Sidereal

Part One: The Spaceship

Our unit slowed to a stop with only seconds to spare outside of L-67 hall. A group of ten officers who had rudely woken us leaned up against the wall. The tallest of them looked at his stopwatch and then at Zaire.

"That was close," he said.

He glanced back down at the hologram watch as it turned to red as it counted down the final seconds. The officer just shook his head and tsked under his breath. The halls remained silent as we wait for Squad Seven.

"If they don't get here in the next ten seconds, an extra two laps," said the guard and looked at us, "for everyone."

Kurt groaned and looked into the dark hallway and muttered, "C'mon Squad Seven, you idiots."

We wait in silence and then Tony's head snapped up from his gaze at the floor. He whispered, "I hear footsteps."

Indeed he did, faintly from down the hall the sounds of feet pounding against the hard floor. The time was ticking down and the possibility of us doing extra laps was growing. C'mon! I plead in my head, This is a terrible way to start the day with extra laps!

The stop watch blared loudly as the time ended and the person at the front of the unit came into view of the dimly lit lights. His hair was stuck to his forehead and panted loudly as the rest of his group circle around him. The officer grabbed the leader's shoulder and roughly shook him.

"You are late," growled the officer at the boy, "Do you know what that means?"

The boy groans in defeat, "Extra laps?"

"Yes, two for everyone!" the officer let go of the boy as he rubbed his shoulder.

Kurt's look at the boy was like daggers tearing at the boy. He wasn't happy about laps, well, to be fair, no one was in the mood.

"Squad Nine! Squad Seven!" shouted the officer, "Three laps laterally around the spaceship starting at A-01. You have four hours. Your time begins in five minutes, when you should've reach the hall. So don't dally! GO!"

Immediately our Squad started at a fast pace of a walk. I can already feel the aching of my bones, the ship is HUGE. No one has actually calculated the length of the ship, but in four hours you can do like two-ish laps. But three? I am so going to kill Squad Seven at the next paintball fight against them.

I hear the yawning of Squad Seven behind us and looking at their tired condition, maybe two is going to do it in time. If you don't do it in time, it is either more laps, extra tough training or being the servant for one of the guards for a week. A day is hard enough, but for a week? Yikes! Kurt had to be a servant for two days and he was miserable and grumpy for the rest of the week.

"How much time to do we have until we have to get there?" asked Max to Zaire.

"Three minutes, pick up the pace!" Zaire responded looking at his watch.

I start to slow jog next to Quinn as she walked hurriedly and puts up her hair. I yank off a hair tie off of my wrist and quickly tie up my blonde hair into a ponytail, getting it off of my face. C-01, B-01, getting closer... I think as go past the halls.

"Okay," Zaire said as we reached A-01, "We have an extra two minutes of a head start. Let's go!"

"Yippee," Quinn said with sarcasm, "Another two minutes. I wonder what I can do with it. What do you think, little girl?"

I roll my eyes at the nickname they gave me. I am short and look about 14 even though I am almost 17. Sometimes it is annoying, but it really means that I am apart of this group.

"I don't know... how about running?" I respond and begin to run.

Quinn grins and bumps shoulders with me as we start our midnight run.

⧫⧫⧫

I AM almost done with lap two with only around an hour left. I don't know how I am going to make it. I am sticky with sweat which drenched my camisole and my jacket is hanging limb around my waist. The boys have all removed their shirts as sweat glistened in the dim lights. All six of us are still running in our pack. Zaire in front, Max and Kurt on the sides, Quinn and I in the middle and Tony in back. Our breaths fill the silence and the pounding of our feet. One boy from Squad Seven is far ahead of us and one girl was behind us, but stopped twenty minutes ago to take a breather. Squad Seven isn't working as a team.

That is the fault of this exercise. Everyone from your Squad has to make it over the finish line to make it count. If the majority makes it, then the stragglers will have a harder punishment over the whole group. Zaire's strategy is all of us run together. I am sure that Zaire would be almost done if he didn't run with all of us, but he doesn't leave anyone behind. I remember when we were all seven, I tripped and fell and Kurt didn't stop running. Zaire had to chase after him and hold him against the wall until we all caught up. We are a team, I remember Zaire saying, We work together and never ever leave someone behind. That is how we work. That is how we win and survive on this new world we are going to.