Ning corrected the torso, returned the Mecha to its previous position, and continued along the same general route as though the exchange had barely interrupted him.
Someone among the watching students muttered, "He didn't even stop."
Lorna said nothing. Her attention remained fixed on the screen.
Ning traveled farther. His distance score continued rising, and because he had barely wasted fuel or ammunition, the simulation had not yet forced him into any difficult resource decisions.
A third machine appeared from between two pieces of wreckage.
Ning's left arm began rising immediately.
His targeting system settled over the figure, and for a moment, he was ready to fire before something in the incoming signal made him stop.
The encoded radio pattern was different.
Human.
A Mecha.
Ning lowered his weapon without pulling the trigger.
