Equilibrium - #ProjectWomanUp

Six

My hands are quick. I grab a gun from the box and pinch a rucksack of supplies from in front of Kane. And then, I sprint. I run and I run and I run. Then, I stop. I am doing the wrong thing; that suddenly dawns on me.

This is a war game. In war you don't run from your enemy, you run towards them. You gain their trust, you manipulate their information. You bring them down from the inside. Running will do me no good here.

Yes, I could run all night and hide in this thick forest. But then what will I learn from that? That I can run. I know that anyway – even Kane knows that. However, he doesn't know how strategic I am, how intelligent and manipulative I am. I think it will shock him to find out. This test isn't about who can hide the best, it's who can outsmart the enemy the best.

I smirk. Kane may think he is clever, but he can't trick me. I turn around and head back the way I came. I have to get back to their base – and watch the teachers plan. They represent the Red's, so they must be taken down; I can't let them sneak up on me.

I don't run this time though. I walk slowly, cautiously. I stay to the shadows of the forest, making sure that if someone were to show up, they wouldn't see me. That is how the game is unlike war though – my novices and I have the same goals; to go untargeted, yet we fight against one another.

In a real war situation I would fight alongside them, we would stand shoulder to shoulder. Yet, today, they are my enemy. I have to treat everyone else in this forest – including Blake and Will – as if they were Red's. They are the enemy, I must remember that.

Before I make my way back, I check my bag for supplies. There is a knife, some ammunition, a gun silencer, a water bottle and a protein bar. I take the knife and slip it into my belt, before I zip the bag back up and throw it over my shoulders.

I walk for about ten minutes, and all seems quiet. I am nearing the teacher's base now, yet I still have a little while to go. Then I hear noise. I swirl on the spot, making my feet light so that my boots don't crunch on dry leaves or fallen twigs. I hold my breath – silent.

Then I see a shape moving up ahead. I slink back behind a tree, my entire body hidden in the night's shadow. I position my gun, ready for attack. The person – whomever they are – are moving slowly but clumsily. They trip in the dark and cuss under their breath. I smirk in slight amusement.

I give one quick check over the perimeter. I don't want anyone to get the jump on me. There is no one around me – except the obvious person – and for that, I am glad. Taking a few carefully steps back, while my eye stay on my target, I move to the base of the tree. Smiling slightly, I grab the bottom branch.

I climb the tree, making sure I am careful and forever watching as I do so. My eyes stay on the other novice, as he stumbles towards me; his gun gripped tightly in left hand. I still can't see his face, but I can make out his large body and bulky shoulder. This man is made for brute force, not for speedy movements through such a terrain.

When I have decided I have climbed enough, I come to a stop. I position myself on a branch, eyes straining to try and make out the man. Then he steps into the moon light and I mentally groan. Will.

I should have known, he had the build and the foul language of my new friend. But, I don't really care that it is Will. This was the game, this was war. In war you don't study the people you fight, you just kill. They are just another part of the enemy. It hurts less if they are faceless creatures in your mind. That is how I think of the Red I killed – I can't even remember his face now.

I flick the safety off on my gun, putting my rucksack over the gun first to muffle the 'click' sound when I flick the switch. I then pull it out, attach the silencer, and aim it at the clueless Will. I have never shot a gun before, so I am slightly nervous. I take a deep breath and shoot.