9 The Pixie Chase

A few weeks in, the members of group 488 have discovered the reality of academy life. It is a place where rumor and gossip run rife, and everyone knows everyone else's business. The recruits must be careful not to run afoul of academy rules or do something stupid or regrettable, for once a person forges a reputation, it becomes a permanent fixture that is never too be rescinded. They, along with the other 40 new inductees have also learnt their place amongst the senior recruits who look down upon them and consider them 'fresh meat' and mock and ridicule them at every chance. In the dining hall they are made sit furthest away from the canteen, while not an academy regulation, it is an unspoken rule that must be adhered to or face backlash from the senior recruits. Robinson, walking from the canteen to her table accidently bumps into Jason Lee, a soon to graduate recruit with a chauvinistic and ego centric reputation. Robinson stops and apologizes to Lee for the run in, "Sorry about that."

Lee looks Robinson up and down and gives her a sleazy smile, "That's ok Bambi, no need to apologize, I'm sure it was deliberate. If you wanted to get my attention, you need not worry, you've had my attention for a few weeks now." The male contingent at the table laugh at his comment while the females shake their heads, knowing to well Lee's boastful manner.

Robinson, shocked by his arrogance, rolls her eyes at him, "Firstly, my name is Robinson, not Bambi, and I no way, shape or form want or need your attention."

Everyone at the table lets out a collective, "Owwwwww,"at Robinsons rejection of Lee. Lee, however, simply ignores her comment.

"Tell you what Bambi, if you want me to help you study, or need hand with anything, come and see me, I'm always keen to help a damsel in distress," he informed her with a smug look on his face.

Robinson thought for a moment then summed up her feelings towards him, "You're a pig. Goodbye." She walks away with a big grin on her face, leaving the recruits at the table laughing at her brash comment. Lee smirks, impressed by her head strong attitude.

Robinson arrives at the table where the recruits of group 488 are seated. Farmer, who observed her altercation with Lee looks at her and smiles, "Made a new friend I see, and Lee, Mr. Smooth, he will be leaving his boots under your bed in no time."

Robinson, clearly unimpressed with his comment, raises her knife at him and makes a stabbing motion. Farmer raises his hands signaling his retreat from the discussion. Robinson looks around the table and sees an empty chair, "Tobin not joining us again?" she asked the group.

"Nope," Jones answered, her voice muffled by a mouth full of pancake. "How many times has Tobin eaten with us, as a group?"

"Mmm, I think once, but he didn't say anything then left, remember." Peppers responded, "And don't talk with your mouth full Jones, it's very unbecoming for a lady," he said sarcastically. The rest of recruit's snicker at his comment, Jones gives Peppers a big smile then jams more pancake in her already full mouth.

"Tobin isn't much of a people person, is he really," Fraser added.

"Homicidal person maybe, people person, definitely not,' White joked, the group all laugh at her comment.

"Will be interesting to see how he goes with all the physical training and tests, no doubt he is super fit, probably run rings around you Farmer," Robinson said while offering Farmer a cheesy grin.

Farmer looks at Robinson and rolls his vigorously, he then stands and spreads his arms wide, exhibiting himself to the group, "Please, I am like a well-oiled machine, every ounce of me is precisely tuned…THERE IS NONE GREATER," he proclaimed jovially.

Robinson looks him and down and raises her eyebrows, "That's the problem Farmer, one too many ounces that need to be tuned, if you know what I'm saying."

The other seven recruits at the table are stunned by her playfully insulting retort, Farmer too is taken back by her tongue in cheek comment.

The usually reserved White couldn't help but join in the mocking, she stands up and puts her hands to her mouth to create a makeshift loudspeaker, "Could someone please get the academy nurse, we have a massive BUUUUUUUUUURN over here."

The surrounding tables look over to group 488, annoyed by their loud, playful shenanigans. All of group 488 are laughing, all except Farmer, who is staring at Robinson, himself trying not to laugh at her witty insult.

"Sit down big boy, I was just joking," Robinson told him as she gave him a sly wink.

Farmer slowly sits down, all the time eyeing her, "I never forget Robinson, I'm like an elephant," he told her.

"The size of an elephant maybe," she replied without hesitation.

Again, the recruits at the table burst into laughter.

Robinson slowly takes a sip of her coffee as her and Farmer engage in a stare off.

