Let's Start A Riot

Chapter Nine - Back to the Beam

I take a deep breath and turn around, edging my way over the pole, trying to think of anything other than the drop below. With my legs dangling over the side, I grab the top of the rope, and then wrap my legs around it, gripping it with my feet – one on top of the other – and start sliding my way down the rope.

My muscles are already screaming at me before I even hit the halfway mark, but I keep my grip on the rope tight and focus on the rhythm my hands are making as they move down the rope, one after the other, until I am a couple of feet off the ground. I drop into the mud, wading my way out to the next apparatus in the course. I have somehow managed to overtake someone on the rope, my days of climbing up and down the gym's ropes coming in handy.

The next part is climbing up a short ladder and making my way across a long bar connected to the other side. Most of the soldiers in front of me are having to wait their turn, while others are hanging like koalas onto the bar and pulling their way across. In the time it takes me to run the distance between the climbing frame and the bar, now having to wait in this ridiculous line, four people have already caught up, meanwhile those that already crossed the bar are taking a major lead. I sigh in frustration, but an idea comes to me as I glare at the bar.

The sergeant said do whatever is necessary to win, right? So, I barge my way to the front of the line, everyone shouting at me to get back to my spot, some even trying to grab me to shove me back, but I ignore them. I quickly climb the ladder and stand on the platform in front of the bar. There is someone already on the platform, and two people crawling along the bar, but looking at the bar I realise how perfect this is and almost laugh aloud.

I take a step out onto the bar.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" The soldier on the platform protests, but I ignore them too. I focus on the feeling I get when I'm on the high beam at practice and competitions. I harness it and put my other foot out. Suddenly I am back in the gym practicing my flips. I feel euphoric.

I begin walking until I reach the heel of the first soldier climbing across the bar. I can't step across them because they're moving and there's too many unpredictable body parts to step over without the risk of them knocking me off balance, so instead, I'm going to have to jump and clear them completely. I take one step back, keeping my arms out in balance, slightly crouching.

"Just like the gym." I mutter to myself, taking a calming breath.

The soldier below notices me, and starts shouting at me from below, telling me to get off, but once more I tune them out, tune out all the noise around me. It's just me and this bar.

And then I spring, gracefully flipping through the air, hearing the faint gasps of the soldiers below, the wind rushing past my ears, landing perfectly poised in front of the soldier, even with these clunky boots on my feet. I smile widely, oh how I've missed this these past couple of days after years of doing it every single day. In his surprise and fear of me stomping on his fingers or landing on him, the soldier behind me let's go of the bar, dropping into the pool of mud below, and I hear the suddenly satisfying shout of Sergeant Moore, "Cooper, you're disqualified!".

I move quickly across the bar to catch up with the second soldier who is close to the other side and is getting ready to drop down to ground. I decide to test out the trick I was practicing the day Agent Hartley had come to the gym, maybe slightly showing off with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I propel my body forward, and jump off the bar, twisting in the air, keeping my legs straight and my arms close to my body. I twist once, twice, three times before I see the floor looming up and I bring my feet under me, bending my knees and landing, once more perfectly. I look behind me and see the other candidates shoving each other out of the way to cross the bar quicker, all bets off now that I cleared it faster than anyone.