Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 3

Elliot attempted to fly and fell many times before both he and Pierce were too exhausted to continue. "Flying is hard," he got out between breaths, sounding a little downtrodden.

"It's not something you can learn in a single day," Pierce said. "But I have a feeling it won't take you nearly as long as it took me. From what I could see you're already getting an idea of the correct form."

"Really?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

"Definitely. Now catch your breath and we'll gather everyone up for lunch. I'm sure you're all starving, especially you, since you didn't eat earlier. Hybrids need a lot of food to keep themselves going."

Grey and Knox had watched Elliot practice for a while, then wandered off. Pierce found them at the shooting range. Knox was shooting a pistol with poor aim, few bullets hitting the targets. Grey wasn't paying Knox or the targets any attention, focusing instead on a gun he had taken apart. "I've never seen a gun like this," he commented.

"Like most things here, the guns are highly advanced pieces of technology," Pierce informed him. "They're lightweight, have lesser recoil, and are deadly accurate in the right hands." She picked one up and aimed at a target, taking several shots before setting it down again. "The bullets are smaller, too, but no less powerful. That way more can fit inside the chamber and you won't have to reload as often."

"Interesting," Grey mused. He put the gun back together and replaced it next to the others.

"What in the world?" Knox said, staring at the target Pierce had been aiming for. It was dotted with three bullet holes in the pattern of a triangle. She had hit the bullseye with each shot.

Elliot noticed too and his look of awe returned. "Do I even want to know?" he asked quietly.

"Probably not," Pierce answered truthfully. Then she turned back to Knox and Grey. "We're gathering everyone for lunch. Care to join us?"

"Sure." Grey smiled.

    "I'm always hungry," Knox said.

    Pierce raised a brow at him. "Now we just need Madigan," she said, looking around for the girl.

"I'll find her," Elliot offered. Before she could tell him to wait, he was darting off across the training room.

Elliot returned moments later with a disgruntled Madigan at his side. She threw Knox a glare, and he offered her a shark-toothed grin.

Knox ate the most for lunch. The cafeteria staff stared at him as if they wanted the tall hybrid to slow down, but he kept smiling at them with his unnerving teeth, so they left him alone. Once they'd all had their fill, Pierce explained that she wanted to speak with each of them one-on-one in order to get an idea of their strengths and weaknesses. Unsurprisingly, Grey volunteered to go first. They headed to a tent filled with information on first aid and sat across from each other at a simple wooden table. Grey sat in front of Pierce calmly, eyes ever watchful as he waited for her to begin. Where to start ... The file she'd read had lots of information, but even Project Starfall hadn't been able to discover everything about each individual. And of all the hybrids, they'd gathered the least on Grey.

"How about you tell me any skills you have that could benefit this special ops group?" Pierce suggested.

"I guess I'm not bad with a gun," Grey answered. "And my fangs aren't just for show. Like you said earlier, they only chose useful species for us. That probably means I'm venomous."

"Maybe," Pierce said. "Anything else?" Like manipulating every person you come in contact with? She was itching to ask just to see the look on his face.