It was past the academy curfew, but tonight it didn’t matter. Codi readied herself, covering her body in black clothing in preparation for the coming heist. A rush of exhilaration flowed through her at the prospect of what she was about to do: stealing millions of credits worth of equipment and bundling the whole lot onto a space-ship that would then ferry then to the Gauntlet itself.

A ship! Codi couldn’t help smiling to herself at the prospect. Someone like her, ordinarily, would never get the chance to fly off-world but here she was, getting ready to fly to the heart-world of the human colonies, the beautiful beacon of technology, advancement and civilisation.

She shook her head. Focus, she reminded herself. A glance at the alarm clock told her it was time. Making sure the locket was securely clipped into place around her neck, she slung the large black bag over one shoulder, opened the door of her room and stepped into the dimly lit corridors of Brax-Delta.

Codi moved through the hallways at a jog and found Lita and the twins waiting for her at the elevator. They all wore similar outfits to her; black jumpers, trousers and hats. While unnecessary inside the academy, they needed to remain totally undetected once they made into the city streets.

“We all set?” she whispered.

“Ready as we’re going to be,” one of the twins replied. It was tough to tell which one in the light.

“Lita?”

The girl shook her head. “I still don’t like this.”

“Me neither,” Codi lied. “But it’s the only way.” She nodded to the others and punched a button on the control panel. The doors slid open and the group bundled into the elevator. Taking a deep breath, Codi rocked back and forth on her heels as the elevator made its way up to the exoskeleton chambers. When the doors opened again she felt butterflies in her stomach as she stepped out.

The formidable vault door was already open when they arrived, and she could see Vasco’s silhouette inside the room, doing something to one of the caskets. They stood open, the burnished chest plates shining even in the dim night lighting.

“You four all set?” he said without looking round, his voice low.

“We’re ready,” Codi answered for the others.

“Right, I’ve disabled the serial trackers. It won’t last long, but we should be off the radar long enough to smuggle these things onto Max’s ship.” He stood up from the casket and Codi spotted the open control panel on the side of the shielded container. “Right, that ought to do it. We don’t have long so get cracking.” Without waiting he opened up the pod containing Max’s suit and began removing the components.

Looking to the others, Codi motioned with her head towards the suits before darting over to her casket. She ran her hand over the hardened pads, feeling the tiny bumps and irregularities that the training had imparted. Flattening her palm against the chest plate she nodded to herself. This was the right thing to do.

She bundled the Kevlar fibre into her bag first, forcing it into as small a space as possible to make room for the heavier parts. Then she gently removed the plates from the supporting framework within the casket. As she placed them into the bag she prayed that Vasco had done his job properly. Being so expensive and virtually irreplaceable pieces of hardware, the exoskeletons were monitored with tracking chips. Even the temporary disabling would be enough to raise some red flags, but by the time the relevant authorities reacted they would hopefully be long gone.

With everything packed up, Codi stood and slung the bag over her shoulder. The weight of the full exoskeleton swung her off balance and she nearly went crashing to the floor.

“Weigh a lot more when you’re not wearing them, eh?” Lucas muttered.

“Oh, shut up,” she hissed back. “Are you guys done?”

“Yeah.”

“Vasco?”

“All set,” he replied. “Looks like we’re not getting out of this. Everybody, down through the arena to the rear exit; go.”

They clattered off through the halls again, Codi leading the way. Her heart began beating faster with excitement. To her, in some bizarre way, this felt even better than going to the Gauntlet by the rules. Maybe it was that same rush she got from winding up her tutors in school, breaking rules and getting into fights. They told her she couldn’t go and here she was, once again sticking a middle finger up at the great looming spectre of authority that she detested so much.

As she walked through the corridor, however, she thought of Vasco following behind. Sure there’d been a rough start, but she got over it and now she seemed to respect…well, at least accept his authority. What made him different? Perhaps the long days of training left her without the time or energy to be rebellious, or could it be that she’d actually found her calling in some way? She certainly felt more at home in the Gauntlet training during than any other time in her life.