Suddenly, Sergeant Smith appears out of nowhere wearing an annoyed look on his face, his presence brings an immediate calm to the group. "What is going on here? I can here you all from the staff room. What are you, a pack of idiots?" They all look at the Sergeant without replying. The surrounding tables all turn and look, happy that they are being scalded for their behavior. "Pull yourselves together and act like adults. The academy isn't a place for showing off and behaving like 5-year olds. Have some respect for yourself and the other recruits." Sergeant Smith did not care that his verbal tongue lashing was attracting the attention of almost everyone in the hall.

"Don't go to the classroom this morning, head to auditorium", he told them sternly, "And leave the stupidity here thank you."

Fraser, with his usual eagerness asks, "What are we doing in the auditorium Sarge?"

Sergeant Smith didn't reply, and instead shakes his head at Fraser. The Sergeant looks around the hall to witness most of the recruits gawking at him, "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?" he yelled, they all quickly turn away as he marches off in a huff. The recruits of group 488 sit in silence until he is well and truly out of ear shot.

"That man would make the devil shudder," Black said.

Peppers shakes his head in disagreement, "He is just well-disciplined, nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah but come on, relax once in a while, we aren't doing any harm," Black replied.

"This is the S.P.D. academy, not a bar, it's not really a place to get rowdy and obnoxious," Peppers argued.

"All you army boys stick together, don't you Peppers?" Black said, clearly annoyed by the conversation.

Dell interjects, sensing the growing tensions between the two, "All right you two, relax, hopefully you will be able to expel that pent-up testosterone at whatever the Sergeant has planned for us in the auditorium."

Peppers and Black sit and stare at each other, neither willing to break the visual deadlock.

Robinson checks her watch, "Oops, its 7.15, we had better go and get ready, I think the Sergeant will lose his mind if we show up late today."

Farmer nods in agreeance, "Unfortunately, I concur with your statement little one."

Robinson looks at him and shakes her head, "Concur. Really? Don't use words you don't know how to spell Farmer."

Farmer rubs his chin slowly and looks deep in thought, "K.O.N.K..."

"You're an idiot," she said playfully.

The nine recruits pack up their food trays and head to the dorms to prepare for the day.

. . . . . . . . .

Starting time for class is 8.00am sharp, as none of the recruits want to face the wrath of Sergeant Smith, they all ensure they are in the auditorium with plenty of time to spare. Tobin, as always, is there first, standing at attention and awaiting instruction. One by one the recruits enter the auditorium and file into line around him. Having already been spoken to about their behavior by Sergeant Smith, the recruits stand in silence, all except Fraser. "Lucky Tobin is here to show us where to stand," he said sarcastically, "I would be very confused otherwise, he is like a beacon shining through the darkness, illuminating the way for his fellow recruits."

Unbeknownst to Fraser, Sergeant Smith had entered the auditorium and approached the group from behind, "Another word out of you Fraser and I will make sure you and the others stand in line all day so you can all be shining beacons to illuminate the way. How does that sound?"

Fraser is shocked to hear the Sergeants voice and immediately straightens his stance. Tobin is pleased by the Sergeants putdown of Fraser, and a satisfied grin rises on his face.

Sergeant Smith walks around to the front of the group, but he is not alone. With him is another Sergeant, not yet introduced to the recruits. She is tall and thin, and her hair pulled back so hard it tightens the skin on her face. She wears a uniform identical to the of Sergeant Smith and is holding a clip board. As the two Sergeants come into view of the recruits, three more figures appear that capture the groups attention. Hovering at eye level are three pixies, their translucent wings flapping furiously and producing a slight buzzing sound. The three pixies are all similar in height, about a foot tall, and very slight of build. They have human like features except for their ears which are long and come to a sharp point. All three are dressed exactly like the Sergeants, in black Supernatural Police Department uniforms.

The recruits are all stunned by the three pixies and stare at them, some with jaws wide opened.

"Close your mouth Rodreguiz, you look like a clown at the circus," Sergeant Smith informed him.

Rodreguiz snaps out of his gaze, closes his mouth and straightens up.

"They are like little S.P.D. officers," blurted Fraser, immediately regretting his outburst.

Sergeant Smith gives Fraser a deathly stare, Fraser can sense it and turns his eyes down to avoid it. The three pixies, also clearly annoyed at Frasers comment, snarl at him in unison.

Sergeant Smith starts his customary pacing, "I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine." Sergeant Smith gestures toward the unknown Sergeant, "This is Sergeant Tanya Logan, an old friend and accomplice. She is taking on a facilitator role next intake, so she is here to learn from me. However, Tan-, sorry, Sergeant Logan is a far better officer then I ever was, so I suggest if she speaks you listen and take note."

