Page 6 of One Knight Stand

“Good. Ms. Chang, pull off to the side here and stop. We need to be off this two-lane road in case one of the other students comes whipping by at high speed.”

Oh, great. We’re going to have Frankie driving and traffic, too.I’d have to recalculate my probability of dying.

Frankie came to a hard stop, and we whiplashed again. My stomach roiled. I tried not to think what my grade might be if I hurled in the back seat of the training car on top of my fellow students during the very first live scenario. I wished, at the very least, Professor Grange would take charge of the brakes. I sincerely didn’t know how he could do this for a living and still have a functioning neck.

“That was a little abrupt, Ms. Chang,” said the professor. “Lighter on the brake, please.”

“I’m just trying to practice being unpredictable.”

“You succeeded,” he muttered. “Now remember, evasive driving is initiated when an agent perceives a threat. This part of the training is just a live extension of what you’ve been doing in the classroom and the simulator. The real world is far more unpredictable, and you must factor in the physical conditions of the evasion, as well as your emotions and adrenaline. All those combined pose a much higher training challenge that can be met only on a track like this. Given that information, are you ready, Miss Chang?”

She gripped the steering wheel. “Absolutely.”

“Keep in mind, once a threat is perceived, an agent needs to focus on four things. First, how do I avoid the situation that is most beneficial to the threat and move toward one more beneficial for me? Maybe that’s getting out of traffic where you can maneuver, or into a crowd where the threat’s ability to affect you is more limited. Second, you need to avoid getting shot or injured, and that includes having your vehicle impaired. Therefore, driving the vehicle in a straight line is not recommended when possible. While shooting from a moving vehicle is far more difficult than is portrayed in Hollywood, sufficient bullets can make up for impaired accuracy. Weaving, or driving unpredictably, is highly recommended, especially if there’s a shooter. Third, you want to avoid a crash and collateral damage to civilians. There’s a balancing act when assessing the risks of escape versus the threat to innocent civilians. Your adversaries know this, and they’ll try and force you into situations where your actions are limited because of the risks to innocents. Finally, if your vehicle is incapacitated, you must be prepared for off-road recovery and escape.”

“Got it,” Frankie said with so much confidence I almost believed her.

“Good. So, Ms. Chang, here’s your situation. You’ve perceived a threat going the opposite direction a mile or so back. You know the road is very narrow and it would be difficult to turn around. You’ve pulled off here to assess your options. If you can proceed back to the slalom course area and negotiate the rightmost slalom, you’ll be safe. You’ve never seen the road ahead, but your map indicates it leads to the area where you need to go. Therefore, you should expect the threat to come around the corner at any moment. If they get ahead of you, they’ll have you, as you will have little room or time to turn around. As you proceed, be aware there’ll be mannequins and vehicles set up in various locations as stand-ins for civilians. Each one you hit or harm will affect your overall score. Likewise, incapacitating this vehicle or requiring me to take the controls means you fail this initial evaluation. You’ll be timed, as you were on the virtual course, and while timing is important, the level of damage to your vehicle and harm to innocents will adversely affect your score. Drive too slow, and I will deem you caught and captured. Do you understand the balance required?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. Everyone ready in the back seat?” the professor asked, looking over his shoulder at us.

Was that a trick question? How couldanyonebe ready for Frankie’s driving? Wally made a small choking sound for his response, his hand gripping the armrest in a white-knuckled clutch. I couldn’t bring myself to answer, so I gripped my seat belt, wishing I had something firmer to hold on to. Jax was the only one who gave the professor a silent thumbs-up before looking out the window.

“On my command, then,” he said to Frankie.

I gulped in a big breath of air, and the three of us braced ourselves in the back seat the best we could. I was torn between closing my eyes or keeping them open. It was hard to decide which one would be better for someone who was on the verge of hurling.

“Go!” Professor Grange commanded Frankie before I could decide.

Frankie slammed her foot on the gas the second he said it. She swung out onto the road with a squeal of tires, fishtailing a little before regaining control. She tore down the road, riding the center line except for the turns. I took a moment to be thankful this was a private track, and prayed none of the other students were running the course in reverse. Unfortunately, Frankie didn’t seemed concerned in the least as she hummed, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” while taking turns so sharp we could feel the training wheels balance us.

We jerked to the right when she missed the sign for a hairpin turn, and the professor took control of the car. He calmly reminded her of the importance of situational awareness and turned the controls back to her.

I wanted to scream at him to keep control of the car, but Frankie already had us back up to speed. My words died in my throat as we barreled toward the town.

“Ms. Chang, despite your best efforts, your adversaries have closed the distance behind you and are now within range of being able to shoot at you should they choose to do so,” Professor Grange warned.

Frankie floored it, and my heart rate exceeded what I’m sure was the maximum recommended level for a teenage girl. Despite being belted in, we were being tossed around in the back seat like rag dolls.

Every bump Frankie made was bone-jarring. She swerved to the right and left, slamming me first into Jax, then Wally, as the car rocked erratically. I didn’t have a freaking clue how to brace myself.

To my surprise, Jax snatched my hand, sliding his fingers between mine and holding it tightly. I gave him a grateful look and he dipped his head before we were jerked back to reality.

I swallowed a shriek as Frankie rocketed through a stop sign, avoiding a few cars parked strategically in the intersection, and veered hard to avoid a mannequin on a bike that was crossing in front of our path. We ended up on the sidewalk, headed straight for what appeared to be a street sign. I closed my eyes as we crashed through it. Surprisingly, I heard only a little thump.

As she peeled back onto the highway, Professor Grange explained that many of the obstacles we would encounter on the track were actually made of foam, as they were safer and cheaper than replacing real things and caused much less damage to the cars. For some reason, this comment made Wally start laughing hysterically.

“That was foam? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”

He couldn’t stop laughing—he’d totally lost it. I snapped my fingers a couple of times in front of his face, and when that didn’t work, I smacked him hard on the arm.

“Hey,” he said, looking at me in surprise. “Why did you do that?”

“Pull it together,” I hissed.

He stopped laughing and gripped the armrest.

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