On Top
Bella's POV
11th May 2018
At the end of the class, we were given five minutes to shower before being taken to the computer lab. Our computer classes covered anything tech related. I'd learnt it all already, and when I was home, I taught myself. The advancement of technology in the last ten years made it harder for us to stay hidden and to protect our families. But our ability to adapt meant we could use it in our favour. I'd managed to hide my Mom and I for two years before they found us.
Computer class was the only class that I was allowed to sit at the back in. Each desk had three monitors and a keyboard. We were given new tasks each class, always being timed. Like in every class, there were advantages to finishing first. You could live without being first though. Finish last three times and you'd face punishment. I'd seen enough of the girls being taken away to know who was struggling the most.
Sitting in the class, I finished the two hour task of getting through six firewalls, retrieving all the fake data and reinstalling the firewalls as if I'd never been there. I did all this in just twenty minutes. When your computer logs the completion of the task, your name appears on the big screen at the front, creating a leader board. I sat back for a minute, watching as the others all realised I'd finished. I could see the anger and frustration on Caitlin's face.
Using my computer to tap into each of theirs, I watched each line of code they typed. Ciara making some good progress. But it was Emma that surprised me the most. She was usually in the bottom group most classes. I hadn't paid much mind to her in the past. She just coasted by, scrapping seventh or eighth each leader board. Her code looked good though. And she was further ahead than any of the others.
Emma's name appeared on the leader board, her time of 1:23:48 making her second in the class to finish. After me of course. It was also the fastest any of them had finished a task in this class before. I then leaned forward to my computer. Taking control of Ciara's computer first, I copied out my code over hers. I glanced over to where she was sat as her hands lifted up, her eyes widening. She subtly glanced round and her eyes found mine. My lips turned up and I smirked at her. She let out a low breath and sat back. I then took over Sienna's screen, doing the same for her. Working my way through each of the girls computers, I left Caitlin for last. She watched as each name appeared on the leader board. Her fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, typing out code. But in her stress, she was making mistakes. A lot of mistakes. For the first time, it looked like she wouldn't finish. Waiting till the last few minutes, I took over her computer, filling out her code with my completed code. You could feel the relief washing over her. But she was bottom of the leader board. She'd never been at the bottom. The other recruits were acutely aware of why.
"I'm glad to see everyone finished today. Well done."
After a ten minute lecture we were all led down to the lunch hall. For the last two weeks, I'd been allowed to eat lunch and dinner with the other recruits. Just the nine girls in my class, but it was nicer than eating alone in my room. None of them talked to me though. They had all been too scared to.
Lifting my tray of food, I took my usual seat at the end of the bench, the others taking their spots. Everyone was eating in silence, their eyes travelling the length of the table between Caitlin and me.
"You were on a mission?"
Sophie, who sat across from me, was looking down at her tray, her fork in her hand. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up at me.
"Yesterday, I mean? You were out on a mission, weren't you?"
They all turned to me, eager to hear my response.
"We got back early yesterday morning."
"What was it like?"
"Where did you go?"
"What did you have to do?"
"You girls will learn that you aren't allowed to talk about missions. Once debriefed, you don't talk to anyone about what went down."
"But you… you know? Killed someone?"
"Not all missions are about killing."
"How many missions have you been on?"
"Enough to know that if we keep talking about them, we'll all be punished. And thanks, but I don't feel like lying in the tank for a week."
Looking down to my food, I speared a piece of potato and popped it into my mouth. I wanted to be able to talk to these girls like I'd have talked to the others like me. We understood each other, understood why we did what we did. But if these girls were to find out that I was talking to Victoria about them, they'd hate me. You don't talk about each other. That had been the rule five years ago. You take the punishment but keep your lips sealed. And I hated being a spy, but I had to. They didn't know what punishment was. They had never been tortured with a cattle prod or cut open and operated on. They had it easy compared to me.
I was just glad they'd gotten over their fear of me from this morning. I hadn't meant to go as far as I did with Caitlin. But it had done its job. She knew she wasn't on top anymore. She knew what that dread felt like to see your name on the bottom of the leader board.
My next job was to talk to Ciara. Try and build her up a little. If she had that extra bit of confidence, she'd rival Caitlin anytime. She had a natural intelligence and ability to learn quickly. I could see her being very good on missions. Her physical strength was there. She just needed confidence in herself. And she needed to not be so scared.
Luckily for me, Victoria had set it up that Ciara and I would be working together in Chem class. As we handled the dangerous chemicals, trying to create a substance that would melt through specific alloys of steel, we talked quietly enough that the others wouldn't hear us.
"You're good, you know. Better than Caitlin."
"Caitlin's the best. Well, not as good as you, obviously. But she's always been top."
"Maybe it's time for someone else to be. You've been close to knocking her out a couple times in combat. And your stamina is better than hers. You just give up when you're safe in the middle of the class."
"Sometimes it's better to stay in the middle of the pack than be at the top or the bottom. I don't want to be singled out for any reason."
"I know that going unnoticed seems like the better choice. But you have been noticed. That's why you're in this class with me. If they didn't see you, you'd be with the other recruits in D wing. You've been seen. Everyone in this class was picked for their potential. Maybe it's time you fulfil your potential?"
"You really think I could be top of the leader board?"
"Why not? You've been in close second in most classes. You don't have to be top in all of them, pick one class to start with and work from there."
"Which should I try?"
"You have to figure that out on your own."
I gave her a small smile.
"You're good, Ciara. And one day you'll be out on a mission and you'll have wished you'd applied yourself more. You can't just give up when you're working. That's how someone gets hurt or caught."
"What if I don't want to go on a mission?"
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice. Just remember that you won't be alone. You're first missions will be done in groups or pairs. I won't deny that it takes its toll, but you'll learn how to deal with the moral toll eventually. The best thing you can do is tell yourself that it isn't your fault."
"Is that what you do?"
"I have to."
We'd been talking too long, drawing attention to ourselves. Giving her a pointed look, she understood that our conversation was over. I just hoped my words had given her some much needed confidence in herself.