The Darkside War by Zachary Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

training and studying for this his whole life. A chance to serve, gain rank, then come out high for something in Accordance civil service. Maybe run a partition, or something nice like that.”
    I wasn’t too tired to smile and hold a hand out. “I’m Devlin,” I said.
    â€œCee Cee.” Cee Cee was a head shorter than me. She’d pulled her blond hair back in a tight ponytail. The corners of her eyes fluoresced with processor ink tattoos. Extra augmentation.
    â€œWhat is he doing?” I asked out loud.
    Ken had pulled out a pair of clippers. “You, grab him.”
    A nearby recruit squirmed and kicked at the two lean recruits pinning him down. Ken grabbed his head and the clippers bit down.
    â€œThis is crazy,” I said, looking around for the drill instructor.
    â€œIt’s all a test,” Cee Cee said. “Look.” I followed her eyes to the upper corners of the room.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œCameras. I can sense their link-ups.” She tapped the nano-ink beside her eyes. “They’re watching us. All the time. We’re being studied. Smile.”
    â€œJust keep moving and keep people between us and the idiot with the clippers,” I muttered, and tried to put a hand on her lower back. A bit of showmanship that I couldn’t help.
    But my plan didn’t work. Ken spotted the movement. He swaggered over and flipped the clippers on and off. “Worried about losing a little hair? Think it’ll mess with your good looks?” He glanced at Cee Cee and smiled.
    â€œLook,” I said. “They have official barbers; if we’re going to get shaved down, they’ll do it.” Ken didn’t need to parade around as if he were in charge. Although, from what Cee Cee said, he probably would end up being in charge anyway.
    â€œOh, but this is tradition ,” Ken said.
    â€œI don’t care,” I said. Why was I bristling so much? “It’s not your place.”
    Ken’s eyes flashed. “Not my place?”
    â€œLook—” As I said that, Ken grabbed my head with one hand. “Hey!”
    â€œI know who you are, asshole,” he hissed. I jerked back from him, the clippers snarling and catching my neck. Hair fell down between us as I twisted away. Two of Ken’s “assistants” grabbed my arms. I tried to yank free, but they were strong, their fingers bruising me as they shoved me down onto a table. “Seen you on TV. Seen your parents. You’re traitors, anti-Accordance. So you might fool some people, by pretending to join. But anyone who looks closely can see you don’t give a shit about all this. You’re half-assing it.”
    Metal ran up my scalp and more hair flurried around me and landed on the table shoved against my face.
    â€œFuck you.” I squirmed and tried to kick backward. I got a knee, and a curse.
    â€œThere’s some real, actual fight in him,” Ken announced to the room. “He’s not as much of a pacifist coward as his parents after all.” He dug an elbow into the back of my neck and I gasped. The clippers nicked my left ear, and I felt a little trickle of blood run down the lobe.
    Ken shoved himself away from me, and I jumped up, my face hot with humiliation. Fists balled, I growled, but he just laughed and stepped away as his newfound groupies made a wall in front of him and shook their heads.
    Five recruits now surrounded him like bodyguards.
    Six on one. Two of them older, large biceps under their gray T-shirts.
    I was going to get my ass handed to me. And Ken knew it. He smiled, daring me to try. Everyone else had seen the logic of not trying it.
    Fast. I’d have to get past them and focus on getting just one punch in. One punch to show the room that Ken wasn’t invincible. To make a point.
    To prove that I wasn’t a coward to everyone watching.
    â€œLights out in two minutes!” a human drill instructor shouted from across the