Page 40 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

Nostrils flaring, a few tense seconds pass where no one speaks. Then Tate nods.

***

It’s not difficult to get out of the main building. We have more freedom here with coming and going as we please compared to Evot Training School, with the only times we’re not allowed to leave the complex being during a Game. It’s a little funny because we know that, really, we’re just as trapped as we were back then, maybe even more so, although it doesn’t always feel like it. I mean, we can’t contact our parents at all now, not even with credits, and we still have trackers in our necks. But I guess that increased freedom we feel is just the illusion TBG likes to create.

We’re now at the back of the Headquarters’ T-shaped building after spending half an hour in our Bonded chambers studying the glass one beside this, and it’s a good thing this one’s in complete contrast to that blindingly gleaming structure because it means we can hide behind here while we prepare ourselves.

“So,” Scotty begins, helmet on and ready to go, “Tiger and Alby, me and Cooper, then Tate alone. Everyone ready?”

A chorus of yeses sound out, and my chin dips in determination, hands tightening on my jet’s emerald-glowing control sticks.

“Okay, then. Tate—”

He takes off without waiting for instruction, and Scotty curses.

“He better not ruin this,” Cooper grumbles. “I swear I’ll fucking kill him.”

The rest of us stay quiet, watching as Tate’s Avri jet rises. We decided on pairing up to reduce the chance of us being spotted since three jets have a much lower risk of being seen than five. Fortunately, there’s opaque glass just as the central building of the Headquarters cuts off, so right now, there’s no risk of him being discovered.

I wait until he’s past that point before directing my own jet upwards, its glow illuminating the black taalk before me. Alby’s hold tightens on me, and I can feel his anxiety.

“It’ll be okay, Bestie,” I whisper as if someone might hear us from here. “We’ll get her. She has to be . . .” I falter. “She has to be okay.”

He’s quiet for a moment before he says, “I need her, Tiger. I really need her. It’s been awful just not being able to have her act naturally with us over the past week. I don’t know how I’d survive if she . . . if she’s . . .”

My breath trembles in time with his, and I hear the gentle swoosh of Scotty’s jet leaving the ground below us as I reply, “I know. I . . . I could hardly function. She just . . . She has to be okay,” I repeat, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

“Yeah . . .” His voice is completely unsteady, moments from breaking as we follow the path Tate makes for us.

Zapping as fast as possible through the gap between the main building to the Techtis Council one, my heart jumps madly.

Alby’s hitched breath only ramps up my own terror as one of my wingtips momentarily makes it past the opaque section of glass I attempted to pause behind, and I quickly snap my jet backwards.

Limbs light with fear and adrenaline, I glance down at Scotty and Cooper.

They’ve paused, their expressions tensed.

We wait one beat . . .

two . . .

three . . .

But no wailing alarm blares, and I don’t see anyone come to the clear glass I’d accidentally showed a piece of my jet, so, slowly this time, I ascend once more.

It almost seems too easy after that, but I don’t think I could make myself turn back even if this was some sort of trap. Ezzy has to be in here, and I’m not leaving her with that monster sperm donor.

Soon enough, after Tate leads us past all the blind spots we found on TV by watching recordings of The Bonding Games’ previous years, we’re following him over the top of the building, and holy fucking shit I did not think about how high up we’d be once we got here.

“I think I’m gonna shit myself,” I inform my bestie, and he lets out a squeaked agreement.

Landing on the rooftop, I allow Alby to get off my jet before demanifesting it. Glancing around, I try really hard not to look at anything but the building I’m standing on, but it’s extremely difficult, especially when there’s only a single huge box up here that must contain all the maintenance equipment, nothing else in sight. Also, I’m more than a tad worried that the strong wind up here is about to blow me right off the building, and I’m not sure I’d have the concentration to manifest my jet before I went splat on the taalk ground 762 feet below.

Cooper and Scotty land quietly behind me as I move further across the rooftop, but I don’t have to do much searching of my own before Tate calls out gruffly, “Over here!”

Battling against the wind, I rush over with Alby to where he’s crouched over a barely visible silver hatch. The outline of a square separates it from the rest of the roof, big enough to fit a person through.

Scotty approaches with Cooper before crouching down to inspect the hatch. Tilting his head, he observes, raising his voice to be heard, “That’s a biometric scanner.” A gloved finger points at the small circle that’s centred at the bottom near me.