Sy and Jim sat in silence for a few moments, the world around them frozen with a single banner declaring their deaths. Sy was the first to move. He reached up and pulled his goggles off. Jim followed suit with heavy reluctance. The artificial lights of the training room were an unwelcomingly sharp contrast from the sun they had done battle beneath.
The dome of their pod popped open. Both boys unbuckled and climbed out of their seats. Jim had not realized how tense he had been until he had to move his stiff muscles and try to relax. That had been his first taste of real combat all year.
Mrs. Parr stood nearby, her arms folded across her chest. Her expression was somewhere between amusement and irritation. Behind her Braxton, Matt, and 628 waited with wide grins. The brazilian helicopter pilot was nowhere in sight.
"Boys." Mrs. Parr reminded Jim of his own mother when she was upset with him. "Did it not occur to you that you were not meant to enter a secondary program, much less the third stage?"
"It did," Jim replied hesitantly, "But we didn't realize exactly what it entailed. We thought it was the best option to get better pictures."
"And instead of providing your agency with pictures, you both died and alerted the extremist group to the fact that they were being monitored." Sy shrunk back from the sharp reprimand. Jim lifted his chin stubbornly. Mrs. Parr sighed heavily. "Follow the mission next time. Both of you are dismissed."
Matt leaped forward to hug Jim. "You should have seen yourself! You both looked so intense! Your whole pod was shaking wildly, like some terraformer gone wrong! I could even sometimes hear you two yelling at each other."
"You could?" Sy blushed furiously. "What did you hear?"
"Well for one thing, you hate Jim. You sounded pretty serious about it too!" Braxton casually swept his arm back and forth in an exaggerated manner as he walked. 628 clung to it upside down laughing like a maniac as he swung through the air.
Matt nodded. "Oh yeah, that was very obvious. They were just herding all the rest of the students out when you decided to announce it! Made it hard to get everyone else to leave. Especially considering how excited Jim sounded!"
Jim shrugged. "Hey, free fall is fun."
"No argument from me." Braxton said.
Sy blushed even harder. "I think I've heard enough. They're probably going to fail us horribly for that. Are we the only two that got ourselves killed?"
"You're the only two that got into whatever that second program was. How'd you do it? All the rest of us had our programs ended after we started our third orbit."
"Well, we entered the atmosphere." Jim was admittedly a little proud they had been the only ones to think of it.
"Really? I should have guessed it was something like that. You'll have to tell us everything." Braxton winked at them. "I want to be prepared for when they put us into that second program."
Matt led his friends out of the room. "We can talk about it later. Sy's looking just a little shell shocked."
Sy gave a small awkward laugh. "I'm fine. Just the first time I've ever died, you know? Or failed an assignment. Or been yelled at by a teacher. Or-"
Jim knocked his shoulder against the younger boy's. "Well it's far from my first and I'm still here. You'll be fine. Besides, if Braxton can make it this far, you're sure to reach your second year."
"Thanks." Braxton reached up to ruffle 628's ears. "See what good friends we have? I'm going to have to start hanging out with Varian more often."
The small group walked into the buzzing lunchroom and headed straight for the empty lines. As they crossed the room the conversations around them died. Every recruit in the cafeteria turned to stare at them. Sy's face was bright pink once more. He buried himself somewhere in the middle of their bunch to avoid the various eyes upon them.
Jim was far less perturbed. He flashed the crowds a confident grin. As if it was a preassigned signal to speak, the previously silent room was filled with hundreds of voices calling out questions.
"What did you do?"
"Are you expelled?"
"Of course they're not expelled moron, they wouldn't be here if they were. Are you guys in trouble though?"
"Come sit with us, tell us what happened!"
"Mrs. Parr looked so upset, did she yell at you?"
The questions swirled around them and blended into constant background noise. Jim ignored them all. He draped his arm over Sy's shoulders. "Need help with your tray? You looked like you haven't been enjoying carrying yours."
Sy nodded reluctantly. "Yes please." He sighed and looked down at his bandaged hands. "I can use them, but it's not fun. The doctor looked them over again and said that I need to keep them bandaged for at least a week. He's trying to get me excused from classes, but I know that I'll just be disappointing my-" he stopped and shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Thank you for your help."
