“Will you?” Vik said, a crazy glint in his eyes. He cast his gaze about, and his dark eyes drifted upward toward the ceiling. “Thirty bucks says you can’t touch one of those lights.”

Tom followed his gaze to the lights hanging from the ceiling thirty meters above them, thinking of Blackburn’s watermelon anecdote.

Vik raised his eyebrows challengingly. “Well? Or do you want to revise your statement, Dr. Einstein?”

Tom threw him a ferocious grin. “No way.”

Blackburn was standing in front of Wyatt, trying to coax her into taking a step toward him, arms out like he was braced to catch her. “You’re doing great, Enslow. Move your leg.”

Wyatt bit her lip. “What if I try to lift my foot, but my leg swings up and caves your head in?”

He chuckled. “I’ll take my chances. Come on, Wyatt, you can do this.”

Blackburn was busy. Good. Tom turned to face Vik, excited. It was now or never. “Adios, Doctor!”

Tom sprang into the air, excitement surging through him as he soared upward, higher than any human being could hope to leap. He raised his fists, ready to punch through the ceiling if he seemed in danger of getting his head smashed, but he’d calculated the height perfectly. His head was well clear of the ceiling when he began arcing down, and he reached forward to tap the light as he passed it.

That’s where it went wrong.

His exosuited hand exploded against the light, shattering it, sending fragments of glass sprinkling toward the floor of the Calisthenics Arena.

Oh no, Tom thought as he plunged downward, stomach in his throat, glass raining on the ground as his metallic feet clanged against the dirt.

Tom found himself standing there, the exosuit bruising his joints, everyone staring at him in the sudden, enveloping silence.

Including Lieutenant Blackburn.

“Wow,” Tom tried desperately. “These exosuits, man. I wasn’t even trying to jump. I swear. That happened by accident. It must’ve malfunctioned.” In a flash of inspiration, he added, “Shoddy Obsidian Corp. craftsmanship, huh?”

But the smear against Joseph Vengerov’s company didn’t appease Blackburn. He advanced on Tom and loomed over him like he was fighting the urge to hit him. All Tom could think was, He is going to murder me, and for a moment, he felt trapped back under the census device, questions he couldn’t answer pounding into his ears. His chest grew tight, and he was only half aware of Blackburn craning his head back to survey the rest of the trainees.

“All of you, take those suits off. You’ll be pulled into the workout with the other trainees. Raines, don’t you move a single inch.”