Page 5 of One Knight Stand

“Oh, don’t worry, Professor,” Frankie assured him. “I’ll be extra careful.”

At this point I was certain my future included an extended stay in a hospital. Despite his expertise, I’m not sure Professor Grange was ready for Frankie. I doubted even terrorists would be ready for Frankie.

Just as I thought that, Frankie rocketed down the road, jolting me from my thoughts. My throat tightened with fear. For all that was holy, couldn’t she slow down? We weren’t even on the track yet.

I didn’t realize I was clutching Jax’s and Wally’s knees until she slammed on the brakes as we approached the entrance to the track. Wally grabbed my other hand and Jax threw his arm in front of me as if to stop me from flying forward. My helmet clunked against Jax’s, jiggling my eyeballs. I had to check to make sure I was breathing.

Barely.

Blinking, I saw a brown gatehouse with a barrier arm blocking the road. Professor Grange got out of the car, and he lurched slightly while walking to open the gate to let us through. Once he was back in the car, Frankie proceeded calmly down a small access road, across a parking lot, and into a large paved area that had a road exiting it from either end into the forest that surrounded the track.

Professor Grange turned toward us. “This is where the real driving will begin.”

He instructed Frankie to park and for all of us to get out of the car. My legs shook, and I was barely able to stop myself from dropping to the ground to kiss the pavement.

A smiling worker from the track approached us. “Welcome back, Ardus. Looks like you have some newbies today.”

“First-year students.” He pointed to Frankie. “Miss Chang is our driver for today.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Frankie said, pumping his hand. “You have no idea how excited I am.”

“Such enthusiasm,” the man replied with a grin. “I like it. Well, Professor, what setup do you want today? I’ve got Urban B and Rural A already set up, but can adjust as desired. Does that work for you?”

“Those will be fine,” Professor Grange responded. “We’ll be taking it easy today. It’s their first lesson.”

Hope fluttered briefly in my breast until Frankie jumped in. “Oh, Professor Grange, you don’t have to take it easy on me. I’m confident I can manage anything you throw at me.”

He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. “Ms. Chang, we’ll see how it goes and adjust as your performance merits.”

He walked us over to the track and showed us the slalom courses we’d be traversing. One area had traffic cones that were arrayed in several different patterns for slalom runs. A bit farther down, a mini town had been set up with stoplights, signs, mannequins posed as people, outdoor cafés, school buses, plastic dogs, bikes, and parked cars.

“This should be fun…NOT,” I murmured under my breath.

As we walked back to the car, I began to ponder my future again, as in, whether I had one. I considered telling the professor I couldn’t ride with them, but if I wanted to be an operative, I couldn’t admit to being afraid of being in a car I wasn’t even driving.

At least I wasn’t alone in my fears. Wally knew what was coming, too. He stared straight ahead, eyes wide, not blinking. Resigned, I took his hand and pulled him toward the car. He came with me without arguing.

As we strapped in again, Frankie smiled at us over her shoulder, perhaps sensing our trepidation. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ve got this.”

As we pulled onto the track, Professor Grange took control of the car and carefully demonstrated the techniques for properly negotiating the slalom course, slowly increasing speed. By the end, he was racing through the course with the wheels skidding on each turn and barely recovering before the next turn. We lurched back and forth, barely able to straighten ourselves between each turn.

Frankie, completely unfazed, cheered and chatted the entire time, acting like she was on a roller coaster ride. Professor Grange then provided a step-by-step recitation of how to perform the various required maneuvers we’d learned in class and in the simulator.

By this time, it was abundantly clear to me that driving on a physical course was a significant leap from the virtual simulator. What little confidence I had in my driving skills sank deeper than a tuba on theTitanic.

At some point, the professor turned the car over to Frankie. She ran the slalom course several times at low speed. He had her try each of the maneuvers he’d demonstrated and critiqued her performance. I was thoroughly queasy by the time he instructed her to head away from the main area onto one of the paved rural roads.

“Remember, students, the point of this class is to teach operatives how to recognize a threat while in a vehicle and how to respond appropriately,” he said. “Situational awareness is key, and please remember that, because it will be on the written test.”

Frankly, I wasn’t sure I’d remember anything he said at this point, as I was just focused on breathing.

“This course teaches both defensive and evasive driving techniques,” he added. “Remember, defensive techniques enable you to avoid an accident or a mistake by other drivers. They are, in fact, useful for every driver, not just spies. Hopefully, what you learn here will benefit you when you’re driving your own vehicle.”

Ireallyhoped Frankie was paying attention to this part of the training.

“You need to be hyperaware of your surroundings because you may have to make accurate, quick decisions in this scenario under a lot of pressure, and often while traveling at high speeds or in dangerous or heavily populated situations,” he continued. “As you learned in class, the most important thing to remember is that you must always keep moving. If you run out of road, use a sidewalk, grass, beach, whatever. Don’t stop. If you’re being shot at, don’t stop. If your car become incapacitated and can no longer move, get out of the vehicle and run. The key to success is toneverstop moving. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” we murmured.

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