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'Test' is performed by The Academy Is . . .

Hamza released yet another laborious sigh as he leaned back against the rock jutting from the ground, ensuring that Ethan could hear him as he tended to the fire. The smaller boy gave no mention of his friend's lugubrious mood, choosing instead to focus on the blaze that licked at the venison they had managed to catch. As the chronokinetic released another sigh, even more pronounced than previously, Ethan closed his eyes for a moment, counted down in his head from ten, and then evenly asked, "What's wrong this time, Hamza?"

"We've been sticking around here too long. Everybody's getting comfortable. We should move out soon," he suggested.

"There's nothing wrong with that," he answered, eyes on the flames. "After everything we've been through, we deserve a chance to relax."

"Because of everything we've been through, we should know better than to relax," he countered.

"Ja'nelle is keeping everybody off our backs. For the first time in a long time, we're safe."

"At least until a bigger and badder telepath comes along and makes mincemeat out of her defenses."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there, Hamza," the shapely girl in question scoffed as she strolled up, smacking the burly youth on the back of his head. Gwen snickered at the exchange, sauntering into their clearing with beads of water still on her skin.

"This has nothing to do with my confidence in your abilities," he snapped as he pulled his hands over his skull to shield them from any further assaults. "I'm just being practical here."

"Paranoid is more like it," Gwen smirked as she moved next to the campfire.

"It isn't paranoia if there actually are people after you," he pointed out.

"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes. One of the most celebrated aspects of their current jungle home, particularly by those who had been there longer than Ja'nelle, was the proximity of a body of water complete with a scenic waterfall. Gwen had started composing odes, albeit more house-type music than the classic sort, to it only minutes after discovering it, and, at last count, she had created thirteen different songs honoring the muddy watering hole. They were able to regularly collect water for drink and cooking, Ethan would boil out anything potentially harmful, but more importantly, in their eyes, it permitted them the opportunity to take regular baths. Nobody ever went alone and they usually took gender-based turns on who was left guarding the camp and who was washing at any one time. The lack of towels had not stalled them in the slightest and Gwen was more than happy to drag her bed of furs next to the fire, lie down, and let the air and heat do their gradual work. Ja'nelle, however, had her own preferred method, and she tried to appear coy as she approached Ethan, water beading on her skin and dripping from her suit.

"Hey, sparky, you wanna do me a quick favor?" she asked, her voice sugary. He opened his mouth to respond as he finally lifted his gaze from the conflagration, but his mouth quite suddenly went dry and stalled as he looked upon her damp, curvaceous form. Closing his mouth, he gave an audible gulp before bounding to his feet and giving a nod.

"Y-yeah. Sure. What do you need?"

She kept her smile composed as she held out her arms and requested, "Mind drying me off? I'm a bit chilly right now."

"I bet," Gwen snorted under her breath as Hamza arched a heavy brow in obvious skepticism. Ja'nelle shot the first a warning glare, but Ethan gave no sign of hearing her comment as he nodded again.

"No problem. You don't mind waiting do you, Hamza?"

"Far be it from me to interrupt the closest thing that Gwen and I have to entertainment down here," he held up his hands.

Ethan flushed but quickly set upon the task at hand, drawing forth the fire to flicker about his palms. Licking his lips, he started at Ja'nelle's shoulder, slowly trailing down her arm. As the water turned to steam, he drew the heat born from the process away, not daring to blemish the dark canvas that was the Amazonian beauty's skin. She stood still as a statue, taking the opportunity to observe his features and study the usual dedication to the task at hand on his face, trying to imagine what he would have been like without the powers or NOWHERE pushing and pulling at him. The responsibility would still have been there even if she couldn't pinpoint exactly how she knew that. He probably would have smiled more, less of the soft grins he gave to assure them that everything was still all right and more the kind of pure joy and excitement as he did something stupid with his friends. More times than she had cared to admit, she had attempted to use her powers to access his mind, all of their minds, but found that she could not gain entry beyond the passage of messages. At first it had worried her, but as more minds intruded upon her own, often unbidden, she was thankful for the deafness in regards to them.

He had finished with both her arms and he hesitated again before moving his hands along her sides, hovering rather than touching as he dried her abdomen and curved about her broad hips. Finding his gaze leveled at her toned abdomen, he was momentarily hypnotized by her navel before drawing a shaky breath and standing, trying to pretend his blatant stare had not happened. For all his self-discipline and composure, Ethan was still a teenage boy and as a portion of his anatomy celebrated the glorious girl before him, he tried to turn his mind to more innocuous thoughts. Quickly finishing the task before his embarrassment became too apparent, and leaving Ja'nelle somewhat dissatisfied with the haste with which he handled the task, he swung towards the forest.

