Graduation Exam (VII)

Planet: Tarsonis

Year:2529

Place: Confederate ??? Academy

-- Jun 11, 2529 - Confederate calendar - Day of the graduation exam --

---Caesar's Pov---

Ok. 19 recruits have been eliminated. 41 are left, of those 41. Samir's been eliminated and Kai's on his last feet. Victoria is becoming a growing problem. While Rishul should've used a third of his psionic energy fighting Samir.

Then there's Lokee, Kelly, Ingrid, Ivory, and the rest...first things first. I should avoid fighting anybody with a lower or higher heat signature than normal chances are they're pyro or cryokinetic. And most of the locations within this stadium favor them.

But as the exam continues their energy levels should drop, making it easier to disable them. Still, the real issue is Clark's rabble.

I don't want to kill them, they still hold value to my plans. But at the rate they're killing off my crew would it be better to just eliminate them? No. Anybody who fails to survive this exam should be considered a liability, and they are no different.

That just leaves the rats who've been plotting to betray me.

Kind of impressive really. I would've never noticed if it weren't for Kai's due diligence. His ability to see into a person by touching them or their things is invaluable to any future spy work. Well...he's also one of the few people I can trust, but that's overrated.

I think...Suki's always bitched about valuing trust. Maybe I should.

Ranting aside I found my next target. One of the recruits ratting for Popovich. You know it bewilders me how Clark can just forgive him this behavior.

I asked him why once. And he said, "only a monster would harm those close to them."

Kinda foolish if you ask me. But I digress the rats must go before they do real damage to anything I have planned. Will Popovich figure it out? Yes, indefinitely. However, by the end of today, we'll be out of his reach.

And it all starts with Henry Adam, one of the four to betray me. Right now he's camped on the stairway waiting for my cars to pass by. I could easily speed blitz him. But that's an unnecessary risk given I have to refrain from using my stronger psionic abilities.

So it'd be more prudent to just ambush him through the second floor. Luckily this location possesses a small balcony. Now, all I need to do is gather some psionic energy, bend my knees, and …

-------

The nobles' eyebrows raised while Caesar gathered his psionic energy and bent his knees. "I know he's strong, but he can't possibly reach up there. Right?" A noble asked. He glanced at Popovich who frowned watching Caesar.

While he focused on Popovich, the crowd watched as Caesar shot into the air then leaped off the wall and over the balcony. Their mouths dropped when Caesar landed without a thud. The cars entered the home while Caesar made his way towards Henry.

Henry's senses locked on to the cars distracting him from Caesar's looming psionic presence. When Caesar gripped the base of his skull, Henry began to shutter in fear. While every camera switched over to his face.

They panned onto his feed, allowing people to watch. As Henry glanced back then up to Caesar's cold and dead eyes. "Wait!" Yelled Henry.

But Caesar never stopped. His cold, dead eyes instilled a long-dead fear in the staff, recruits, and nobles alike.

While they watched Henry scream, staring straight into Caesar's eyes. The camera zoomed out, allowing Caesar's oozing psionic energy to be simulated for all to see.

Henry's screams echoed across every speaker. While Caesar's lime green energy began to take on a more translucent hue. The nobles gawked as a hint of turquoise appeared within the energy. It highlighted his eyes, emphasized his gawking young, heavily dense, and extremely muscular 6 foot 5 frame. Giving him a royal aesthetic.

The nobles applauded, deep in their minds, they fantasized about how they'd claim him for themselves.

Yet as the turquoise grew darker and darker, Henry's screams got louder and louder. Until eventually it turned black, making Caesar resemble that of an undead royal.

Their eyes panned to Popovich, who focused on Henry laying brain dead on the stairs. If he glanced towards them for a moment he would've seen the hunger in their eyes.

But his eyes remained on three recruits entering the house. Upon locking eyes with Caesar they tried to flee.

While Caesar let the first and third flee, he eyed the second recruit. She was one of Popovich's newly minted rats. A camera zoomed in on Caesar picking up Henry's pistol. Before panning out as he fired it into both legs then walked down the stairs.

On his way out, he crushed her neck with the sole of his foot. At the same time, his three RC cars hunted down the remaining recruits.

"Popovich?" A noble asked. They didn't notice this scene because their eyes remained fixated on his heavily irritated face.

"Popovich!" Yelled General Duke.

To the surprise of many Popovich snapped, "WHAT!" With venomous eyes.

"Oh, ho-ho. It seems that pedestrian wealth and power has gone to your head," added Duke. Everyone nodded in agreement. Their eyes remained on Popovich, who gave Duke a gaze of vehement disdain.

"And what? I know you can't do shit. To a man in my position," said Pop. Duke laughed while looking to matriarch Holt.

"That is true. But it's clear you value this Caesar above all else."

Duke nodded, Popovich grit his teeth as Duke said. "When recruit Caesar graduates. He'll be placed into the commander program. Ever close but away from your care."

The nobles smiled thinking Popovich was mad because of that. However, he was really mad because of Caesar's calculated actions. Made him realize the boy was more dangerous than he assumed.

'No matter,' thought Popovich. Trying to reassure himself.

This attempt fell short when Duke picked up the phone. "Get Suki on the line. I want her to have recruit Augustus, along with 10 other recruits, transferred out of the ghost program. Oh, and as far as their training goes I'll trust her to take care of it."

In response to this, Popovich grinned as he thought. 'I'll admit little boy. I should've realized sooner you'd side with Suki…'

Popovich paused watching Kai close in on the third snitch and Rishul the fourth. 'Ahahah! She worked you over. While you worked others!'

He paused once more. Then replayed Henry's death. 'Since when did Octavian possess such potent, vibrant psionic energy? If I recall. Our system's always displayed it to be a dull lime-green.

Was it Suki? Or could the boy have spent 5 years hiding from me? Fuck. This situation is more dangerous than I thought. I need to do a mass re-evaluation.

No matter.

I've already insured Sarah will stay out of their grasp, so I still have a chance.'

#An: The difference between black ops strategies and the standard military, is scale and objective. Until now the kids have focused more on black ops work. Not large-scale firefights but with post-graduation, all will study standard military.

As for what the commander's program is. Think of it as a fast-track program for brighter military minds. Instead of spending decades going from a recruit to captain, if they're good enough it's years. However, like all things Confederate people can get in with wealth. #