Stepping out into the expanse of the arena she blinked as a fat raindrop smacked her in the eye. First one, then uncountable thousands followed as the group emerged into a battering rainstorm. Codi grinned through the rivulets of water running down her hair and face and blew raindrops from the tip of her nose.

“Enjoying yourself?” Lita grunted having moved up alongside her. She shoved her drenched black hair out of her eyes with one hand and scowled.

“Lighten up,” Codi replied. “It’s only a bit of water.”

“I never liked the rain. Makes my hair go all stringy and knotted.” Seeing Codi’s smirk, her scowl deepened. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just…well I never really pay much attention to how I look.”

“A teenage girl who doesn’t care how she looks?” Lita said.

“Never had the time.”

“I guess you spent too much of it getting into mischief.”

Codi looked at her companion, but found the other girl smiling back at her. She shrugged and nodded. “You could say that. And here, well I don’t think looks are all that important. But then again, I don’t have eyes for anybody in the team.” She grinned.

“Excuse me?”

“Well I’m no expert, but you do seem to notice whenever Max walks into the room.”

“Hey-,”

“Oh, yeah, I have powers of observation.” Codi’s grin broadened at seeing Lita squirm. “You’re always fiddling with your hair when he’s around, trying to catch his eye, taking his side. And I’ve noticed you don’t like to hit him when you’re sparring.”

Lita shoved her playfully. “Give it a rest.”

“Just as well he’s a clueless duffer,” she chuckled. “Or he’d be onto you in a heartbeat.” Then something else occurred to her. “Ah, that’s why you agreed to break all the rules and come. You wanted to spend some more time with our lanky friend.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Lita scuffed one foot against the ground. “There’s not going to be time at the Gauntlet for any of that.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage.” Codi winked. Then they reached the rear exit of the academy and further conversation was halted as Vasco took the lead once again. He rattled out another code on the panel beside the small rectangular door then gripped the handle. A clunk sounded and the door swung open, revealing the back street that passed between the bulk of the academy and the nearest warehouse.

Following Vasco’s lead they made their way into the night time streets of Kantha’s capital, stealing along the rain soaked sidewalk. Even at the best of times the rundown district saw little activity and now at such a late hour there was not a soul in sight. Their journey to the main space-port would take the better part of an hour on foot, but none of them had access to a big enough vehicle to fit the whole team and their bulky apparel.

Several twists and turns through the alleys brought them steadily closer to the city’s central district, where people would be out and about at all hours. Soon Codi caught glimpses of the lit-up tower blocks and garish decorations, and the noise of late night party-goers drifted across the air. Hopefully they would be able to avoid any attention until they reached the space port.

“Alright, everyone stay close, keep quiet and don’t attract any attention,” Vasco grunted as they neared the inner districts. “To get to the port we’ll have to go through some punters.”

Codi shifted the bag to a more comfortable position, removing one of the plates from digging into her back. They emerged from the seclusion of the back alleys and into a broad street lined with bars and clubs. The majority of the people were inside, and she could hear the thumping of the music bleeding out into the road. Still, some of the clientele stood outside smoking and chatting, so Codi kept her eyes down as she passed by them.

Although the group received curious glances owing to the large dark bags they carried, they made their way through the busy districts without incident and turned off down another wide street. This one still hummed with a steady flow of traffic coming in and out of the space port. Codi let out an impressed whistle at the sight of the building itself.

The domed bulk of the port rose like a metal hill in the middle of a clearing in the urban forest, its exterior lined with blinking white lights. As she watched a ship came descending from orbit, its underside still glowing a lurid orange, engines blazing as it manoeuvred. Eventually it sank into one of the landing bays out of sight.

“Well, there she is,” Vasco said. “Kantha Port.

“It’s big,” Lazlo commented.

“Wait till you see the one on Earth.” Vasco flashed a smile and continued on. Making their way down the sidewalk, the group joined the flow of people into the tunnel-like archway that was the space-port’s main entrance. The interior walls were a brass colour, illuminated by rows of tubular lighting built into the ceiling. When they reached the ticket gates Codi spotted a familiar lanky figure waiting for them, pacing back and forth in a manner that seemed designed to be suspicious. She smiled thinly. Max certainly wouldn’t make much of a spy.