"I'll carry your tray every meal. Just make sure the lunch ladies know I'm not cheating the system." Jim perked up eagerly, "Ooh, and play up your hands at breakfast, see if we can get some extra bacon!"
"And here I thought you were being a gentleman. I was about to feel like a schoolgirl. But I see you're only using me for extra bacon."
"Do you blame me?"
"Not really." Both boys laughed as they made their way through the line. Jim balanced the trays carefully on the way back to their table. Sy carried their silverware. The small band of friends approached their usual table.
"What are you all doing here? The one day we don't post a guard, we get invaded!" Braxton shoved his tray at Matt. "Hold this. My little buddy and I have some barnacles to scrape off."
628 flattened his ears and antennae against his scalp. He bared his teeth and claws, a low growl rumbling in his throat.
"Braxton, don't start a fight." Jim said as he set his and Sy's trays on the edge of the occupied table.
"Jim the peacekeeper?" Matt's expression was incredulous. "Since when?"
"Oh, I'm not keeping peace. I just wasn't ready yet." Jim rolled up his sleeves. "But I am now."
"Jim, don't." Sy's soft voice almost didn't make it over the sound of the lunchroom. "It's only a table. We can sit somewhere else."
"It's our table, and they shouldn't be here."
"It's not my table. I don't care about the table. Let's go sit somewhere else."
"If we go somewhere else," Jim turned towards Sy, "those buzzards will follow. It's not about the table, Sy. It's about our space, and them invading it. You are already uncomfortable with their questions. I'm not letting them bother you while you're trying to eat." He shrugged and grinned. "Plus, I can't let Braxton have all the fun!"
Behind him, the cyborg and six limbed alien were already clearing out the unwanted guests. Braxton was dragging one of their classmates across the floor. 628 stood in the middle of the lunch table. He grabbed a boy by the shirt and lifted him up over his head. With a heave, he chucked the second year onto the table beside theirs. The youth wiped out four lunch trays as he slid across the table. The occupants of the disrupted table leaped to their feet with a shout.
628 turned back towards the nearest of the unwanted occupants. The boy leaped to his feet and scrambled off on his own. Braxton stepped up to the table and crossed his arms. 628 snarled at them and raised his hands. The remaining invaders were quick to scurry after their retreating comrad.
Jim slid his and Sy's trays to their places and settled into his seat. Braxton defensively placed himself beside Sy. Matt set his tray opposite Sy's. The five boys settled into their spots and tried to focus on their meal. Matt neatly laid his napkin across his lap while beside him 628 started shoveling food into his mouth. Sy bowed his head and closed his eyes.
"So Jim," a voice said from behind, "are you two actually in trouble?"
"We aren't talking about it, now scram. I'm eating."
Matt smirked at his friend. "How's it feel to be famous, Jim?"
"Oh hush, or you're going to learn what it feels like to wear your food."
"Excuse me?" Another lanky youth approached from Matt's side of the table. "I heard that you got into a forbidden part of the program. What was it?" Braxton glared at him until he left. Four more boys interrupted them before the meal was over.
Jim stacked his empty tray on top of Sy's. "I'll take trash today. Matt, you want to get silverware and cups? That'll make it Braxton and 628's turn next time."
"Yeah, I'm good with that." Matt reached for the empty glasses. "Toss your silverware on 628's tray."
A green hand settled on Sy's shoulder. Braxton leaped to his feet and whirled towards the latest disturbance. "Do you mind?" He drew back his fist for a punch. "Can't a guy eat without-" Milly stared back at him wide eyed. Her snakes drew back sharply then lunged forward and hissed.
"Sorry Milly." Braxton sat back down. "It's just that Jim and Sy's been getting harassed all lunch."
Milly waved it off. "Settle girls," she told her snakes, "let's not hold it against him. There are worse things a man can do than defend his friends." The snakes relaxed back down around her shoulders, though the one on the farthest left hissed at Braxton one last time.
"D'nahsy, the Admiral would like to see you."
