The Vanguard Vixen

After-School Activities

Hayley Grant absent mindedly doodled on the tablet before her. She was right in the middle of a class, but she had lost all concentration on the bloody history of Vanguard. It always started out interesting, but as the lecture moved on from adventure and discovery to politics and bureaucracy, she zoned out. Finally, knowing she could catch up on the lesson at anytime on the web, she took off the VR glasses she wore, and undid the band holding her hair up.

She logged out of the session on her tablet and unlocked the door to the closet. She pushed it only slightly at first, making sure that there wasn't anyone waiting outside to bother her. No one was to disturb her while she was in 'class' although it was physically just a tiny closet with a desk. A simple connection with the tablet and VR glasses that looked no different from the normal ones could put her in any virtual session on the web as long as she had access.

Hayley immediately made for the window. Usually the moment she walked downstairs, she would be bombarded with requests and questions. On days like this, when she didn't feel like being cooped up in a house with three other teenagers, she took this particular route. Two storeys up wasn't hard to traverse while going down, but it made for a treacherous climb. 

Hayley's sneakers squeaked when she landed on the ground, with legs bent. She took a second to scan her surroundings, and after checking that the small fanny pack strapped around her waist wouldn't fall off, she ran.

The faraway noise of the train whistle pushed her to go faster, but with all the people walking about, each trying to get home before the seven o'clock curfew, she couldn't go as quick as she wanted. Hayley cut through the busy street instead, sprinting right between two cars. She ignored the blaring horns as she slid over the hood of the next, waving at the driver as she did so. Up ahead, she could see the towering flyover tracks where the train would speed high above the city. Hayley had to get on that train.

She slipped on a pair of suction gloves when she got closer to the smooth steel pillars that held up the tracks. The pillars were as smooth as glass, holding rails higher up where bored hands couldn't reach. The coefficient of friction would be zero if not for the gloves. Her sneakers were brand new. They would grip just fine.

Climbing exercises were not uncommon at school, the few times that she actually went there. Her father had advised her to that she had to get out of the closet and face the actual world. She didn't like people much, especially strangers, but the gym at the school was an experience virtual reality couldn't fix.

Hayley went up the steel pipe with practised agility, and no one on the ground even noticed. It wasn't unheard of for people to try and scale the pipes every once in a while. A few crimson smudges on the uneven tarmac showed proof of those that had failed. Hayley made it to the top without a doubt. She could see the train approaching fast some distance away. She closed her eyes and spread out her hands, reveling in the breeze that only blew at altitudes like this one. The tracks than any building in this sector of Vanguard, and she could even make out the Harbor in the distance.

The whistle came once more, snapping Hayley out of her reverie. She started jogging beside the tracks. The bars extended out onto short planks that she stepped on as she moved. The train would be to her left, and nothing to her right. Hayley had discovered though that she liked heights. She had wanted to be part of the Vanguard Air Force, but her father had discouraged anything to do with joining the army.

Hayley sped up as the train zipped by her, simultaneously trying to keep her balance as the she got sucked towards it. This was a feeling she had experienced several times before and she had gotten used to it.

Trailer twenty five.

Hayley counted them as they went by. Just as she had calculated, the trailer would be right almost behind her as the train slowed down to navigate the sharp bend ahead. Slow enough for her to get a hand hold without losing any fingers. She clambered to the top, and he was waiting.

"What took you so long?"

She glared at him as she took off her gloves.
"Unlike you, some of us still have a future to plan for."

"But here you are." He spread his hands out wide. "Why do you do this anyway?"

"Because someone has to," Hayley replied. "Now shut up and let me think."

In truth, Hayley didn't really have to think. She had perfect recollection. She knew where everything was and where everyone should be for this to go the way she planned. She just needed some time to breathe, to enjoy the freedom of hurtling through the air at these speeds. It might have been the last time she would get to feel it.

Someone else joined them onto the top of trailer twenty five. Hayley had her eyes closed, but she recognised the way Three walked. This was a team she had put together through the shadier connections of her father. For privacy and efficiency no names were exchanged, and they went by numbers. Hayley was One. The other man with her was Two. The recent addition was Three, excessively clumsy, but his prowess with breaking through locks of any sort was invaluable.

"Lieutenant Three, reporting for duty."

Hayley could almost see the silly grin on his face. She fought against the smile tugging against her lips, and she was glad she faced away from them. She had grown close to these people, yet this was a line of work where you couldn't trust anyone.

She listened in as Two communicated with Four, who was doing some last minute reconnaissance at the site. Finally, she got the answer she wanted.

"Operation is clear to go," came Four's voice from the earpiece.

Hayley exhaled and got to her feet. She faced her crew, keeping direct eye contact with them. In particular, Three. He was younger than even she was, and although he tried to mask it with humor, he always got scared on these missions. Hayley hoped she could instill some of her confidence into them.

"Okay guys," she said. "We've gone through this several times. No distractions, no destruction, no do overs. In and out, quick. As we practised."

Three nodded while Two pretended to be checking through his tools. Hayley knew they were fine. He would have spent every night towards this day making sure they were perfect.

"Five. Are you in position?" Hayley asked the last member of the team.

"Affirmative," came his answer, her cue.

After taking a deep breath, Hayley jumped off the train.

*****
Meet Hayley.

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