He spotted them and his eyes widened. Darting over he kept his voice low and earnest. “Do we have everything?”

“Max,” Vasco said, putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Try and relax. Is the ship all set?”

“Yeah, yeah, my dad’s waiting for us onboard.” He nodded quickly. “I can’t say he was exactly thrilled about having to sponsor the team but…well I talked him round to it.”

“Good job.”

“And we’re all signed up?”

“Holly will be entering Brax-Delta to the database as we speak.”

Max nodded again and handed them each a piece of paper. “Then take these boarding cards and let’s get a move on.” He turned to leave but Vasco caught him by the arm and spun him back.

“Easy, kid, I lugged your gear all the way here.” He removed the bag from his shoulder and shoved it into Max’s hands. “You can shift it the rest of the way. Now lead on.”

They followed Max through the ticket gates where a surly, shabbily dressed attendant ticked off their boarding cards before allowing them passage. Then they were inside the port itself, where the flow of life remained constant. People bustled from bay to bay, some boarding commercial liners, others freighters, and a few joined Codi and her companions on their way to the private ship bays. Winding through a handful of corridors they turned into a large open space marked ‘Bay 27-Alpha.’ And inside that space sat their transportation.

Codi let her eyes wander over the space ship in amazement. Even though this model was just a small private vessel it still filled her with exhilaration knowing it would be taking her across the stars within the next few hours. It’s sleek, oblong hull almost glowed, the silver outer plating burnished and shining in the light. Two wings protruded like giant blades from either side of the hull and she could see the lowered boarding ramp at the ship’s rear.

“Nice ride,” she murmured to Max out of the corner of her mouth.

He said nothing but gave her an awkward smile. Then a bawling, jovial voice came ripping through the hanger.

“Ah-ha! So this motley crew is Kantha’s finest, eh?” it boomed. Codi turned to see a man who she could only assume was Max’s father striding towards them. He stood even taller than Max, clad in a long jacket of deep purple. Thinning, iron-coloured hair was combed into a neat crop on the dome of his head and he examined them through an antique monocle. A cane swung lazily from his left hand.

“Mr. Lannigan?” Vasco queried, extending a hand.

“That I am!” Max’s father shook the proffered hand heartily. “And you must be Drake Vasco. Well, I can’t say I envy the job you have, Mr. Vasco, but I’m happy to give you a helping hand along the way.” He looked over the group quickly. “I look forward to seeing the five of you mixing it up in a few days. Especially you, Max, m’ boy!”

“Thank you for helping us,” Lita said.

“Oh, think nothing of it. You should have seen young Max’s face when he came slinking into my study. He looked like an ashamed dog. I couldn’t have told him no.” Mr. Lannigan clapped his son across the back with a grin. Codi couldn’t help but smile at the display. Max’s dad seemed to fit the ‘eccentric billionaire’ label in every way. She caught Lucas’s eye and the burly twin raised both eyebrows, as if to say: “didn’t see that coming.”

“Right then,” Mr. Lannigan chuckled. “From what I hear we don’t want to be lingering around this place for too much longer. All aboard the Thimblewinter!”

“The what?” Codi whispered to Max as they followed.

He simply shook his head. “Don’t even ask.”

Walking up the boarding ramp, Codi stared around the ships interior as Max’s father continued talking.

“The main living space is in the front end,” he declared. “However, as we’ve got an unexpected passenger list not everyone will be enjoying all the comforts of home. I’m afraid you’ll all be sleeping in the cargo compartment. Plenty of blankets and pillows to spare mind, just not sleeping space. It’ll be bumpy-,”

“It’ll do fine,” Vasco cut him off. “Thank you again.”

“Well then, Max, come get yourself settled up front while I get the old girl warmed up.”

“Err…” Max hesitated. “Dad, if it’s okay, I think I’ll stay back here with the others.”

Mr. Lannigan considered this for a moment, the grinned again. “As you wish, m’ boy. I’ll be up front if you need anything. Get settled in folks and enjoy your stay. We have a twenty two hour trip to Earth.”