Psion Delta (20 page)

“Don’t
. . . ” Kawai warned.

Antonio
put his arms out like he was shocked.

“Oh
please,” Strawberry said, “they’re not graduating you early, too.” She flipped
a spoonful of yogurt at Antonio, but he shielded it so well that it splattered
and slid down an invisible wall.

“Nice
try, cutey pie.” Antonio made kissing lips at her.

The
seven of them chatted about Psion Panels until Major Tawhiri arrived with
Commander Iakoka and Dr. Rosmir. Every Beta in the room stood when their
superiors entered. Dr. Rosmir nodded at Sammy. Major Tawhiri’s smile was as big
as always.

“There
you are!” the major exclaimed, rubbing his big brown hands together gleefully.
“As you all know, today Sammy begins his Psion Panel. He successfully passed
his final Instructions exam today and now will meet with Command to begin the
next phase of his testing. So, Sammy, will you please come with us?”

Sammy
left the room to the sounds of cheers and shouts of encouragement. He glanced
at Jeffie as he passed by her table, but she kept her eyes on her food.

“We’re
going up to my office first,” Major Tawhiri explained once they reached the
stairs. “We want to give you an idea of what’s going on. The commanders and I
have been working on a schedule for the last couple of weeks, and we’ve got
everything figured out.”

Once
inside his apartment, Tawhiri led everyone to his living room and served
refreshments. Sammy didn’t have to wait long before the major got the
conversation going.

“Commander
Iakoka will test your combat skills today. Next week, we’ll take care of the
rest of your Panel. Mission functionality with Commander Havelbert, and then
Commander Zahn. He’ll be reviewing mental aptitude. Judging by your exam
scores, I suspect that test will be very brief.” The major smiled at his own
joke, but did so alone. “Doctor Rosmir wants to have a short discussion with
you before you meet with Commander Iakoka.”

“What
about my mission?” Sammy asked. “How are you going to arrange that?”

Commander
Iakoka leaned forward. Sammy hadn’t seen her since he’d performed his heat
blasts at NWGMC. She looked somewhat younger now, and Sammy suspected it had
everything to do with her makeup. She wore a lot of it. Her graying black hair
was pulled back tight into a ponytail.

“We
have already taken the liberty of assigning you to a squadron. Your leadership
mission will be an actual mission with your team, your evaluation based on your
performance.”

“But
I won’t be leading it, right?” Sammy asked.

“Correct.
Your squadron has a honcho already. Anna Lukic. A very capable Psion.”

Sammy
paused for a moment before asking what was on his mind. “So then how will you
test my
leadership
abilities?”

Commander
Iakoka smiled, but Sammy thought it looked more like a simper. “Sometimes we
show leadership by being a good follower and fulfilling orders.”

And
sometimes we talk out of our butts when we have no good answers.
“What
squadron am I in?”

“Charlie.”

That
name sparked something in Sammy. “That’s—that’s—isn’t that Al’s squadron?”

Major
Tawhiri shifted in his seat. “Oh . . . yes . . . I suppose it is.” He rubbed
his chin as if he were surprised at the coincidence, but Sammy saw right
through the act. Suddenly his future looked much brighter. “Well,” the major
said, getting to his feet. “I’m hungry for lunch. Commander Iakoka, shall we
give Sammy and the doctor a few minutes to chat before you start the testing?”

When
the commander and major had left the room, Dr. Rosmir pulled his chair closer
to Sammy. “How are you?” His tone was one of genuine concern.

“Fine.”

“Fine,
huh?” Rosmir glanced down at Sammy’s leg. “I’ve seen the videos from your
sims—from the Games.”

Sammy
rubbed the muscles in his thigh. “I don’t know what causes it. Every time I
play the Game, every time I train.”

“When
you exercise?” Rosmir asked, his tone suddenly clinical.

Sammy
shook his head.

“When
you’re angry?”

“Nope.”