Sergeant Logan blushes at his comment and drops her head out of embarrassment. She looks at the recruits, all giddy and smiling, "Your Sergeant is far to kind. I won't be a bother, I just want to observe the way things work around here and get to know the law of the land."

"It's great to have you with us," said Sergeant Smith in an unusual chirpy tone. "The other three guests are regulars here at the academy, they come by to lecture courses, run programs and allow us to utilize their skills. So, may I introduce Eugene, Beryl and Mavis." Each pixie hovered forward slightly as they were introduced. "They have also been given the honorary rank of Sergeant, so I suggest you show them respect, as you would Sergeant Logan and myself. Also to make life easier for yourselves, as I know most of you have never been this close to a pixie before, for identification purposes, Eugene is the short haired pixie, Beryl the firie red head and Mavis is the goldie locks of the group." The three pixies laugh at his summation of them. The recruits however are still aghast by what they are seeing before them, and continue to stare at Eugene, Beryl and Mavis. Sergeant Smith can see his recruits are distracted by their presence, "SO," he yelled at the top of his voice, startling the recruits who all jump to attention, "Today is your first test, get you out of the classroom, off your seats and your blood pumping."

Farmer knew this day would come, he became nervous and started to sweat and breathe unevenly. First test, this is what you came here for, you can do this he thought to himself.

"Tobin," said Sergeant Smith gruffly.

"Yes Sergeant."

"Go down to the equipment room and bring up two nets please, they look like big fishing nets, they should be to the far left."

"Roger that, Sergeant," Tobin runs to the equipment room to the rear of the auditorium.

The Sergeant addresses the group. "Today I will be testing your speed, agility, determination and teamwork. It's pretty simple, Eugene, Beryl and Mavis are going to hover around, duck and weave and such, and it's your job to catch them. Simple as that."

Farmer pondered his words for a moment, he thought no task from the Sergeant would be easy or simple, the exact opposite in fact.

Tobin comes running back with two large nets and gives them to Sergeant Smith, "Thankyou Tobin, back in line, I'm sure you will get the gist of what we are doing."

Tobin falls into line and stands to attention. The Sergeants begins to pace again, this time, holding the two large nets, "At ease recruits," the recruits all loosen up and stand at ease, "So, who wants to be first?"

The recruits wait for another to volunteer and all stand in silence. After a few moments, Fraser steps forward, "I'll give it a go Sergeant."

Sergeant Smith, impressed by his initiative, hands him a net, "Well, who wants to partner up with Fraser? This is all about teamwork, not individual work," he informed the group.

Before any of them had the chance to join him, Fraser spoke up, "Nah, it's all good Sarge, I reckon I could handle these little critters myself."

Rage instantly came across Sergeant Smiths face and glared at Fraser. Eugene, Beryl and Mavis are also annoyed by Frasers' brashness and again snarl at him.

The Sergeant, looking as if he is about reign down a barrage of fury on Fraser pauses and thinks to himself for moment. The rage disappears and he smiles. "You're right Fraser, for someone as talented as you, this will be easy," he said sarcastically, which went unnoticed by Fraser. "What level would you like to start with Fraser? One or two. One being easy and two being more difficult, they move quicker and dodge and weave faster."

"Mmmmm," Fraser pondered, "How about a three?"

The recruits are all stunned by his self-assured response. The Sergeant was not impressed by his comment, but he held his smile.

"Three," Sergeant Smith exclaimed as he looked at Eugene, Beryl and Mavis, "Ok then, he wants a level three, we will give him a level three. Eugene, Beryl and Mavis, level three for the recruit." The Sergeant rubbed his hands together in a devilish manner then stood beside Sergeant Logan.

Eugene hovers up to Fraser and meets him eye to eye. "Level three, are you ready for this?" he asked deviously with his high-pitched voice.

Fraser smiled, "Yes I-"

Before Fraser got to finish his sentence, Eugene flicked the cap off Fraser's head and it flew directly up in the air. Fraser went to catch it at which point Beryl swoops in at lightning speed and undone his belt and the button and zipper on his pants. Fraser looks down to see his pants undone, he reaches down to grab them, but it's too late, Mavis flies to his rear, grabs his pants and pulls them down to his ankles. The recruits and both Sergeants burst into laughter. Fraser immediately becomes awash with embarrassment and bends down to pick up his pants and as he does the three pixies gather behind him and with one almighty push send him sprawling onto the auditorium floor. Fraser lay there for a second, overcome by what had happened, his bright yellow underwear exposed for all to see. He quickly gathers himself, stands and pulls his pants up. With his face bright red, he stares off into the distance trying to ignore the laughter.

