Chương 55: Ch 31b - Training

The brick of resin strikes the upended pipe dead centre sending it skittering noisily sideways across the floor. The neighbouring pipe tumbles less energetically, managing a gentle roll from its standing position. Crathsun's ball spins a pirouette next to it as if celebrating a win.

"Accuracy was good," Erro calls out as he retrieves the brick from where it has embedded into the makeshift sandbag backboard.

"Too fast again," Crathsun remarks with displeasure as he sits down on the gym bench beside Cara. The bench lets out a small groan under his unwelcome weight.

"I thought it looked slower though?" she suggests. Passing the shard back to him in a well-rehearsed move, she begins her walk across the hall to retrieve the resin bricks from Erro.

"Barely, you're still 5. 2 faster than me," Crathsun replies, remaining on the bench behind her. Cara sighs and rolls her shoulders as she walks. Shard trials have become shard training. The oppressive pressure of understanding how to use the shards has now lifted and been replaced by Crathsun's enthusiasm for the relentless training programme he has created to help her refine her shard control. This exercise involves two upended pipes stood like skittles halfway across the hall.

Her goal is to knock down her pipe by sending the brick sliding across the floor. Hitting the pipe isn't hard, the shard course corrects after she gives the brick the notion to knock the pipe over. The challenge is trying to match the speed of the ball that Crathsun bowls at his pipe at the same time. So far, she has managed only two speeds: too fast or too slow. Having already bowled Crathsun's ball back to him, Erro meets her halfway with the five bricks she is cycling through.

Not for the first time she thinks of the irony of having to collect the bricks by hand when she could easily return them the same way she dispatches them. Her mood must be displayed openly on her face. Erro gives her an encouraging grin, his dimples pitting deep into his cheeks.

"How do you stay so cheerful?" she complains as he loads the bricks into her arms.

"I swear we've done this over a hundred times."

"Years of practice," Erro replies jovially. He dips his head to add in a conspiratorial tone, "And Crathsun has the annoying ability to think up a worse exercise if you complain too much. It's best to enjoy the bearable ones."

"I heard that, Erro," Crathsun growls from the bench.

"And you've done it 65 times Cara." She rolls her eyes at Erro. He winks at her as she turns to trudge back to the bench. Beyond the bench, in the gym area, Draig leans against the back wall, in the same position he had assumed when they started the skittle exercise. Watching as usual, but also, she has noticed, distracted with whatever it is he is seeing with his optics. Quite a few times on her walk back she has seen him swiping and poking at the air, a frown creasing his brow.

Every time he looks up to lock eyes with her the frown disappears, replaced with his impassive stare. He is a near constant presence since his pledge to Wyndeer, but despite that she barely speaks to him. In fact, she thinks, she's seen him seek out Wyndeer for a chat far more than he's tried to talk to her. The two of them have transitioned from mutual distrust through to hated enemies and now to polite colleagues.

He is one of the most frustratingly mysterious men she's ever met, and she wishes she didn't care so much about trying to work him out.

"Five more," Crathsun says, breaking into her thoughts, "and we'll take a break."

"OK," she agrees with little enthusiasm, setting the bricks onto the floor next to the bench.

"If you're going to give me attitude, I can set up a new exercise," he growls. He holds her concerned look for barely two seconds before a grin curls his lips, just visible beneath his beard. Stolen story; please report. She presses a hand to her chest as she lets out a nervous laugh in relief.

"Five more," she agrees. Crathsun holds out the shard to her. Wyndeer had been quick to set out new rules for her shard training. Rules he had announced in a mandatory group meeting, during which she had been made to publicly agree to follow them. A minimum of two people present during any exercise. At least one person at her side when she uses the shard. Only small, lightweight objects until her control improves. An agreed space and direction in which she is allowed to move the objects.

Most importantly, as soon as she deactivates a shard, she is to hand it back, no exceptions. She has never known someone so keen to lay out rules first and have discussions as an afterthought. But, she's noticed, his team seemed uplifted after a clarification of his boundaries. And while his style is authoritarian, she reflects, he still allows her freedoms he doesn't have to grant, and bears risks he is trusting her not to materialise.

"Ready," Erro calls out, taking three large steps away from the pipes. Cara kicks a brick from the top of her stack, nudging it into position with her foot until it is roughly in line with the pipe.

"Ok," she says, more to herself than to either man.

"Let's try it again." …..

"Do you think you can convince Wyndeer to let you take me for a walk outside?" Cara asks, hating the question she has been building up to for the duration of the meal.

"Maybe, I can ask," Erro shrugs, claiming the last dough-like ball out of a box and popping it into his mouth. He crushes the box, adding it to his stack of empty boxes.

"No, I need you to check out the south-southwest line with me." Magse says, taking the stack of boxes and depositing them into the open chute embedded in the wall. The tidy-up after the midday meal is easy enough. Other than Crathsun, no one seems to have an interest in cooking, content instead to compile dishes from the seemingly endless supply of food boxes in the cupboards and cold storage. Erro gives Cara an apologetic shrug, his jaw too busy chewing to allow for a response.

"Why does the fence need repairing so much?" Cara asks.

"It feels like it's a daily task." Since her discovery of how to use the shards a few days ago, Wyndeer has reduced the decommissioning tasks to allow for a focus on her shard training, but it seems to Cara there is always someone being dispatched to the fence line at some point during the day. She catches the warning look that Magse shoots at Erro.

"It's an old fence," Magse says casually.

"And it wasn't maintained in recent years. We're not doing any meaningful repairs, just keeping it functional until we leave."

"But I thought there was nothing on the moor?" Cara tries again. Magse slams the door to the chute with a little more force than necessary.

"Well, there's someone who never has much to do, you can ask him to take you for a walk," she suggests, busying herself putting some unused fruits back into the cold storage.

"Flavitt?" Cara asks in confusion, understanding that Magse has swerved her question and resolving to ask Erro again when Magse isn't around. Without turning around Magse points a finger at the far end of the rec room.

"Draig." Cara looks across to the grouping of armchairs. Draig sits slouched in a chair, his feet propped high on the back of another chair. He has positioned himself so that he can look out of the window and keep an awareness of her movements in the room at the same time. For once he doesn't turn to meet her stare, instead maintaining his gaze out the window, one finger resting on his bottom lip. Cara's stomach flutters nervously.

"I wonder how much he gets paid," Erro says in a low voice. His tongue slides along his teeth, searching for any remnants of dough.

"I don't know and I don't care," Magse says disdainfully.

"Don't even think about asking him Erro. You manage to get yourself in enough trouble with Wyndeer just doing your job, you don't need to go looking for it."

"I thought Wyndeer and Draig were getting on better?" Cara asks, finding herself unable to resist the opportunity to dig for more insight.

"They are," Magse agrees, momentarily losing herself in thought.

"But associating with body contractors is never a good idea, even if Wyndeer is talking to him." She runs a brisk hand along the countertop, satisfying herself that it is clean enough. Brushing her hands together she says, "Let's go, Erro. Cara, make sure you stay in the rec room."

"Sure," Cara mumbles, stepping back out of their way. Magse hesitates, giving Cara a second look.

"I'll let Crathsun know, he should be finished debriefing Wyndeer soon." Cara holds her hands up, "I'm not going anywhere," she says, making an effort to keep the defensiveness out of her voice.

"Besides, Draig's one job is to watch me." Magse nods gravely and hustles Erro out the door.