Dr.
Rosmir leaned forward, his hands outstretched. “May I?” With Sammy’s consent,
the doctor probed the muscles tenderly at first, then with more pressure. “Any
pain? Wound’s clean and healed, yes?”

“Nothing—everything’s
fine.”

“It
could. . . . ” Rosmir took a deep breath. “It could be—”

“Psychosomatic?”
Sammy finished for him.

“Yes.”

“Yeah,
I’ve suspected that for a while now.”

“How—”

“I
read.”

“Yeah,
I know. I looked at your test score from this morning. Well done.”

Sammy
nodded back at him.

“Now,
I noticed you achieved perfect or near-perfect scores on your other exams. On
today’s, you scored thirteen points lower. Any particular reason, you think?”

Sammy
hesitated to respond. He thought the answer was obvious.

“I
assume you haven’t recovered your Anomaly Eleven,” Dr. Rosmir concluded with a
touch of disappointment.

“I
don’t know.” Sammy shrugged as he talked. “It’s—how can I tell? I mean, I don’t
do as well on a test, but I haven’t lost a single Game since I’ve been back,
even when the major gives me the shortest stick.”

“Your
sims have been going well, too, haven’t they?”

“Yeah!
Really well.”

“But
. . . ?”

“But
I haven’t
seen
things like I used to—like when I could look at a problem
and know what to do right away.”

“So
combat-related activities are going well, academic activities, not to the same
level.”

“Yeah,
I don’t know. I’m not sure at what point my own abilities end and my anomaly
begins. Sorry.”

Dr.
Rosmir seemed satisfied with the response. “Well, this conversation we’re
having right now is the psychological fitness evaluation of your Panel, plus
it’s the regular check-up I promised you. Birds and stones, right? You have any
questions you want to throw at me?”

“How’s
Commander Byron doing?”

The
doctor smiled knowingly. “He’s fine. Gone on personal leave at the moment. Al
and Marie got married a few days ago.”

“Yeah,
I heard. Tell them congratulations for me.”

“You
might see them before I do, but if not, I’ll be sure to do that.”

“I
also. . . . ” Sammy squirmed in his seat, “have a question . . . about girls.”

Dr.
Rosmir laughed, but in a way that didn’t at all diminish his composure. “Keep
in mind that I’m single, Sammy, but ask whatever you’d like. Please.”

Sammy’s
ears grew hot, and he wished he hadn’t brought it up. However, he thought he’d
look stupider if he didn’t ask. “Okay, well, can a girl like two people at the
same time? I mean, not
like
, but you know . . . have feelings for two
people?”

“You
mean can a girl be attracted to two boys at the same time?”

“Yes.”

“I’d
think so. Men can, so why can’t women?”

Sammy
grinned, his spirit suffused with a sudden surge of desire to know more. “And
do you think a girl would be willing to—or that she could not see someone for a
long time, but then like him again? Say, for example, two or three years of not
seeing someone. Could she still like that person after that long of a time?”

Dr.
Rosmir checked his watch and then looked Sammy in the eye. “Can I stop
pretending that I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

If
Sammy’s ears had felt hot before, they were branding irons now.

“You’re
going to be separated from your friends for a while. And when you’re reunited
in a few years, you’re going to be mature in ways that they aren’t. More than
you are now. If you want to be the Psion that everyone thinks you’ll be, you
have to accept that. Okay? Hanging on to crushes and pining away didn’t save
your butt in Rio, and it won’t help you as an Alpha. Understand?”

Sammy
agreed with Dr. Rosmir silently.

“However,
if Jeffie has her head screwed on straight, I think she’ll come around.”

“Okay,
thanks.”

“Now
about your leg,” Rosmir began. “How bad is it?”

“It
gets pretty bad. Not so much the last few days, but when I was in the Game
where I had to win to graduate, I thought I was going to pass out.”

“Why
didn’t you?”