Sergeant Logan leans into to speak with Sergeant Smith, "Is this test assessible?" she curiously asked.

Sergeant Smith grabs the clip board off Sergeant Logan and pretends to write something on it, "Definitely not," he informs her with a big smirk on his face, "We do it to get the recruits out of the classroom for an hour or so. As you clearly see, its often a bit of fun and a good laugh." Sergeant Logan nods her head in approval.

Sergeant Smith walks over to Fraser and stands close to him and whispers, ensuring no one can hear him, "You obviously don't learn the easy way Fraser, so I will teach you the hard way." Fraser did not respond. "Back in line recruit," he growled. Fraser sheepishly falls back in line.

The recruits are all still laughing at Fraser, "ENOUGH," the Sergeant yelled, the recruits instantly become silent

Mavis, sporting a stern expression on her face, hovers over to the front of the group to address them, "We may be small and unintimidating, but we are NOT to be messed with." Her high-pitched voice did not detract from the seriousness of her words.

Sergeant Smith joins Mavis in front of the recruits. "Very well spoken, Mavis. Pixies and fairies, although small and seemingly harmless, can be a handful and when in a large troupe can be very dangerous, so always be cautious. Any doubting it, just ask Fraser." Fraser, still embarrassed by what had occurred does not respond to his comment. "Alright then, no more funny business, who's next?"

Again, the recruits fail to nominate themselves for the test, the Sergeant waits for a moment then grows impatient, "Fine, I will choose for you, Farmer, you're up."

Farmer, trying his best to hide his nerves, takes a deep breath in and joins Sergeant Smith. Robinson, seeing a chance to work with Farmer takes a step forward but is too late, "Dell, let's go," the Sergeant instructed. Robinson steps back, annoyed at not being chosen. Dell pounces forward, keen to get things started. The Sergeant pipes in with some words of advice, "Like I said before, this is a team effort, so work as a team." He hands Farmer and Dell a net each and steps back.

Farmer and Dell lean into each other, "How are we going to do this?" asked Farmer.

Dell thinks for a second, "How about we focus on one each, I go for Mavis and you go for Eugene," she advised him.

"Which one is Eugene?"

"The short haired one, I've got Mavis, the blondie."

"What about Beryl?"

"Mmmm, we will go for her last."

"Ok then, sounds like a good plan."

Dell and Farmer confidently form up, nets at the ready.

"Ready to commence?" Sergeant Smith asked Dell and Farmer.

"Yes Sergeant,' they replied as one.

"Eugene, Beryl and Mavis, we will go to level two straight up, these recruits look busting at the seams to catch you. Are you ready?"

They all nod to the Sergeant, "Ready."

The sergeant pauses for a moment, then "GO!"

The three pixies shoot off in separate directions, Dell follows Mavis while Farmer chases Eugene. The cumbersome nets make it harder for them to move freely and quickly. Dell closes in and takes a swipe at Mavis but misses due to her quick maneuvering. Farmer runs Eugene into a corner, but as he brings his net down, Eugene swoop underneath Farmers long legs and avoids captivity. Dell and Farmer continue chasing down the pixies but find the going tough, the pixies speed and stamina is far greater than their own. The other recruits watch in amusement and can't help but laugh, "What's so funny? You're all going to have to do it soon enough," snapped Sergeant Smith, bringing their laughter to a quick halt.

Farmer and Dell meet up in the middle of the auditorium, both exhausted from the exercise.

"This isn't working," Farmer said.

"Agreed. What are we going to do?" Dell asked, barely finishing the sentence from her excessive puffing and panting.

"Let's both go for one at a time, be easier to trap them I think," Farmer suggested.

"Good idea. What do you reckon, Mavis first?"

"Sounds good, let's do this."

