching the scrimmage. They cheered for Kwin. They made some noise for her. This time, she made sure to focus. She kept her head in the game. She ran in place, treading air while Mischa kicked it to Nedda who dribbled it over to the far side of the field. Both sides bunched up around the ball. She couldn't tell what was going on until Alec kicked somebody's leg, trying to find another victim. Coach called a foul and waded into the group to sort things out.

Kwin kept her back to the dormitory towers and the high spires of downtown Atraville. The central area of the college formed a rectangle bordered by walkways and buildings. She faced a row of buildings beyond the walkway, the boxy three-story Newton Hall in the center. Above her, the clouds were thick and heavy, but a warm breeze blew gently across her bare legs and arms.

By now, the naughty boy had progressed a good distance along the walkway. It was mighty early on Saturday. Where was the boy going? She got an idea. She grabbed a spare ball from a basket floating on the sidelines and kicked it toward the rebel. The ball did just what she wanted. She knew it would. It sped over the boy's head, dropped slowly in front of him, and touched the ground exactly as he reached the same spot, right in front of Newton. That would get the boy's attention.

Instead of acknowledging who had kicked such a perfect shot, the naughty boy stepped over it and climbed the steps into Newton Hall. She didn't like being ignored. 

What was he doing there on a Saturday morning? Was he with Professor Aidan? Atraville didn't hold classes on Saturday, but she had heard about Aidan's groupies. Nobody knew what they did, but there were plenty of pros saying strange things involving Axion. They called him the demon of dark energy. They said he was inciting a rebellion. Was that where the boy hurried to now? Was that why he had the welts?

She sunk down too far. Another ball sailed over her head.

"Goal!"