Sera chose the blue marker because the judge told her it was the least popular color.
“Does it do anything different?” she asked.
“No.”
“Then I’ll know it’s mine.”
The judge gave her six thin plastic tabs and pointed to the navigation entrance. The rules allowed contestants to place the supplied markers at designated slots. They could not bring their own equipment into the course, damage a barrier or leave a marker outside the permitted area. Time and route accuracy would both be scored.
Kellan stood at the observation table with the team sheet and the course map. Eli was seated beside the medical station, resting after the obstacle section. Tessa watched him finish a cup of water before joining the others at the edge of the course. His headache remained, but he was oriented and had reported the fatigue to the medical observer.
Sera entered alone for the first circuit. The rules permitted observers to speak over the station channel and allowed a designated teammate to join at the first checkpoint after the scout requested assistance; the clock would continue while the teammate entered. She had decided not to call Kellan until she had something specific for him to check.
