"So, we have Damian's cousin," Cline scanned the three of them in turn. "Remy Soto, a prolific hacker—"

"Don't know what you're talking about, man," interrupted Remy.

"—and a Wagner, one of the Tower's darlings. I've read up on you three."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Remy exclaimed.

Cline turned to Remy and pointed at his feet, which were struggling to find purchase on the slope. "Going the way you are, the Shieldhorns are going to be first. You going to let that happen?"

"Tell someone who cares. I don't have much school pride," said Remy. "Also, I can see the manipulation tactic for what it is. You are causing division so that there would be competition and you can push us further. I already know your game."

Cline shook his head. "It doesn't matter if you know it. There are some that would still feel compelled to push themselves. I suppose it would work better on Wagner here than you, and as for motivating you ..."

He reached into Remy's pockets and fished out a pouch. Remy was too focused on the signature pressure that he didn't notice until it was too late.

"Hey, my money!" Remy yelped.

Cline tossed it up the slope. "There. That should be motivating enough."

Remy, cursing out loud, pushed himself up the slope, his field flaring around him, and left Will and Becca behind.

Cline turned his attention to Becca. "Rebecca Wagner. You have plenty of school pride, but are you capable of completing this challenge? Can you make it up this ramp?"

Becca huffed as she took a step forward. "I can!"

"You sure?" Cline asked quizzically.

"Yes, I can!"

"You know, the people that keep saying 'I can' are usually the ones that can't."

"Well, I can!" said Becca, but she stumbled and was brought to her knees. Cline offered his hand to help her up, but she slapped it aside. She tried to get up by herself, but the pressure was too much. Her feet wouldn't move.

"Maybe you keep saying that 'I can' because deep down you aren't really sure," said Cline. "You are afraid the black sheep of the family might be falling behind."

Becca froze for a moment and then desperately struggled to get up, but Cline had other plans. He poked her forehead and sent her tumbling down the slope, crashing into the students behind her.

Will gritted his teeth and tried to take a step towards Cline, but Trapper was faster. He closed the gap until he was right beside Will. "And then there is you, William. So clever, so tricky, always the one with a plan."

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Will's lips pressed into a thin line as he glared at Cline.

"All those thoughts dancing through your head. Even now, you are thinking, there must be a clever solution to this, some kind of trick, some new angle that you could exploit."

"You must always think before you act," Will breathed out.

"Think or overthink? Why are you still not using more of your reserves when you are trying to break the signature?"

Will was thrown aback by the question. Cline didn't wait for him to answer. "I'll tell you why. You want to leave yourself some wiggle room, don't you? You didn't want to blow your reserves in one shot, no! That would be foolish. It is better to wait and see, so everything goes perfectly. Everything must go according to plan."

Will snapped his mouth shut after being seen so thoroughly. Was he so transparent?

"So consumed by your own head," said Cline. "Tricky, tricky, jumping from one stupid solution to the next when the obvious answers had always been in front of you."

Will scowled. "I don't want to be lectured for being tricky by someone called Trapper."

"You saw the match," Cline laughed. "You know what they say about plans, William?"

"What?"

"Everybody has them until..."

"Until what?"

Cline punched Will in the face, and he was thrown down the ramp. Several students broke his fall, and they all ended up at the bottom of the slope.

Will lay at the base of the ramp, his head spinning. His cheek stung where Trapper's fist had landed, and he heard a distinct snort up the slope.

"Good attempt, cadets!" Lawson yelled. "Get up and let's try that again!"

Groaning, Will clambered back to his feet. The class went on in a similar fashion. Cline ceased to interfere with the students and was content watching them scramble up the ramp from the sidelines. The cadets attempted the climb again and again, but none managed to make it all the way up the slopes. Even Valerie only managed to get a few feet in front of Lawson before falling back down.

At the end of the class, Will lay slumped a few feet from the start of the ramp, panting heavily. His reserves were drained, and his channels burned with excessive use. Lawson had told them to recover before breaking for lunch. Through blurred eyes, Will saw Becca heading towards the wash stations. She had her shoulders hunched as she walked with her gaze fixed to the ground.

Sensing something off, Will gathered himself and stood up to follow her.

A few minutes later, he found Becca coming out of the washroom with puffy eyes. Her short blonde hair was a tangled mess, and she gave a sniffle before rubbing her eyes.

"Becca," Will called out, and she stiffened. She quickly wiped her face before looking up, her eyes still red.

"You okay?" asked Will tentatively.

Becca gave a jerky nod. "I'm fine. Just a little tired from the lesson."

Silence stretched between them. Both stood unmoving as cadets brushed past them. They might have stood like that for a long while if it weren't for their slates buzzing in their pockets.

Will pulled out his slate, and Becca did the same. Will stared at his screen and scrolled through the dozen messages from Remy. His slate buzzed again, but this time it was a group call. Will and Becca shared a quick glance before answering the call.

"Hello?"

"Will, Becca. It is done!" said Remy excitedly. Will frowned at the frantic click-clack of a keypad as Remy typed furiously.

"What's done?" asked Will.

"The data recovery!" said Remy. "I'm going through it now! It's mostly junk, but I got some clues. And guess what? I know a way to get access to the printer shop."

Will's eyes went wide, and Becca looked equally shocked. Will held his slate tight. "Hold on, Remy. We are headed your way."

Will glanced at Becca, who gave him a nod. Without a word, they started sprinting, their earlier exhaustion forgotten.

Will felt a chill that had nothing to do with the snowy weather. Cline's parting words still echoed in his ears. He hoped against hope that, of all the hare-brained schemes he and Remy had come up with, this one would be the safest and sanest.

Remy wouldn't come up with anything too bad, would he?