THE FEARLESS

HOPE:CHAPTER 6

                                                                        SOL

We're put into pairs – Cass with Andrej, Marissa with Rob, and me with Shelley. The Patrol always puts girls and guys together because if we ever have to defend ourselves against Fearless, we won't have any choice about who we end up fighting. I try to catch Cass's eye as she crosses the room. She doesn't notice.

Forget it, I tell myself, taking a few deep breaths through my nose. Focus.

With the eyes of Captain Denning on us, I settle into the moves I've been practicing for so long, I don't even have to think about them anymore. I pretend to gouge Shelley's eyes out and make as if I'm going to cut off the blood supply to her brain by placing my thumbs against the pressure points in her neck. Then I twist her head sideways just to the point where, if I went any further, her neck would snap like a stick of driftwood.

When Captain Denning calls, 'Time!' and I step away from her, I see a spark of fear in her eyes. It's strangely satisfying.

Next, it's hand-to-hand combat, using blunted wooden sticks instead of knives. I force Shelley to the floor within seconds, the end of my stick digging into the soft spot beneath her jaw. Then we have to demonstrate our fitness, doing press-ups and sit-ups, jogging on the spot. I'm the only one who's not out of breath when we finish.

Lightweights.

Except for Cass, of course. I don't mean her. I try to catch her eye again, but she's still not looking at me.

I clench my fists, take another deep breath, and try to forget the surge of humiliation I felt as she stuttered, I'm sorry. I just don't feel ready yet.

'OK,' Captain Denning says. 'Now we'll test your firearms skills.'

Behind the Meeting Hall, Patroller Cary is waiting with the guns – mechanical, pump-action Brownings with the barrels sawn off, the stocks cut down to a pistol grip to make them lighter. The Patrol has Lee Enfield rifles, too, but bullets are in short supply these days. The Brownings use cartridges and shot, which are easy to make ourselves.

We line up. I make sure I'm next to Cass. Every time I look at her I get this ache in my chest. What am I doing wrong? Does she think my feelings for her are just some stupid crush? We've been through so much together. We have a connection.

I love her, dammit.

And she doesn't see it. At all.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Open them again.

Patroller Cary hands Cass a gun.

We have one shot each. I watch Cass turn to face the target, a painted board nailed to a post. She lifts the gun, extends her arms, pulls the trigger. The shot smacks into the target, dead center.

The others get close to the bullseye but never quite hit it. Finally, it's my turn. Despite the cold, my hands are steady as I aim at the target. The gun kicks against my shoulder, the shot spraying the center of the target.

I glance at Cass, wondering if she saw. But she's talking to Marissa.

'OK, everyone, back inside, please,' Captain Denning says as I hand the gun back. 'We're moving on to the theory part of your assessment now.'

'Cassandra,' Captain Denning says when we're lined up in front of the table again. 'Please give a brief rundown of the events that led to the Invasion and the defeat of our armed forces by the Fearless.'

I watch her take a deep breath. 'The Fearless drug was first used at an army base called Camp Meridian in the Middle East,' she says. 'It was meant to stop soldiers from suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it was so successful that the government secretly approved it for immediate use for all our troops worldwide, even though no long-term tests had been carried out. Um . . .' She clears her throat. Stop acting so nervous, I think. They'll mark you down. 'Then it was discovered that the drug had a dreadful side effect – it stopped people who took it feeling any fear at all, or love, or empathy. They started doing awful things like killing and torturing people just for the sake of it.'

I resist the urge to shake my head. Does she realize how emotional she sounds? Why does she always let her feelings get the better of her?

'By the time people realized what was happening,' Cass continues, 'the enemy had got hold of the formula – no one knows how – and strengthened it so the side effects started straight away. They also changed it from tablets to an injection so that they could force it on people more easily.'

I smile wryly to myself, wondering what everyone in this room would say if they knew that I know how the enemy got hold of the serum formula. My father's little secret is the reason everyone who lives on Hope was invited here at the last minute, just like Cass and her parents were. The adults are (or were) all friends and acquaintances of my parents – people Dad knew would be useful additions to the community here – and the last thing he wanted was for them to realize he'd known what was coming before the government made their announcement. That would have been way too risky.

'After that,' Cass goes on, 'our Fearless and the enemy Fearless started banding together to create a huge army that invaded countries all over the world. They used whatever force they could – bombs and missiles – to terrify people into submission until there were so many of them that civil defense forces couldn't cope. Eventually, they didn't even have to use those sorts of weapons anymore. By the time they invaded the UK, there were basically no unaltered soldiers left to fight them, and ordinary people stood no chance. Society collapsed almost immediately.' Her voice wavers a little, and I know she's thinking about that night we fled Blythefield. 'It was hopeless.'

From outside, there's a faint rumbling sound – another part of the Shudders giving way. I feel it vibrating up through the floor. Everyone turns to the windows.

'Thank you, Cassandra,' Captain Denning says. He looks at me, barely bothering to conceal the contempt in his gaze. He's been like this ever since the last mayoral election as if my dad winning was somehow my fault. 'Solomon, please explain to us the changes that take place in someone who's received a full dose the Fearless serum, and why it makes them so hard for an ordinary person to defeat.'

I almost roll my eyes. Really? That's all he's going to ask me? Then I remember that until I graduate, I have to keep pretending I respect the guy, even if I hate his guts.

'The Fearless serum causes permanent changes to the amygdala, a part of the brain, which plays a key role in processing emotions, in particular the fear reflex,' I say. 'It also permanently raises stress hormones and adrenaline levels. As Cass said, they lose the ability to feel any fear, love, or empathy whatsoever, and become highly aggressive.' I glance at her, but she's looking at her feet.

'After they Alter, they're left with intense cravings that can only be controlled with continued use of the serum. There are also marked physical changes, which as yet have not been explained. When someone is fully Altered – and with the strengthened serum, this takes just one dose, with people Altering in a matter of days – their irises turn cloudy and their pupils become permanently dilated, making the Fearless's eyes highly sensitive to light and giving them excellent night vision. The serum also heightens their sense of hearing and smell. Their vocal cords lengthen, their voices becoming deeper and hoarser. They are slower to react to injury, even if they're mortally wounded, although they can still die. They also become faster and stronger. This makes them hard to defeat unless you're armed, which most ordinary people during the Invasion weren't. They heal very fast, too, and—'

I'm interrupted by the sound of someone running down the corridor outside the hall. The doors fly open and Olly Fleet, a Patroller who graduated last year, bursts in, his face glistening with sweat.

'What is the meaning of this?' Captain Denning snaps.

It takes Patroller Fleet a few moments to get his breath back. He bends over slightly, his hands on his knees.