Graduation Exam (VI)

Planet: Tarsonis

Year:2529

Place: Confederate ??? Academy

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

The camera zoomed in on Caesar, working within a scrap shop in the northern building. It panned out to highlight the builds old cracked cement, thick loose wires, and old rusted metal. Surrounding it were equally old and broken houses. So broken a part of Caesar couldn't help but reminisce at the site of these homes.

'It's like I'm back in the slums.' Thought Caesar.

The camera panned out to display five heavily injured bodies, lying around him.

The nobles applauded but soon stopped when they noticed what was scattered around and in between each body. Most of their smiles turned to disdain, while Popovich's smile turned to worry as they lay eyes upon Caesar shifting through the junk with a tiny smile on his face.

"What is the meaning of this?" Demanded patriarch Calabas. His fat ruffled face shook, filling his pleasure maids with disgust.

"Is this the recruit you've been harping about? If so I think termination might be in order." Chimed matriarch Holt, others nodded in agreement.

"I think we should wait and see," said Anabelle Terra. The others looked at her in surprise. She didn't want to speak but knew she'd be punished if she didn't.

"Oh! That's unlike you, Anabella." matriarch Holt's words caused a few nobles to look hard at Anabella. She smiled, saying nothing.

"Explain," Demanded General Duke. His eyes never left Popovich's face, his voice silenced all descent. Popovich glared at him before glancing at the rest. Most sneered in contempt. However, few only feigned it.

After pulling Tom into the stream, Popovich sat there, staring at Duke. 'This! Is my kingdom. And in here, your influence will only go so far General. So just you wait, one day I'll use these weapons to usurp you...'

While he fell deeper into fantasy, Tom began his explanation. "At first glance recruit Augustus comes across as a highly lethal recruit. And frankly...he's easily our most lethal recruit."

Tom pause. Cameras zoomed in on the bodies around Caesar. The first recruit had his arm bent back, and his chest caved in. His elbow pierced his skin, leaving a pool of blood. The second recruit had her arm bent back, and her chest caved in. The elbow barely pierced her skin. The third recruit had her arm bent back, and her chest caved in.

The nobles stayed silent as one of their cameras refocused on Caesar. General Duke raised his hand, prompting Tom to stop. Caesar stood up with four heavily modified RC cars at his feet and one rusted datapad in hand.

"What's in those Cars?" Asked Duke. After scanning Caesar's cars the system displayed their key features.

*Modified RC cars run up to 45km/h, armed with old-gen 200m range heartbeat sensors, modified pistol turrets, unstable vespene power source +... *

"It's a bomb, he spent all this time making a pistol shooting, remote-controlled bomb," said General Duke. While he smiled, the others frowned.

"That's it?" Chimed matriarch Holt.

"Ahem!" Said Tom, attracting their attention. "Those aren't remote-controlled. According to this, most of his time was spent designing the car's hunter seeker program. To simplify those cars are designed to eliminate opposing heat signatures.

Personally, I suggest you have those cars removed before he kills somebody with value. Because I can assure you, anything that boy makes is not to be taken lightly," said Tom. The general waved him off, responding with. "None of them are valuable, all of them are replaceable."

Their disdain turned to pleasure watching Caesar's cars activate before driving off. "Let the manhunt begin!" Yelled Calabas.

Caesar shot out of the building maintaining a clean 38 miles per hour. His senses stayed alert while his psionic energy churned in the event of an ambush.

The nobles watched in awe as he kept a firm 200-meter distance between him and every car. 'Even our cybernetically augmented couldn't maintain this pace,' thought many. Caesar's value was increasing with the second.

"If his file holds true. Then this kid's too valuable to remain within this program, psionic or not." Said matriarch Holt. Her words shocked the group while frightening Popovich.

He knew they held true. Every staff member knew Caesar's talent should've placed him in the young commander's program. Like it had the genius program. And by the end of today, every noble within the eleven would know!

-----

Back within the audience. The kids were delighted to see more and more recruits use the jumbotron to hone in on his positioning.

'Even he couldn't survive this. Right?' Thought one recruit.

'The tyrant dies today!' cheered another.

'In Clark we trust!' Thought most. He sighed watching them run towards Caesar. 'Didn't you guys learn anything? You can't defeat a monster by running towards it. You defeat it by outsmarting it. And today, I do!' Thought Clark.

To the surprise of many, he turned, walking in the opposite direction. His actions surprised even Caesar, who now thought back to one of Suki's first lessons.

'Plans always fail. Be ready to adjust!'

A rare grin escaped his lips as the first targets appeared within range.

They charged into a house. While two of them dove behind the living room furniture, the last setup in the kitchen. His eyes shifted between the back entrance and his new teammates. They kneeled in silence, their eyes shifted between each other and the door.

"VRREEEEEE!!"

The sound of Caesar's cars made their hearts shutter with impending doom. When their rifles snapped to the feet of both doors, the sound stopped causing everything to go silent. Fear crept into their hearts while dread sunk into their minds.

A shadowy figure came creeping down the stairs as Caesar's looming figure stood outside one of the doors. The light died while the shadowy figure came closer and closer. The sound of Caesar's cars echoed the room, the figure now stood behind them.

'BOOM!' Both doors swung open, nobody was there.

The kids glanced back to see the heavily injured Samir looming above them. BANG! BANG BANG! All three of them dropped as one of Caesar's cars entered the house.

BANG!