Page 116 - Demo

2030-JONE
sequence transferred by the mind. Rick stood up a full three minutes before anyone else followed by the rest only seconds apart.
“Everyone give the chant.” Ignite your fuses.”
“Fire in the hole, three times in unison,” the entire group recited.
“Remember, walk with a purpose. Do not run.”
Everybody climbed inside the safety bunker and waited for the explosion.
Boom! Simultaneous explosions sent shock waves across the terrain, and the trials progressed very rapidly in the sun. Before the last group’s turn, the instructor called for a break.
“One more group will go after the break,” he said and Rick is ahead at this point.”
Rick grabbed Mark by the sleeve as his group moved for- ward.
“This is the last Tango, partner. Make history.”
I’ve seen the future, and I’ve kicked ass,” Mark pointedly noted.
“Move out!” shouted the instructor.
As he moved down his lane, Mark had thoughts of getting back to the team basking in the glory of being number one. Once he touched the sandbags, his motion was robotic. He had done this task so often in his past that he could do no wrong. Gently he laid the completed product on the sandbags, stood up, and punched the button that stopped the clock. The instructor’s mouth fell open. Mark waited sweltering for what seemed an eternity for the rest of the contestants to finish. With his eyes closed and sweating profusely he knew he had beaten the nearest contes- tant by at least two minutes. He began to smile. He opened his eyes, and looked down the lane. He stood alone. Gradually, Mark closed his eyes and savored the feeling of ecstasy in spite of the inferno beating down on him. He opened his eyes and noticed that one by one each contestant rose to indicate completion.
“Give the chant and ignite your fuses.”
The Reaction Factor 115