13

Rae

Argggh, had HUGE writers block for weeks but then suddenly had a surge of inspiration and a new idea for this story. Hopefully I will finish it by the end of this year but no promises. I've decided to go with 13 chapters, to match the book name. Each chapter will be written from the point of view of a different character. I'll TRY to update at least once a week but don't hold me to that.

Luvs ya,

Scarlett

(Haha, I'm so weird)

--------------------------------------------------

My heart pounds so fast I think it might burst out of my chest. I breathe and remember that I must not blow this. The rest of my life depends on this mission, and one mistake could be my downfall. I take another deep breath and push on the door of the dilapidated house. It opens and I step through. I've trained for this since I was five, which is when the war begun, to be ranked with a number from one to thirteen depending on my results in this exam. After that, I will have my Patrol, the team I will work with while I'm in service. My fellow trainees have been given a test just like the one I'm undergoing that will determine which number they will get. When we get our ranking, we will have it tattooed on our arm.

We've known each other since I began training, and my team are closer than family, which is great, because all of us are orphans but Harvey. I can't pretend I get on with everyone though and I strongly dislike Ril. The feeling is mutual. I wish everyone luck silently as I continue further into the house. I know that they will be testing for resourcefulness, timing and fighting skills, and I'm guessing the first thing they want me to do is find a source of light. I go into what I expect to be a kitchen, but is actually just a cupboard. I spot some batteries and pocket them.

I search the other rooms for a torch and eventually find one in some sort of office workshop. I have been given coordinates for the artifact I'm meant to be collecting, and according to my workings, it's upstairs. Warily, I climb the crooked wooden steps to the dark landing. Slowly, I test each floorboard, and reach a door hanging by one rusty hinge. I kick it aside and take out the coordinates. I rush to the corner when a safe lies covered in dust. I have a basic knowledge of code cracking, but Chan is so much better at this. I fiddle with it for a while until I hear it click, and I'm taken aback by how easy it was. I'm suspicious, and quickly duck as it automatically swings open. I hear the gun go off and the bullet embed in the wall behind me. I wait awhile and then examine the contents of the safe. Classic. A gun set to go off when the safe is unlocked. Behind the gun is a little black box. In it is a small silver object, like a little puzzle piece. I imagine it fits into other pieces that are similar to form some sort of key or token.

As I stand from my kneeling position I hear a creak in the hall downstairs and murmured voices. My blood runs cold. I know that this isn't part of the exercise. There is only one thing that could be down there. Alphas. That's the name we've given to the genetically engineered super humans that went AWOL after their creation and decided to take over. They are stronger and have more supplies, they rarely need medical attention and always hunt in packs. I pocket the artifact and run to the window. I tug at it and it slides open, just wide enough for me to fit through. I jump out and try to land how I was taught. I sprain my ankle but ignore it. I hear a thud behind us Running I take out the only sort of weapon I have been given. I throw it to the floor and it explodes with purple sparks. Portal Jump devices are so rare that only around twenty remain and we have no way of remaking them. I was given one in case something like this happened. There is a purple flash and suddenly I'm standing back in the training centre at Base 13, my only home. We are the 13th base but we lost contact two years ago and had to fear the worst. There used to be about fifty bases just like this. Who knows how many remain.

I can't help but feel uneasy when I see that instead of being met by our instructor, the room is empty and the lights are off. I tense, my spine prickling. I spin round to see a dark shape rush towards me, I dodge out the way. The lights flick on for a second, illuminating the face of a girl no more than sixteen years old, just like myself. She isn't like me though. Her hard, cold eyes and her twisting movements show she is nothing more than an Alpha. Again I am plunged into darkness. Terror grips me but I swallow it down and unsheathe my knife. She lunges at me angrily, and this time I barely manage to dodge in time. The Alpha spins and comes at me again, and I try to jab the knife into her chest. Instead the grabs the knife roughly by the blade and flings it across the room. Shocked, I bring up my leg in a round house kick. Quick as lightning, her bony fingers wrap round my ankles and she shoves me to the floor. Before I can get to my feet, she throws me a good four meters across the room. I cry out in pain. Slowly and deliberately, she stalks across the room toward me. "You think you can beat us. We are too powerful, too strong. You have knives and we have so much more-" I interrupt her, "Actually, " I say casually, " We have guns too. They're very effective. I can give you a demonstration, if you like." I smile and tug the gun from my holster and aim. She growls one last time as I pull the trigger. I don't miss. I drop the gun, exhausted and not sure what to do next.

The door opens and my instructor walks in and flicks on the light switch, followed by who I assume is the examiner. He looks from me to the dead Alpha and his eyes widen. "What the hell happened?" I drag myself up and try not to look at the body lying a few feet away. "The Alphas attacked and I used a Portal Jump, sir. As you can see, one came through with me."As an after thought I add, " I'm sorry, sir." I look at the examiner scribbling furiously. The instructor sighs and says," You did the right thing. Of course, you'll need to do a report... Sit down on that bench while I go and get some back up, if you were ambushed it is likely the others were too." Despite his calm tone, I see the worry in his eyes. He hurries out the room, not waiting for my reply. The instructor is studying a small, hand held device, which I assume he is monitoring the others with.

A few minutes later, two men walk in with a wide plank and manoeuvre the dead Alpha onto it silently, before carrying her away. Alphas don't have much blood, because they were made as killing machines and the scientists didn't really see the point. They have enough though, and a small, sticky pool of red is still smeared on the shiny grey floor. The instructor is still writing things on his clipboard. I clear my throat, "I collected the artifact," I take the piece of metal out of my pocket. The man looks up as if noticing me for the first time and dismisses me with a waft of his hand,"Keep it."

Suddenly, there is a purple flash in the centre of the room. I brace with my hand on my gun. When the purple fades I see its Ril, luckily not with any Alphas. I relax a little. The instructor walks back in the room followed by two women dressed in fighting gear. On seeing Ril he positions them on the door. He addresses her, "Did they ambush you too?" His look of concern turns to one of anger when Ril looks confused, "Did who ambush me?" she says slowly. He takes a deep breath as if to calm himself down. I'd seen him angry before and I didn't want to see it again. Ril had used a PortalJump without good reason and I knew this would not help her get a good ranking. "So," he says steadily, "You used a portal Jump when you know they are rare and can't tell me why? You know that I'm going to have to report you, right?" She nods quickly and looks at her feet. I almost believe she sorry until she rolls her eyes behind his back. The instructor guides us to a small grey room and tells us to wait for the others to return. It's going to be a long three hours sat with Ril.