Bab 11: (4)The Shuttle
Marlon ran with all his strength toward the edge of the training grounds with the seizing girl on his back. Would he make it? It was too close to call. Marlon closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he stormed through a bush and got whipped in the face with a thorny branch.
But that pain was nothing compared to the frustration in his heart. Was this really gonna be how he was disqualified? Because he went and got soft-hearted all of a sudden?! He cursed himself for not just leaving the stupid girl to die.
Marlon reached the halfway point—and he only had thirty seconds left. He was exhausted, his stamina completely gone. His legs felt like jelly. Forget thirty seconds—Marlon felt like he'd crash to the ground any moment.
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Marlon squinted one eye open and found Alexandre running beside him and saying, "Come on, it's not over yet."
So Marlon took one more deep breath, drew on the last bit of strength he didn't know he had, and pushed on harder, picking up his pace.
Alexandre was impressed. He'd secretly passed on some of his own energy when he touched Marlon, but this was beyond what Alexandre had expected. It was like he was watching a professional athlete racing beside him. The rest of the candidates had been running the Shuttle exercise for so long they were all on the verge of exhaustion, and they stared in disbelief at Marlon's burst of speed.
"What?" some of them gasped as they staggered along. "That huge guy must weigh 120 kilos and he's carrying a girl on his back, but he's still as fast as Usain Bolt!"
***
The examiner, Omega, was surprised more and more at the recent series of events. Not only had both the rich kid candidate and now this guy stupidly decided to help a complete stranger when it harmed their own chances of advancing, but the big guy had made this decision while he was already injured.
"Interesting turn of events," Omega murmured. "We'll see what comes of it." He stared intently at the candidates and counted down the seconds.
***
One last burst of speed from Alexandre and Marlon…
…and they crossed the finish line just two seconds before the red rockets announced the end of the Shuttle.
Marlon was totally exhausted. He staggered and collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Shit," he gasped.
Alexandre, of course, still felt perfectly fine. Nobody else could say the same, though. Alexandre thought to himself, 'There's no way these people can take another Shuttle. I wonder if we'll switch tests now.'
***
Omega looked down at his device and examined the statistics of the last Shuttle. There were now fewer than 800 candidates left. According to regulations, he wasn't supposed to stop the Shuttle until the numbers were lower.
Omega thought carefully about this for several moments. There were a higher ratio of excellent candidates remaining compared to how many had remained in previous years at this point. Another round of the Shuttle would only serve to disqualify a few people Omega wanted to see continue. Besides, Omega had always thought the Shuttle was a stupid test. It didn't test skill, only endurance.
So, at long last, Omega picked up his whistle and blew three sharp bursts. "First test over!" he announced through the loudspeaker.
A few people had remained on their feet, assuming another Shuttle was coming, but now everyone crumpled to the ground. They'd been put through far more than a normal man could endure and proved their incredible determination. In many cases, candidates had torn ligaments or muscles, but had kept on running. Adrenaline had kept them going, but the pain was now really starting.
The medical team descended upon various candidates like crows—including a small group of medics who hurried to the girl whom William and Marlon had rescued.
After a long minute of examining the girl, the doctor who led this medic squad nodded toward Marlon and William. "Be satisfied, young men. She's still alive only thanks to your swift actions."
William smiled with relieved satisfaction and turned toward Alexandre and Marlon. "Thank you, guys..."
Marlon blushed and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Scrawny little richshit. Can't even carry a girl on your own. I just wanted to show you who's boss one more time."
Alexandre gave a grim smile. "Don't celebrate too early. We're not done. There's still two physical tests to go. Rest while you can."
***
After several minutes, Omega looked at the time on his device. He didn't want to give the candidates too long to get comfortable. In part, this was for their sakes… he didn't want their muscles stiffening after the exhaustion, which would surely lead to them all failing, so they needed to keep active.
Omega turned toward the other exam officials, specifically the chief medical officer. "Well, doctor, are these maggots ready for the second test? My favorite TV series is about to start."
The chief medical officer raised his eyebrows. "You want my professional medical opinion? They need a minimum of three days' rest. This ordeal was far too intense for normal humans, even for young and healthy ones. Their bodies were pushed beyond their limits. We're lucky to have only eight deaths among the participants. I really do wish we'd take the health and safety of our future assets better into account in these tests. But of course, I don't get to make the personnel decisions around here."
Omega gave a smirk. "You're not wrong. I suppose we might be able to bend the rules… just this once. Besides, we have some particularly interesting people trying out this year. I'd like to see how they react to more unusual circumstances. Thanks for the advice, doctor. Of course, we don't have to make it easy for them…"
The doctor frowned. "Whatever you're planning, I have the feeling it's not going to be particularly restful."
"Just watch and see," said Omega.
***
Some tens of minutes later, Omega made another announcement. "Everyone please enter the Shuttle square again."
The Shuttle square was, of course, a huge square marked in red paint which marked the start and end point for the candidates when they ran back and forth. It was well over 700 meters on each side.
Most candidates were still in shock from the intensity of the first test. Even still, they staggered back into the square.
Once everyone was in position, Omega said, "After the intensity of the last test, the medical corps have asked me to give you all a three-day break so you can regain your strength for the next test." He grinned. "Well, here you go! For the next three days, do what you like. Just remember that anyone who leaves the square will be eliminated. Good luck!"
Everyone looked at each other in astonishment as Omega, the medical corps, and the other administrators left without another word.
William murmured, "What a bunch of crazy people, seriously..."
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