"...And remember. The Council... is watching."

  ?Garo didn’t linger. He turned sharply on his heel, his heavy boots echoing as he disappeared into the dark alcove of the observation deck. He left the hundreds of students below suspended in absolute, suffocating silence.

  ?The moment he stepped out of their line of sight, the terrifying aura of the Chief Examiner collapsed entirely.

  ?Garo’s massive frame hit a leather armchair. The leather groaned under his weight. He exhaled a ragged, wet breath, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe a thick layer of cold sweat from his forehead and his single eye. He looked like a man who had just survived a brutal, drawn-out fistfight.

  ?"You look exhausted, Garo."

  ?The voice was smooth, carrying the unmistakable weight of absolute authority.

  ?Sitting in a high-backed chair in the corner of the dim observation room was a man with striking silver hair. He wore a pristine white coat embroidered with the Academy's crest. Cornelius, the Headmaster of Aurelius, rested his chin on his steepled fingers. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips as he watched the one-eyed examiner struggle to catch his breath.

  ?"Projecting a localized gravity field over an arena of that scale... while simultaneously calibrating the pressure to intimidate without causing internal hemorrhaging," Cornelius noted, his tone mild. "That is a staggering drain on your ether reserves. It is not an easy feat."

  ?"Save the flattery, Headmaster," Garo grunted, tossing the damp handkerchief onto a side table. He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. "This year's batch is too volatile. If I didn't establish dominance immediately, they would tear this Academy apart. Especially those feral brats from the Eastern Territories."

  ?Cornelius didn't reply. He unclasped his hands and looked down through the reinforced glass, watching the students on the sand begin to shift as the automated evaluation system booted up.

  ?Down in the Proving Grounds, the oppressive silence shattered as the high-pitched wail of a siren cut through the air. The amplified voice of the Academy’s automated system replaced Garo's.

  ?"System initialized. Commencing Phase Two Evaluations."

  ?"Will the first designated squad report to the central deployment platform. Squad: Jordan Carter."

  ?Hundreds of eyes snapped toward a specific cluster of students.

  ?"Yo! That's us! Time to put on a show!"

  ?A tall, incredibly lean guy bounced out of the crowd. Jordan Carter—who insisted everyone call him 'J-Flow'—looked like he had walked out of a neon fever dream. He wore an oversized, graphic windbreaker over a white t-shirt, paired with baggy cargo pants covered in unnecessary straps. His bright, high-top sneakers matched the ends of his dreadlocks, which were dyed a blinding gold and pulled back over a sharp skin-fade. A pair of massive, brightly colored headphones rested around his neck.

  ?As he walked toward the platform, his head bobbed rhythmically, his mouth already moving, dropping a quiet beat. "Ts-ts-pah-ts."

  ?Trailing right behind Jordan was a walking mountain.

  ?Brook. The squad's vanguard.

  ?He was nearly a foot taller than Jordan, with a completely shaved head. A vicious, jagged scar cut across his left temple. He wore a tight black tank top under an unzipped, olive-drab bomber jacket, his massive biceps straining against the fabric. Faded, ripped black jeans and heavy steel-toed combat boots completed the look. He moved with slow, deliberate steps, his face entirely devoid of expression.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  ?Bringing up the rear was Valerie.

  ?She walked with her hands shoved deep into the pockets of a cropped, black tech-wear jacket. Her dark plum hair was cut into a messy, rebellious wolf-cut that constantly fell into her eyes. She wore tight black joggers covered in tactical buckles, ending in sleek, heavily modified boots that looked dangerously light. She glared at Jordan's bouncing back, her face twisted in permanent annoyance.

  ?"Pick up the pace, Jordan," Valerie snapped, aggressively blowing a strand of purple hair out of her face. "You're wasting oxygen."

  ?"Chill, Val! You gotta feel the rhythm!" Jordan flashed a wide, arrogant grin over his shoulder. He slapped Brook’s massive back. Smack. "You ready to break something, big guy?"

  ?Brook gave a slow, single nod. "Yeah."

  ?The three of them stepped onto the raised stone platform in the center of the arena.

