"Riku, did you get the feeling that, just maybe, something is-"
"Seriously wrong here? Yeah, I did." Sora smiled grimly.
"I can't put my finger on it though. There in class, you suddenly knew all that stuff. Stuff that-oh, I don't know. This is just so weird. I have feelings that things are happening outside our control and that the cloaked people are more dangerous than we real-" Sora stopped, cut off by a soft pair of fingers pressed to his lips.
"Shh. I know."
Do you really, Riku?
--
Black gloved fingers steepled over the matte-black desk. The single candle in the room cast a yellow tint to the leather surface of the gloves, causing them to glow as if an evil spirit resided within. He gestured to a speaker, hidden in the corner of the darkened room.
"Begin."
Instantly, a mechanic-sounding click resounded through the chamber, shortly followed by a whirring noise. Coalescing out of the darkness, four bright figures came into being over the vast expanse of the desk. Three of the figures nodded towards the fourth.
"My lord, I think that the children may be onto something. They are much quicker than the last group."
The cloaked man gazed forwards, the air pregnant with disbelief but the hood unable to display his emotion.
"How is that possible? It's only been two days. They can't know."
A sibilant voice echoed out of the second figure, which was tinted a bright silver.
"I must beg to differ, my lord. They are indeed much more intelligent than any of the other groups. They will find out soon, possibly within days. I have had to administer anti-shock medication at least three times in the last four hours."
The room lit up as the red-colored projection flashed in amusement.
"Three times? I've almost run out of medication." The blazing-red figure bowed. "Forgive me, my lord. I spoke out of turn." A dark black hand waved dismissively.
"What of Sora?"
The third holographic projection nodded slightly. "He suspects much yet knows nothing. He is remarkably self-deprecating, this one, so quick to dismiss his own intuition. Although he is helped along by my medication. Sora however, has exhibited some uncertain feelings towards another classmate, something that I'm not equipped to identify. I will continue examination and file my report as soon as identification is complete. With your leave, sir?" A quick nod answered the question, and the motes of light forming the projection dissipated, leaving only three.
Inside the cloak, violent green eyes closed in pensive thought.
"I suggest that we advance the plan to Phase Two. Lady," he nodded at the red figure, "Gentlemen, I think a game of target practice is in order for our young pupils," black-coated fingers clicked together, "Engage targeting systems. You may take your leave."
With a blinding flash of light, the visitors vanished and left the chamber in relative darkness.
--
Bored strode to the head of the classroom, waving dismissively at the mathematics teacher. His boots clicked loudly on the tile floor, causing reverberations around the room.
"My studious pupils," he began with a hidden grin, "Seeing as you have been working so hard on your classes, the staff and I decided that it might be a good idea for an icebreaker." He paused, as if waiting for groans. When none came, he continued.
"We thought that it might be beneficial for you all to learn to shoot, and simultaneously compete for a prize. The competition might spur you to get to know one another better." Wait, target practice?? Icebreaker? Thoughts tumbled through Sora's head as he tried to follow the logic behind Bored's words. This is certainly a strange place.
"Now, boys and girl, if you wouldn't mind following me?"
--
From the gleaming muzzle to the polymer handgrip, the weapon was pure beauty. Sora gazed at it with wide eyes, exhibiting a common fascination of weapons seen in all boys between the ages of 12 and 16. Wow...it's beautiful. Bored noted the amazement of the brunet before him with a certain amusement.
"Sora, you first!" With that, the grey pistol flew through the air, landing gracefully in the teen's outstreched hands. As his fingers closed around it, he felt a sort of deja-vu, as if he was intimately familiar with the weapon. Weighing it, he turned and sighted down to the target, one hundred meters away. He could barely see the small black "bulls-eye."
+Identifying target...achieving lock...locked on...+
Waiting a moment, he squeezed the trigger twice. The air quivered slightly as a high-pitched whine cycled up beyond human hearing. Sora could imagine the super-conducting rails of the pistol charging up, unloading it's deadly cargo. A ear-shattering roar blasted through the teen's ears as a small chunk of depleted uranium accelerated to over five kilometers per second, causing the air around it to burst in flame as it ripped through it. And then it was over. Four pairs of amazed eyes and one pair of amused ones gazed down the range to the target. Four pairs widened in shock as they saw the black center smoking. One pair of violet eyes tightened in amusement at the apparent wonder of the teens.
Bored tapped on Sora's shoulder.
"Again."
+Acquiring target...achieving lock...locked on...+
Sora swung the pistol up and pulled twice. Once again a blast of sound echoed around the range, and the target quivered as another supersonic chunk of metal smashed into it.
"Again."
The brunet, gaining confidence now, fired. Dead on.
"Again."
Perfect.
A hidden smile stretched across the cloaked man's face.
"Miss."
Sora recoiled. "What?"
"Go ahead, try it. I dare you." The teen stared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if he was serious. Getting no reaction, the blue-eyed boy turned and shrugged, raising the pistol but not aiming at all.
+Acquiring target...achieving lock..locked on.+
Fusing with the air, the bolt of metal shot down the range and impacted the target dead-center.
Sora felt lips on his ear, a gust of gentle air pushing on the side of his face, heard a seductive voice quietly purr. "You can't do it, can you? No matter what you try, you won't miss." A shiver went down the teen's spine. Oh no you don't.
Whirling around, Sora raised the handgun, leveling the muzzle right between the eyes of the dark-clad man in front of him. "Stop it!"
Lowering the veil over his face, Bored smiled, his violet eyes gazing deep into baby-blue. Then he reached out, stroking Sora's cheek softly, causing the hair on the back of the confused boy's neck to stand up. "Punish me, please," he seemed to beg, his deep purple eyes pleading with Sora, "kill me."
Sora felt a burning anger blaze through him. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the trigger. "Die, pervert!" the hiss that came out of the enraged boy's mouth was barely audible.
+Disabling fine motor control...done+
+Disabling anger/pain brain centers...done+
+Shutting down nervous centers...done+
Suddenly, Sora felt his own finger come to a stop, felt his anger melt away. He couldn't move, he was frozen to the spot, not even feeling the gun drop from his nerveless fingers. Once again, he felt lips brush his ear, but this time, only just. "Never figured you were the murderous type, dear So-ra," that oh-so-seductive voice came, "Try that again sometime."
+Reactivating nervous centers..done+
+Reactivating all brain functions...done+
+Reactivating fine motor control...done+
Just as the very confused teen felt his nerves come alive once again, felt his fingers instead of just seeing them held out in front of him, Bored bent down and placed the grey handgun into his hands.
"We have a winner. Sora, congratulations!" The others were in such a state of shock, plainly expressed on their faces, that they did not even protest that no others had gotten a try.
Bored tapped the handgun in Sora's hands. "Enjoy the prize. I think you two will get to know each other very well."