Anomalous

Chapter 9: War Games

Alpha and Hades announce that they're going on another field trip. "The game's simple. It's like Capture the Flag," Alpha said.

They are all told to grab guns containing paintballs, "Weapon of choice. Neuro-stim dart. Stimulates the pain of a real gunshot wound. Only lasts a couple of minutes," and once they board the train,  Alpha tells them they'll be dividing into teams and playing capture the flag, a true Domitare tradition.

"Two teams. Hades and I are captains. You pick first," he said. He and Hades are the team captains, and the first person Alpha picks is Omega.

"Oh. Picking the weak ones so you've got someone to blame when you lose," Hades responded. He tries to convince Hades he's picking the weaker members, but Mega realizes he's picking people with small, fast body types because Capture the Flag is a game of speed. Hades is cocky that his team of brawn will win.

Alpha's team goes to place their flag at Navy Pier, following the strategy of Alpha's winning team during his initiation. Navy Pier, once a bustling tourist attraction in Lake Manhattan, is falling apart in disrepair, and the lake has turned to marsh.

"Where did Hades' team go?" a Domitare initiates asked.

"They must have gone to the end," a boy answered.

"All right. Lights off. Gather around. Come on," Alpha commanded. "Okay, what's your strategy?" he asks Ron. Everyone begins arguing over the best strategy to take, offensive or defensive, but Mega decides that before they do anything they need to figure out where the other team is, and to do that she needs to climb to higher ground.

"We can hide the flag well enough so they can't find it," Ron suggested.

"Let's send out a team to scout their location. See if we can find their flag," a boy suggested. "I say we blitz them. Just..." the boy added.

"Yeah that's the best way to lose quickly," another boy added.

"Let's make them come to us," another said.

"End this quickly, they won't expect it," another boy suggested.

"We don't know where they are," a boy insisted.

"Okay, we split into two groups, defense, and offense," Hemera suggested.

"Who put you in charge?" a boy asked.

"Someone has to make a decision," Hemera responded.

"We need to be more aggressive," a boy added.

"We need to be smart about it," another boy said.

While Omega's team is arguing about their strategy she looks up and sees the Ferris wheel. She sneaks off to the Ferris wheel, "You are not gonna jump, are you?" Alpha asked her. "No, I'm just trying to get a good vantage point," she replied. "Good thinking," but Alpha follows and insists on climbing up with her. "You don't have to come with me," she insisted.

"You should go easy. You took a beating," Alpha said. "I'm surprised you noticed. I saw you leave during the fight," she said.

"Yeah, well, it's not something I wanted to watch," he answered.

On the way up, he asks what she thinks the purpose of this game is, and she suggests learning strategy and teamwork but adds that teamwork doesn't seem to be a Domitare priority as of late.

Alpha laments that it used to be. When Mega's legs begin to shake, she at first thinks it's because of the height, but then realizes that it's Alpha's presence; he makes her feel like she's about to fall, or turn to liquid, or burst into flames.

"Hey! Are you good? You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she replied.

"This is high enough," he added.

"No, we need to go higher," she responded.

He begins to have some trouble, he seems to be deathly afraid of heights. When Mega asks how he survives in the Domitare compound given the Abyssus. He says he's learned to ignore it when making decisions.

"You all right?" she asked him, noticing that Alpha was not climbing up. Then she noticed that Alpha was afraid of heights.

"You're afraid of heights," she said.

"Everyone is afraid of something," he responded.

"I didn't think you were afraid of anything," she said.

They continue to climb until they reach the top. Mega spots where the other team is hiding their flag. "Look! There it is," she said, pointing at the opponent's flag at a tower.

Alpha asks what she thinks strategy has to do with bravery, and she says that it prepares you to act. "All right. What's your plan?" He asked. "We split into two groups. We'll go up this side and let the rest of you engage Hades," she suggested.

On the way down, though, Mega slips and hangs off of the wheel, dangling in midair. Alpha figures out a way to make the wheel work again, and she rides it to the ground before she slips to her death.

They tell the rest of their team where to look for the other flag, and they go running off to get it.

"I can see 'em," a boy from the opponent shouted.

"Go! Go! Light 'em up!"

"There's two more! I'm gonna move in closer!"

"Follow me. Go!" Alpha commanded.

"Watch on your right! Go, go, go."

"Go!"

"Hem, let's go," she said to Hemera.

"Get 'em, get 'em!"

When Mega and Hemera reach for the flag at the same time, Mega allows Hemera to take it, "Go, Meg, I'll guard," she said.

She opens the door and then attacks Lysandra who guards the flag of the other team and successfully defeats her.

Whoo!

Mega shouted waving the flag.

"Good job, Meg," her teammates shouted.

Basking in their victory on the way back to the compound, Mega officially meets Dave and Freya, two Domitare-born initiates, who complement her strategy.

"Hey, Meg. Come with us," Dave said.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Shortcut back. A little initiation ritual, Domitare's style," he replied.

They climbed the stairs up to a building, then got to the top where they witnessed the whole city. Tall buildings, ruins, and lighted up.

Wow!

Then they showed her a zip line, the so-called shortcut back to Domitare's headquarters.