PROJECT SPARTA

CHAPTER 39

The Compound

2011

Good Morning, Spartans. Today's forecast is warm and partly cloudy. Please report outside your barracks at 0900. This battle will be the last points distributed, so a Champion will be crowned afterwards. Tomorrow is our closing ceremonies and the day you will depart from the Compound. Have a good day, Spartans, and remember, nothing is as it seems..."

Xander rose from his bed and pumped out 50 push-ups. He found his mirror and consulted the memory of his body's frame upon entry into the Program. He was scrawny, hunched and soft. But upon scanning his shirtless body, he saw before him a man carved out of wood. The innocent twinkle in his eye had faded as a gravitas settled in behind them.

Xander would fight in the final battle with first place in sight. Duke had a narrow enough margin on the scoreboard to catch. He knew that it didn't matter to Hardy or any of the other instructors if he won or not, but he was seventeen and it was a game. To be crowned the top operative of the class would open doors for his career in espionage. Being the competitive guy he was, Xander had a thirst for victory, especially over Duke who had terrorized him all year long.

It wasn't only the final battle that got him up and reeling this morning but also the fact that today would begin his escape with Fiona.

Let's review the facts: for the better part of the program I have been running reconnaissance on Fiona at the behest of Rearden. I observed her writing down my movements. She attempted to make her usual drop but was spooked and aborted the drop. She then gave those findings to Hardy, a move that Hardy did not seem pleased with. Upon infiltrating his office, I saw an email written by Hardy to Axle, directing him to dispose of Fiona after the final battle.

The plan: I will have to keep her close to me. If they are using C4, they are probably planning to blow up her house and call it a suicide, like they probably did for Ezra. If I can injure her during the battle and injure myself, we will both be in the Infirmary, so then we can make our move together from there. To escape the Compound we will have to find our way into the tunnels.

After scarfing down three scrambled eggs, Xander walked to the street. Fiona looked over at him as the Spartans lined up for departure, Xander stared ahead. He kept an intense focus on his face. They boarded the transport and changed into their battle suits. There was a nervous silence during the trip. Only the tapping of toes and the bouncing of knees could be heard through the transit. The trip was short. Xander was able to map out their route as usual from the shifts in his weight during the ride. According to Xander's calculation they had just pulled out of the Compound and into an adjacent hangar not too far away.

The transit doors opened up to reveal a darkness. The only light was a green glow that came from the distant structure at the center of the hangar. Hardy and the instructors were lined up waiting for the Spartans.

The sight behind them was too enticing not to notice. Every Spartan gaped at the sight but Xander resisted the awe and immediately started to commit what he was seeing to memory.

An enormous, green cube stood at the arena's center. It was suspended between two cranes. There were ridges in the cube that formed different alleys. These avenues zigged and zagged around the Cube's façade. Ladders connected each level of the cube, so the Spartans could navigate its multiple floors. A stairwell ascended to an opening in the cube. Each side of the cube was 150 feet. There were multiple levels within it. It was a stack of pathways – a three-dimensional maze.

And they would be fighting in it.

"Spartans, today is your final battle. You know the stakes. Who will prove they can deliver results under pressure? Who will prove they will do anything to win? Who will prove their abilities from training? This battle will enlist everything you have been taught this year, especially the single most important lesson this year, how to think on your toes. It has been built over the last three months for this specific purpose. This is what we call the Box and if you want to survive, I suggest you think outside of it. Good Luck Spartans!" Hardy barked, signaling for them to approach 'the Box'. Each Spartan chose their preloaded weapons during transit. They were also given flash grenades and magazines strapped to their suits. The grenades were strapped to their right thigh and the magazines hung off their belt. Something dawned on Xander.