Whereas the supersoldier medics presumably stood by Iker's panels to wait for new patients, Joaquim, Gabe, and Sergeant Uzi were found by one at the base of the mountain. The pain was both too overwhelming for Joaquim to keep track of how much time had elapsed during the musical chair test and to comprehend what happened to Camilo and Sergeant Uzi. If anything, thinking of the latter added terror on top of the excruciating pain, so Joaquim decided while his grazed elbows were being examined that he would only preoccupy his mind with the aches across his upper body. Most importantly, the pain in his rib cage began to subside, it receiving attention first when the medic discovered the cause of the explosions in the glade nearby.

  "So you're not gonna ask us what happened?" Gabe asked, inciting a glare from Joaquim.

  "Why?" the medic asked back. "You're doing the test right? I saw you two... jump off the mountain."

  The medic's stammer made his thoughts on Joaquim's headlong idea obvious.

  "You can say it was a stupid idea," Joaquim murmured, averting his gaze towards the snowy ground.

  "I never said that!" the medic replied, his glowing hands on Joaquim's elbows shaking for a few seconds. "I would just say... think before fluxjumping."

  It seemed Gabe wanted to add to the conversation the whole time but he barely was able to initiate it with the question he had asked. When the brothers met eyes again while the medic was finishing up with Joaquim's scraped elbows, Gabe made the queasy frown Joaquim was familiar with. Thankfully it seemed the attention the medic already gave him around his abdomen area worked, the frown fading away once more and he opened his drowsy eyes gently. And then he finally said what he wanted to say the whole time.

  "Sergeant Uzi... why are you so quiet?" Gabe asked.

  "I am recovering too," Sergeant Uzi said too enthusiastically.

  "Cadet Wami... wow that feels weird to say... you notice it too don't you?" Gabe asked, not even acknowledging what Sergeant Uzi said and staring directly at Joaquim. And the little brother nodded.

  "Lieutenant Tagore was acting obtuse too... and that comment from Private Felix saying it wasn't too serious... there's a lot more going on with this test," Joaquim replied.

  The medic shrugged, the glow in his hands subsiding and taking a few steps back. "I will not confirm or deny that."

  "I think I know what it is," Gabe said right after the medic stopped speaking.

  "What's your theory?" Joaquim asked.

  "They are still playing stupid after we got eliminated so I think we are still in the test somehow," Gabe explained until he turned back to Sergeant Uzi and the medic. "Is Private Borrys still in the game?"

  "Yes he is," Sergeant Uzi replied.

  "I think we just have to help him pass, get him to sit on the last chair," Gabe guessed. "This has to be about teamwork. If we help him pass into two platoon, then we can join."

  "That might be it, but we should we do it for own benefit?" Joaquim asked. "We would be doing it for the wrong reasons no?"

  Joaquim and Gabe were also exchanging words with glances, paying much more attention to the medic and Sergeant Uzi than they were towards each other. The medic and Sergeant Uzi kept looking away, as if they were not trying to confirm or deny anything with body language or facial expressions. Afterwards, the song began to play again from the midair drones equipped with speakers.

  "Do you have a better idea as to what's the secret condition of this test?" Gabe asked.

  "Nope," Joaquim blurted out. "Where do you think Private Borrys is?"

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  Beyond the river delta at the edge of the Ersatz Mountain Range flying platform was its massive and elaborate dam. It turned the artificial river into a waterfall and redirected the rushing water back to the mountain. Opposite of the waterfall was a glowing walkway that looked like it belonged on a spaceship rather than a programmed dam. And above the blue florescent lights at the edge and behind the railing was a sole metal chair for the musical chair test.

  It was unlikely a drone placed it there. It had to be some cheeky supersoldier that did so because there was no one to be found anywhere near it. The chair was there taunting those who may need to sit on it when the song stopped looping.

  Where could they be hiding?

