War Games<\/strong>.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.24.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Chapter 8: Off the Playing Field” _builder_version=”4.24.3″ _module_preset=”default” title_level=”h4″ title_font=”|700|||||||” title_text_color=”#000000″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#1C1C1C” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Bronte rushed forward. \u201cNo, the phone has to be here somewhere.\u201d She circled the trail marker, surveying every splinter of wood on it. \u201cIt has to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBronte,\u201d I said quietly.<\/p>\n
She circled the post again, muttering over and over again, \u201cIt has to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s no phone, how are we supposed to call the General\u2019s soldiers to come get us?\u201d Kylie wondered. \u201cThis doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dutch was frowning. From the looks of it, he\u2019d come to the same realization that I had.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were never going to come and get us,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d Bronte shook her head, hugging her shoulders. \u201cThat\u2019s not what the assignment said.\u201d She started pacing. \u201cThe assignment said we just had to make it here, and then we\u2019d be extracted. Then we\u2019d win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBronte, I think\u2026\u201d I tried to figure out a diplomatic way to say this, but I just couldn\u2019t. \u201cThey lied to us, Bronte. This whole Quest was a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure. I guess they wanted to see how we\u2019d react when everything went sideways.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut how do we win<\/i>?\u201d Bronte looked to me like I had all the answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think they expected anyone to win this,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n
Bronte kicked the wooden post.<\/p>\n
I caught her arm before she punched it too\u2014and hurt herself. \u201cLook, just because they designed this Quest so no one could win it, that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t still win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bronte\u2019s arm relaxed. The tension in her body eased, and hope crept into her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean, Savannah?\u201d Asher asked. \u201cHow do we win?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThink back to the scenario card,\u201d I replied. \u201cThe backstory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour team of Knights from the Green Nation has discovered a rare treasure\u2014designated Object 2861\u2014in the Woods, unclaimed territory,\u201d Bronte quoted perfectly, word-for-word. \u201cYour objective is to bring Object 2861 to the point indicated on your map. There you will find a phone you can use to call in the extraction team. They will rescue you and bring you and your treasure to the General.\u201d She shook her head. \u201cBut there\u2019s no extraction team, Savannah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s just an irrelevant piece of exposition,\u201d I said. \u201cThe important part is where<\/i> the treasure needs to go: to the General. And we\u2019re perfectly capable of delivering it to him ourselves.\u201d I gave my teammates a triumphant smile.<\/p>\n
No one smiled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe General\u2019s office is in the Black Obelisk,\u201d said Kylie.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. So we bring the treasure there,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Kylie frowned. \u201cHave you forgotten that they locked the Castle gates after we all arrived this morning? And there are Watchers guarding the gate. And I bet the General instructed them not to let anyone in or out of here until this game is over. How are we supposed to get past those soldiers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy thinking outside the box,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t just out of the box,\u201d said Bronte. \u201cIt\u2019s way off the playing field.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForget the playing field, Bronte.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForget<\/i> the playing field?\u201d she gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook, do you want to win this game or not?\u201d I arched my brows at her.<\/p>\n
Bronte nibbled on her lip for a few moments before she answered. \u201cYes. You know I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow badly do you want to win?\u201d<\/p>\n
More nibbling. Then, \u201cVery<\/i> badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the others. \u201cAnd you guys?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it takes,\u201d Asher said.<\/p>\n
Kylie nodded.<\/p>\n
That just left Dutch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell? What do you say?\u201d I asked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019re trouble, Savannah Winters.\u201d His eyes locked with mine. \u201cBut it\u2019s not like we\u2019ve been left with many choices. If you have a plan, let\u2019s hear it. How are we going to get past the Watchers? How are we going to escape the Castle grounds when the gate is locked?\u201d He braided his fingers together and waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk, here it is.\u201d I turned to face the whole team. \u201cThe Watchers drive everywhere, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d said Asher. \u201cAnd? How does that help us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey must have driven here, to the Castle, this morning. And since they\u2019re still here, their vehicle must be too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s parked right next to the track,\u201d Dutch said.<\/p>\n
Everyone looked at him.<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cI saw it this morning. I arrived early to run a few laps around the track and get in a good workout. They have a bunch of exercise stations there too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeah, I was not surprised that Dutch was doing extra workouts. He looked like the sort of guy who crushed cans with his biceps and cracked coins with his teeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to steal the Watchers\u2019 SUV, don\u2019t you, Winters?\u201d Asher said.<\/p>\n
Bronte, Kylie, and Dutch all gawked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to think of it less as stealing<\/i> and more like borrowing<\/i>,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
Bronte let out a little squeak.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted to win,\u201d I reminded her. \u201cAnd this is how we do it: we borrow the Watchers\u2019 SUV. There will be a remote inside that opens the Castle gate. Then we drive to the Black Obelisk and deliver the infamous Object 2861 to the General. Easy-peasy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh, I can think of at least a dozen parts of this plan that won\u2019t be easy at all,\u201d Asher said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome to suggest a better plan, Asher. Any of you are, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one said anything. Though Bronte did turn a very unflattering shade of pale-as-a-ghost.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to take that as a sign that you\u2019ve all agreed to my plan.\u201d I turned to Kylie. \u201cHow far are we from the track?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the map in her hands. \u201cIf we cut through the forest\u2014and run fast\u2014under ten minutes. But that\u2019s assuming the other teams don\u2019t attack us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we move fast, before they get here, they won\u2019t,\u201d I assured her. \u201cThey can\u2019t imagine that we\u2019d ever head away<\/i> from the extraction point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sighing, Kylie folded her map and tucked it into the waistband of her running leggings. \u201cI hope you\u2019re right, Savannah.\u201d<\/p>\n
So did I. Because otherwise this was going to be a very short trip.<\/p>\n
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When their Quest goes completely sideways, Savannah and her team have to make a tough choice. Chapter 8 of the Paragons Episode \u201cWar Games\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2655"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3166,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2655\/revisions\/3166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ellasummers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}