Sammy
thought about the answer. “What choice did I have?”

Dr.
Rosmir stared hard at him. “I wish,” he cast his eyes away for a moment, “that
I had your strength. You are remarkable. And there’s no anomaly for that. Your
leg will get better, I believe. Just keep at it. Be the master of your body.”

His
words reminded Sammy of Byron’s advice to practice self-control. Maybe the two
ideas were related, maybe not. “Thanks again.”

“No
problem. I’d better go so Commander Iakoka can rake you over the coals. Take
care and see you soon.”

Sammy
stood and shook the doctor’s hand, then he was left to think about their short
conversation until Commander Iakoka returned wearing a zero suit so she could
observe him in the sims without being injured by the holograms. She took short
steps and carried herself in a very stiff manner, so stiff that Sammy wondered
if she’d suffered from a traumatic back injury.

“We’re
headed to the sim rooms. No need for questions.”

Sammy
followed her to sim room one. When the door closed behind them, she addressed
him as though she were lecturing an entire class. “You are here today to prove
that you have the combat skills necessary to protect yourself and your squadron
in battle against a number of different foes. It is the belief of Psion Command
that every Alpha should be able to successfully defeat three Thirteens, but no
less than two Thirteens and one Aegis in a simulated exercise. Do you believe
you are capable of doing so?”

“Yes,
I—”

“Are
you currently in sound physical condition?”

“I
am, but—”

“Do
you wish to proceed with a sim trial?”

“I’ve
beaten the five Thirteen sim trial, Commander.”

Commander
Iakoka blinked four times, then looked at Sammy as if she’d never properly
looked at him. “Oh.”

“It’s
all in my reports. Didn’t you read them?” When she didn’t answer, Sammy pressed
on. “And during Al’s failed Rio mission, I defended myself and Kobe Reynolds
from at least six Thirteens. Real Thirteens.”

“Six.”
The commander repeated him robotically. Sammy wondered if she believed him. “I
don’t think we even have a six Thirteen trial. How recently have you completed the
five Thirteen sim?”

“Last
night.”

Commander
Iakoka regained her composure, but still tugged at the ultra-tight zero suit as
though she found it to be constricting. “Excuse me, please.”

Brushing
past Sammy, the commander walked stiffly and quickly out of the room. Sammy
stood in place for quite a while, assuming she was right outside the door and
about to return any moment. He didn’t dare follow her. After waiting over
twenty minutes, he decided Commander Iakoka wasn’t coming back and left the
room. Halfway down the stairs, he received a text:

Dear
Samuel,

Congratulations
on passing the Combat portion of the Psion Panel! Your dedication and hard work
will reap dividends as you continue through the Panel and graduate to Alpha.
Please continue to work hard to pass the remaining sections of your exam so
that you will achieve a timely graduation. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Commander
Jean Iakoka

That
woman is unreal.

“Hey
Sammy,” someone said behind him. Sammy turned, startled, to see Kaden. “Hey,
sorry. I guess I snuck up on you. How did it go?”

“Fine.
Passed.”

“That
fast?”

“Uh,
well—”

“That’s
cool, don’t worry.” Kaden smiled in a way that made Sammy feel immediately at
ease. “Congrats, bro. I’m happy to see you do so well.”

“Thanks,
Kaden.”

They
stood in silence for a moment. Sammy contemplated asking a question that had
been on his mind for days.
I’ve only got a few weeks left. Might as well go
for broke.
“Why’d you go after Jeffie so hard in that Game when I was
honcho?”

Kaden
nodded, twisting his lips in an expression of pondering. “I think you know the
answer.”

Sammy’s
mental wheels spun. Brickert had promised he wouldn’t breathe a word of their
conversations when Sammy had been trying to decide whether to stay or go. He’d
sworn not even to tell Natalia. “Did you overhear me and Brickert speaking
about how important that Game was? That it would be my yes or no to Command
regarding my graduation?”