  ?"Alright," Jordan spun around, throwing his arms wide. "Where's the test? We just standing here looking good?"

  ?The ground beneath their feet violently shuddered.

  ?RUMBLE!

  ?Dust plumed into the air. The sand split open. Massive slabs of concrete, steel girders, and reinforced glass erupted from the ground, grinding and screeching as they rapidly assembled themselves.

  ?In less than ten seconds, the flat arena floor had transformed into the ground-floor lobby of a ten-story concrete skyscraper, completely enclosing Jordan’s squad.

  ?"Simulation active," the automated voice echoed from hidden speakers within the lobby. "Squad Jordan Carter. A high-yield ether explosive has been planted within this structure."

  ?"Objective: Locate and defuse the explosive within thirty minutes. Failure will result in the total structural collapse of this facility."

  ?"Whoa! Thirty minutes?!" Jordan yelled, his eyes bugging out as he looked at the massive ceiling. "That's tight!"

  ?"Warning," the system continued. "Facility security measures are now active."

  ?CLACK. CLACK. WHIRRR.

  ?The elevator doors and ventilation grates surrounding the lobby slammed open. Hundreds of glowing red eyes pierced the gloom.

  ?They were automated security golems. Metallic, humanoid, and armed with stun batons and low-caliber ether rifles. They poured out from every direction, forming a solid wall of metal. There were easily over a hundred of them.

  ?"Okay... I take it back," Jordan swallowed hard. He reached up, pulling the massive headphones over his ears and adjusting the mic near his mouth. "This is bad. Brook! Val! Brace for impact!"

  ?"Audio check! One, two!"

  ?Brook and Valerie reached up, tapping the wireless in-ear monitors they were wearing.

  ?"Audio is clear," Valerie said. Her voice was flat, but her hands slipped out of her pockets. The blades hidden in her sleek boots clicked out, catching the dim light. "Drop the beat, Jordan. I hate waiting."

  ?"Just keep those tin cans off me!" Jordan grinned wildly. He took a massive breath, his body already swaying to the tempo building in his head.

  ?Thump... Pah... Thump-thump... Pah!

  ?The heavy beatbox rhythm hit the microphone. A pulse of bright blue ether flared along the wires, shooting directly into Brook and Valerie's ears.

  ?"Yo! A hundred scraps of metal think they hold the floor!

  Target's up top, Val! Kick down the door!

  Brook, you the wall! Smash 'em into rust!

  J-Flow on the track, turning metal into dust!"

  ?The moment the final rhyme hit their eardrums, a massive wave of energy detonated.

  ?Blood immediately began to trickle from Jordan's nose. The Toll for continuously channeling high-density ether through vocal cords was brutal, tearing at his capillaries. But he didn't stop. He kept the rhythm flowing, his mouth moving at a blistering pace to maintain the buffs.

  ?Brook stepped in front of Jordan like a steel vault door.

  ?His eyes rolled back, completely white. He surrendered his vision entirely. In exchange, the muscle density in his arms and chest quadrupled. Guided only by the bass thumping in his earpiece, he slammed his hydraulic gauntlets together.

  ?CRASH!

  ?The first three golems lunged. Brook didn't flinch. He threw a devastating, blind haymaker. The impact caved in their metal chests, scattering gears and wires across the lobby. He planted his steel-toed boots, becoming an immovable object protecting his squad leader.

  ?Valerie gritted her teeth.

  ?Every nerve ending in her body was screaming. The Toll for hyper-acceleration was extreme tactile sensitivity. Even the dust settling on her skin felt like burning needles. But her speed was unmatched.

  ?"Cover my back!"

  ?She swore loudly and vanished. She became a blur of dark plum and steel. She swept her bladed leg in a brutal arc, decapitating two golems in a shower of sparks. She carved a bloody, jagged path through the mechanical horde, ignoring the pain, sprinting directly toward the elevator shaft.

  ?Her only objective: reach the explosive before the thirty-minute timer hit zero.

  ?High above in the bleachers, Marcus and his squad watched the carnage unfold on the massive projection screens.