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Before, he never knew what he would be when he grew up. He never really thought about anything otherthan watching vids and playing—nothing had been a challenge.
Now every day was a challenge and a new adventure.
John knew more things, thanks to Déjà, than he ever thought he could have learned at his old school:algebra and trigonometry, the history of a hundred battles and kings. He could string a trip line, fire arifle, and treat a chest wound. Mendez had shown him how to be strong . . . not only with his body, butstrong with his head, too.
He had a family here: Kelly, Sam, and all the others in his squad.
The thought of his squadmates brought him back to Mendez’s mission—one of them was going to beleft behind. There had to be a way to get them all home. John decided he wasn’t going to leave if hecouldn’t figure it out.
He arrived at the edge of the lake; stood and listened.
John heard an owl hooting in the distance. He marched toward the sound. “Hey, owl,” he said when hewas close.
Sam stepped out from behind a tree and grinned. “That’s ‘Chief Owl’ to you, Trainee.”
They walked around the circumference of the lake, gathering the rest of the children in the squad. Johncounted them to make sure: sixty-seven.
“Let’s get the map pieces together,” Kelly suggested.
“Good idea,” John said. “Sam, take three and scout the area. I don’t want any of the Chief’s surprisessneaking up on us.”
“Right.” Sam picked Fhajad, James, and Linda and then the four of them took off into the brush.
Kelly collected the map pieces and settled in the shade of an ancient cedar tree. “Some of these don’tbelong, and some are copies,” she said, and she laid them out. “Yes, here’s an edge. Got it—this is thelake, the river, and here . . . ” She pointed to a distant patch of green. “That’s got to be the extraction
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point.” She shook her head and frowned. “If the legend on this map is right, it’s a full day’s hike,though. We better get started.”
John whistled and a moment later Sam and his scouts returned.
“Let’s move out,” John said.
No one argued. They fell into line behind Kelly as she navigated. Sam blazed the trail ahead. He had thebest eyes and ears. Several times he stopped and signaled everyone to freeze or hide—but it turned outto be just a rabbit or a bird.
After several miles of marching, Sam dropped back. He whispered to John, “This is too easy. It’s notlike any of the Chief’s normal field exercises.”
John nodded. “I’ve been thinking that, too. Just keep your eyes and ears sharp.”
They stopped at noon to stretch and eat berries they had gathered along the trail.
Fhajad spoke up. “I want to know one thing,” he said. He paused to wipe the sweat off his dark skin.“We’re going to get to the extraction point at the same time. So who’s getting left behind? We shoulddecide now.”
“Draw straws,” someone suggested.
“No,” John said, and stood. “No one’s being left behind. We’re going to figure a way to getall of us out.”