Dell and Farmer locate Mavis and lock her in their sights. They separate slightly from each other to cover more ground, but not enough to give Mavis an easy getaway. Dell flanks Mavis' right while Farmer moves to her left. Mavis sees them approaching and realizes it's no longer a one on one situation. Mavis begins to move to and fro, trying to decide the best escape plan. She wisely focuses on Dell, being shorter in stature, she covers less ground than Farmer. Mavis sweeps to Dells side away from Farmer, but Farmer sees this and quickly moves behind Dell to cover her escape. Mavis pulls up in time and retreats, Farmer resumes his position. They keep pushing Mavis back, closer and closer to the rear wall. Mavis turns and realizes she is running out of space and must make her move. Dell and Farmer both have their nets raised high above their heads, Mavis sees this as an opportunity to dive low and fly between them. She begins her descent, flying close to the ground, Farmer swoops his net down hard and fast but miss her by the slightest margin, Mavis passes between them to clear space and is almost free until Dell, taking a blind swing, pivots to her rear, stretching the net as far she can, as she turns the net comes across Mavis' flight path, Mavis tries to pull back but it's too late, the net encloses her. Dell quickly twists the net so Mavis can't escape. Farmer turns to see a relieved Dell holding Mavis in the net. The recruits begin clapping them for their efforts. An elated Farmer walks up to Dell and embraces her with a one-armed hug, "Good work superstar," he said. Robinson sees the embraces and stops clapping. Dell turns to the recruits and boastfully raises the net up high for all to see. Mavis, still inside the net, has her arms crossed and wears and angry scowl, unimpressed by her capture.

"GOOD WORK YOU TWO," Sergeant Smith yelled from the other end of the auditorium, "COME BACK."

Dell and Farmer release Mavis jog back to meet the Sergeant.

"Don't we have to catch them all Sarge?" Dell asked.

"No, ones enough for today, great teamwork," said Sergeant Smith, genuinely impressed by their efforts. "Would you please hand the nets to… Robinson and Tobin."

Robinson and Tobin step forward. Tobin takes the net from Farmer and Robinson angrily snatches the net off Dell.

Sergeant Smith turns to Eugene, Beryl and Mavis and slyly holds up his hand and makes a swirling motion ensuring the recruits do not see, the three acknowledge his signal.

"Robinson and Tobin, make me proud," said the Sergeant, "Get ready you two."

Tobin turns to Robinson, "We can do this, just do as I say, and we will catch one."

Robinson, not appreciating his assertive manner raises her eyebrows at him but doesn't respond.

"We will go for Mavis as well, she will be tired from the last chase," he told her.

"Umm I don't think they get tired, look at her, she isn't exactly exhausted," Robinson informed him. They both look at Mavis, she appears to be physically unaffected by the previous encounter.

"Trust me, they are just like humans, she will be easy to catch," he said, reinforcing his previous statement, but Dell wasn't having any part of it.

"Since when did you become an expert on pixie physiology?" she asked him, annoyed by his self-assuredness.

Tobin gives Robinson a deathly stare "Just do it," he barked and walked away to begin the exercise.

Dell took a deep breath in then out. She walks up beside Tobin and waits for the Sergeant's go-ahead.

Sergeant Smith looks to Eugene, Beryl and Mavis and nods his head, they all nod back to acknowledge they are ready. "Robinson and Tobin…GO."

Robinson and Tobin slowly approach Eugene, Beryl and Mavis who are hovering in the middle of the auditorium. As they get closer the three do not separate as they did with Farmer and Dell. Instead, they hover around each other, up and down, left and right, and in manner of direction.

"Well this is not good," said Robinson, finding it hard to focus on Mavis.

"Just follow me," Tobin instructed. He runs toward the three pixies and lunges the net forward indiscriminately hoping the catch Mavis but misses. Eugene, Beryl and Mavis smirk at his poor attempt.

"Don't just stand there, do something," he growled at Dell.

Eugene, Beryl and Mavis fly around Tobin and position themselves to the rear of Dell forcing her to turn around, rather than retreat they mock her by flying toward her, forcing her to take a swing with the net. She misses all three of them and smashing the net on the ground. They dance around her in close quarters and she continues to swing the net indiscriminately with no success. Realizing they are distracted with Dell, Tobin creeps up hoping to catch one of the pixies unawares. He thrusts the net hoping to catch Beryl who has her backed turned to him, she senses the net bearing down upon her and moves just in time to avoid being caught. Eugene, Beryl and Mavis make an escape and fly away from Tobin and Robinson.

"I thought I told you to focus on Mavis," Tobin said aggressively.

Dell gives Tobin a sinister look, "I'm trying, it's not exactly the easiest thing to do, and you just took a swipe at Beryl and missed!" she replied, annoyed by his comment.

Tobin walks up to Dell and points his index finger at her, "Listen, walk up with me, focus on Mavis, then catch her, simple."

