第42页
Alpha Company had lost their team cohesion on Operation PROMETHEUS. Kurt vowed that would not happen with Beta Company.
Deep Winter ruffled his cape, and a flurry of illusionary snow swirled about the control room. The AI was likely programmed with human safety protocols, so it was natural for it to be concerned.
"We don't know what they're capable of," Kurt finally told Deep Winter. "Stick with the by-the-book drills and we'll never
find out, either. But put them in an impossible situation, and maybe they'll surprise us."
"Short definition of a Spartan," Mendez remarked.
That's what people had said about the SPARTAN-IIs who were the genetic cream of the crop and wore MJOLNIR armor. They could do the impossible, and do it alone. The SPARTAN-IIIs, though, would have to work together to survive. Be more family than fire team.
"Still," Deep Winter whispered. "This is cruel. They will break."
"I'd rather break them," Kurt said, "than let them go out into the field without ever experiencing an intractable tactical situation."
"Personally I don't think these kids can be broken," Mendez said more to himself than to Kurt or Deep Winter. His gaze now firmly fixed on Tom and Lucy. "Ten years old and these two have so much grit they scare the bejesus out of even me."
"Look," Deep Winter said. "What are those two doing now?"
Kurt smiled. "I think… the impossible."
"Let's go over the plan one more time," Tom said.
Lucy huddled next to him in the mud hole. "Why? You think I'm stupid?"
Tom didn't say anything for a moment, then: "Those turrets are probably using radar to target. So we fool them."
"And if they're using thermals?" Lucy asked.
Tom shrugged. "Then I hope they nail you first."
Lucy grimly nodded and hefted a muddy rock. "So we throw these."
"Into their cone of fire," Tom said. "The small angle will make them hard to track. Maybe tie up their brains for a fraction of a second more."
"Then we run."
"Evasive maneuvers. Try not to step on Adam and Min."
"Got it," Lucy said.
Tom grasped his rock tighter and pumped it once, working up his courage. He and Lucy knocked their fists together.
They stood at the same time—hucked both rocks.
Tom heard gunfire, but didn't pause to look; he ran right, then left, he rolled and tumbled and then sprinted like crazy for the tree line.
He felt the dirt near him exploding with tiny puffs.
Fire cut into his thigh and his leg lost all feeling. He pushed off with his good foot, and landed hard on his stomach in the tall grass by the acacia trees.
Staccato bullets dotted in the ground centimeters from his prone body… but missed him. He laughed. He was just inside their minimum angle of fire. Stupid machines.
He rolled over and spotted Lucy, panting and crouched in the grass. Tom waved to her, and then pointed up into the treetops. Lucy gave a thumbs-up signal.
Tom hopped on one leg. Some of the feeling was coming back… mostly the feeling of pain. He stomped it out. He couldn't let it slow him down. The drill instructors might show up at any second.