  There was a jumping teenager approaching the dam, but it became obvious to Joaquim that it was not him that placed the chair there. Even though he was quite far from the brothers hiding in a bush, him being the only white human in two platoon made it easy to know it was Private Borrys. It became apparent he was trying to be stealthy with the few bushes he could find atop the small islands of snow, mud, and metal, but there was several factors stacked against him. First, there were not many bushes as the islands became barer towards the edge. Second, it was obvious the private was pushing himself to the limit to stay in the test. His military coat and beret were missing and he had his gray t-shirt drenched in sweat. He could not stop panting as sweat dripped from his free blonde hair.

  After crunching many pine cones that were bountiful beneath their bent knees, the brothers began fluxjumping towards the obvious trap too. Private Borrys had to know how suspicious it all looked, he was smart and capable enough to somehow sit on one of the chairs Iker had. However, as Joaquim and Gabe were approaching they knew that this round was almost over. Joaquim not yet adept at aiming his fluxjumps landed in the river a few times, but after a handful of dives into the water his next fluxjumps landed on an island every time.

  "That's it. You got it. That's how you do it!" Gabe yelled from the edge of the delta.

  Private Borrys stopped jumping altogether, standing on top of one of the towers at the edge of the waterfall. "Did you two put that chair there?"

  "No!" Gabe yelled. "We are here to help you! This is an obvious trap!"

  "So this test is about teamwork huh?" Private Borrys yelled back. "I noticed your new friends were playing stupid too."

  "We met Corporal Woo before!" Joaquim yelled, getting Gabe lock eyes with him.

  "Focus," Gabe said to his little brother.

  Private Borrys leapt from the tower to one of the ends of the walkway. Subsequently Gabe and Joaquim scanned around the delta. Nothing changed.

  "Look below!" Joaquim yelled.

  At the other end of the railing, a pair of brown hands grabbed the walkway's edge from the shadows of the dam. Before Private Borrys could notice her, the other sergeant in two platoon lifted herself from the pits of the waterfall and shoved her combat boot into the private's face. About to fall over the walkway into Ember City below the flying platform, the sergeant grabbed Private Borrys by the collar.

  "Sergeant Hunter..." Private Borrys murmured while trying to stay conscious.

  "Common, I had a cadet block that kick. I know you did not get promoted for reconnaissance work," Sergeant Hunter said with a grin. She had her dark hair in an immaculate bun, emphasizing her strong chin and fit shoulders on display. She was not much older than Gabe and Private Borrys, but she was almost twice as tall as Private Borrys.

  Sergeant Hunter's height and presence were imposing, however that did not stop the brothers from leaping to the chair in the middle of the walkway. And after catching her by surprise, she took her chair back from the midair brothers. They returned to the tower Private Borrys had stood on emptyhanded.

  As the song stopped somewhere within its chorus, Sergeant Hunter already made it all the way to the sole island that had a pine tree. She took a seat under its shadow, resting both of her palms behind her neck.

  "Y'all are too young to have cigarettes right?!" Sergeant Hunter yelled.

  Gabe, to the shock of Joaquim, pulled out a cigarette pack with one cigarette left.

  "I'll give you mine if you help us!" Gabe yelled back.

  "Gabe!" Joaquim screamed.

  "Sorry you had to find out like this."

  "It's okay. I can just steal it from you but I am not that much of an asshole!" Sergeant Hunter yelled. "Maybe you'll give it to me after I win. I wanna go to New Korea!"

  "Can you tell us how to pass this test?" Joaquim yelled, still angry at Gabe.

  "Nope!" Sergeant Hunter said. "But as long as I get my time off and my personal jaunter, I do not give a fuck if you end up in my platoon or not!"

  Private Borrys has been eliminated.

  And it seemed Sergeant Uzi completed the favor Gabe asked of ver. In the distance where the delta is about to split off, Sergeant Uzi was floating along with Corporal Woo and Lucia.

  "We were wrong," Gabe said.

  "Fuck!" Private Borrys yelled, landing between Gabe and Joaquim. "Man! Thanks for trying though. I guess we won't be joining two platoon."

  "Wait," Joaquim said. "Sergeant Hunter gave it away."

  Gabe smirked, raising his hands as if he was going to summon something from the earthplexus before speaking.

  "We can still join two platoon. I have a plan."