Dell looks at Tobin's finger then looks him in the eye, "You keep that pointed at me, I will break it off."

Tobin huffs at her in derision and puts his finger down, "This is embarrassing, it's not hard."

Tobin and Dell look over to the recruits and the two Sergeants who are watching them. Fraser raises his wrist and points to his watch and smiles sarcastically at Tobin.

Tobin turns Robinson, "Mavis, the blonde haired one, just go for her and forget the other two, simple."

Robinson shakes her head at his bluntness, "Fine."

They turn to the three pixies who are now halfway down the auditorium. Tobin begins a brisk walk, his eyes totally focused on Mavis, Robinson jogs to keep up with him. Eugene, Beryl and Mavis begin to weave around each other, making their capture or the more difficult.

"Mavis only remember, let's do this," Tobin said with annoyance in his voice. Singling out Mavis, Tobin and Robinson watch her intently as she playfully flies around Eugene and Beryl, all three doing their best to distract and hinder them. As they get closer Tobin quickly whips the net in her direction but misses, Robinson tries her best to assist Tobin and swings her net toward Mavis but also misses. Beryl mockingly moves in close to Robinson who takes a swipe at with her but again misses, "I SAID GET MAVIS," Tobin screamed in anger, "FORGET HER."

"I'M TRYING," Robinson screamed back.

Tobin and Robinson, fixated on Mavis, ignore Eugene and Beryl as they attempt to distract them. Both nets are being wielding furiously at Mavis, but each attempt fails. An infuriated Tobin draws back his net and swings it hard and fast. Mavis dodges it and as she does Robinson steps forward into the path of the net which hits her on the forehead sending her crashing to the ground. Both the Sergeants and all the recruits run to her aid. The three pixies fly to her to check her condition. Tobin however slams his net to the ground, frustrated by the failure to capture Mavis. Sergeant Smith reaches Robinson who sits up holding her head which is bleeding.

"Are you alright Robinson?" Sergeant Smith asked, genuinely concerned for her welfare.

Robinson looks at her hand which is covered in blood then looks at Mavis and smiles, "You are one quick pixie Mavis."

Mavis flies close to her and examines the cut on her head, "Sorry about that, didn't mean to get you injured Robinson."

"I will be fine, just a battle wound."

"That's the spirit recruit," said Sergeant smith, pleased with her positive outlook.

Sergeant Logan bends down to assess her injury, "How about I escort you to the nurse, she can have a look and clean it up for you."

Robinson nods in agreeance.

"Thanks Sergeant Logan, hopefully this doesn't put you off becoming a facilitator," Sergeant Smith asked her.

"Not a chance," Sergeant Logan informed him, "Come on Robinson, let's go sort you out." Sergeant Logan assists Robinson to her feet and they walk off to see the nurse. Tobin, unapologetic for the incident shakes his head as Robinson leaves.

Robinson walks past Farmer on her way out and as she does, he leans into her and whispers, "Pathetic." He then leans back, smiles and winks at her. Robinson smiles back and continues walking.

Sergeant Smith addresses the group, "Alright recruits, we might have a break and come back this afternoon for round two. Have ten-minutes and head back to the classroom." As the recruits begin to exit the auditorium, the Sergeant calls Tobin back, "Tobin, come here." Already irritated by the failed exercise, Tobin shakes his head at the Sergeants request.

He slowly plods up to meet Sergeant Smith, who gives him a stern look. "Firstly, don't ever shake your head at me or my instructions. Secondly, don't be a sore loser, you can't win everything. And thirdly, I expect you to apologize to Robinson for hitting her."

"Hitting her?" Tobin responded, clearly annoyed by the Sergeant accusation, "The idiot ran in front of the net, she was hopeless, didn't help at all then she gets whacked because she didn't pay attention. How is that my fault?"

The Sergeant glares at Tobin for a moment, "Don't behave like a petulant child Tobin, you will apologize to her, that is final."

"No, I won't," he snapped back without hesitation.

Sergeant Smith steps up to Tobin and meets him face to face, "You have your instructions. You have ten minutes to get back to class. I suggest you fall out recruit." The Sergeant was clearly losing his patience, but Tobin remained firm. The two engage in silent standoff. After several moments, Tobin realizes it is a futile exercise that can only go one way, he huffs at the Sergeant, turns, then walks away. The Sergeants eyes him until he leaves the auditorium. He picks up the nets and walks to the equipment room, shaking his head in disgust of Tobin's attitude.