Fire & Ice

ch. 1

JAMIE 

Three seconds.

On the holographic stoplight above my head, that was how long it took for the red light to switch to yellow. I knew because I'd counted...every single time.

What I didn't know was the amount of time it took for yellow to become green. Once I saw yellow, every muscle in my body locked, and once green flashed, it was go time.

The first hologram lunged at me on my right. I threw out my elbow, smashing it in the nose. It disintegrated into a million bits, giving me a welcome burst of adrenaline.

My favorite part.

Two more came at me from the front. I dropped to my knees as the one on the left swung a right hook, and I kicked my leg out in an arc, destroying it. Before the other holo could react, I whipped the small silver P-13 pistol from my belt and pulled the trigger. The holo exploded in front of me, briefly clouding my view.

Two bullets left. I needed to use them wisely—definitely more wisely than that one I just wasted. I could've taken that one down without it.

A shiver ran down my spine and I whirled, re-holstering my gun and getting back in the zone. I took down the next five with ease. The next few forced me into a corner, but it didn't take me long to overcome them. The hard part was stopping myself from shooting one of them. My older brother Daniel, who was watching me battle today in the viewing room, was likely shouting at me from behind the glass. Luckily it was one-way.  

"Don't get too dependent on the P-13 pistol," he'd warned during one nightly training session--one that he was not welcome at. But leave it to him to butt in.

I took on six more, with each wave becoming more skilled than the last. The sixth and final wave pounced from the sky--two swollen holos that were both twice my size. As I destroyed the first I felt a violent tug at my leg as the second smacked my head against the ground. I did my best to kick it away, but it lunged in again and tackled me, knocking the wind out of me.

As we wrestled, I forced it away from my head with one arm, throwing swift hits with my other fist. Little by little I managed to break pieces off of its head and shoulder.  

My head went into the hard tile again, and this time I got dizzy. I let out a growl, using both legs to knock it into the pillar above. Finally, it shattered. Just as I regained my balance, a quick movement from the pillar stole my attention. The next holo was huge, bigger than I'd ever seen, and it was falling down on me fast.

Without much time for strategy, I went for my gun and shot its head off, but its body still fell. 

As I felt its weight begin to smush me, my finger closed around the trigger once more.

The lights in the training room went up as soon as the final holo disintegrated, and I rolled over with a groan, slamming the gun into the floor.

I still couldn't do it. Hand-to-hand combat battle with only two spent bullets was the record for the entrance battle exam to become part of ELITE, the private super police task force in my city. Three bullets was my record...and my entrance battle exam was in one week.

I was running out of chances to beat it before the real deal. And I'd completely blown this one.

"Hey, don't worry about it! You did great," said Isabel as I exited to the prep room, scowling. She was my best friend and neighbor, and I knew her well enough to know that she always had something positive to say. She was getting ready for her turn, strapping on her gun holster. "You're such a legend," she continued. "I wish I could get that close to the record."