"All right, I'm going to get rank pretty soon. Uh, the meat's almost done. Keep an eye on it. Let's go, Hamza," he strode purposefully, if not awkwardly, from the clearing. His friend laughed as he pushed himself to his feet and jogged after the shorter boy. Ja'nelle sighed wistfully, still marginally damp in certain regions of her body and lowered herself next to the fire as Gwen snickered and lifted a hand for a fist bump. Somewhat reluctantly, she met her knuckles in a half-hearted contact as the smaller girl continued laughing.

As the boys marched through the forest, Hamza was repressing such a similar urge, but smirked broadly as he followed after Ethan.

"Hey, smooth operator, slow down. You're leaving me behind," he called after Ethan.

"Shut up," he grumbled, intent upon the nearby lake and praying that the water had maintained its usual chill.

"Shut up."

The voice buzzed from the sound system, nearly lost amongst the orchestra of others transmitted from the wall of television screens. Figures from all over the Colony were displayed, captured in the ever watchful eyes of NOWHERE. None were aware of the constant streaming of feeds from the proving pit though the suspicion that such surveillance was being carried out was widely accepted.

Watching them was a curvaceous woman lounging upon a divan, a wine flute in one of her hands and brown eyes flickering between the screens filling the wall before her. Her dark hair was cut short and tousled, several strands slipping down over one eye. Golden diamonds dangled from her ears, chiming slightly with each twitch of her head as she affixed upon a new scene. A black suit that left her arms and legs bared clung desperately to her supple form, its front zipper reaching to midway down her abdomen, leaving much of her body revealed. She sipped daintily from the glass, one arm spread along the back of the divan.

"Tell me, Ms. Baiul, do you avail yourself to the services of the streetwalkers as well or just their wardrobe? And exactly how big a percentage of their income do you make up?"

Her brow furrowed as she glanced back towards the figure garbed entirely in red, leaving only a stripe for his cold eyes to peer through, approaching her on soft footsteps. Tall and lean, his robe rustled across the floor as he drew closer, regarding the woman with open disdain and contempt.

"Dr. Caligan. Just because paying is the only reason you're not a virgin, does not mean the rest of us spend our time amongst such a sort. And you do realize that, if it were an option, I would make you watch as I dragged out your entrails on a barbed hook and filled the cavity with coals?" Ivana Baiul returned evenly, handing the threat out with an almost pleasant tone as she returned to her observation of the screens.

"Of course, Ms. Baiul. And trust that the feeling is mutual though I can assure you mine would be significantly more refined," he gave a slight nod as he stopped next to her low couch. He paused to look over the screens, admiring the numerous products of his work before he was interrupted by his superior.

"Is there a reason behind your visit, Doctor, or are you simply looking to ruin my day with that garish robe of yours?"

"You think that I would waste a single iota of my time in your presence without a reason? I may have trumped all my previous experiments. The boy responded better than I had ever expected. He may be -"

"Enough," she groaned, interrupting his gloating. "You've been saying that about every project ever since you developed those disappointments called the Feral Boys."

Dr. Caligan bristled, "I cannot help if I am constantly improving."

"Right. Well, if he's so impressive, why don't we take him for a test drive?"

"He's already adjusted. Who do you want to feed to him?"

"Fill with screens foxtrot and echo 13. Even split," she commanded imperiously and suddenly, the televisions were overtaken with two images, each filling half of the collective. The first displayed Ja'nelle and Gwen by the fire, the former rotating the vensison to ensure even cooking while the latter seemed to have slipped into a nap. In the other half, Ethan stripped before plunging into the murky waters, Hamza following close behind.

"I believe that the children need a reminder about the dangers of the Colony," she purred, her gaze sliding to the screens displaying the boys.

Even with most of his face obscured, the scientist's disgust was evident in eyes and tone alike as he noted, "You take far too much pleasure in watching them."

"There is nothing wrong in enjoying the vivacity of youth."

"Partaking of said vivacity is a different matter entirely."

Ivana's eyes sharpened and the hand draped over the back of her resting place clenched, but she withheld from any further expressions of her irritation as she advised, "You should prepare that head case of yours, Doctor. Make sure he doesn't crumble when he has some confrontation."

"Of course, Ms. Baiul," he ground out between his teeth and gave a slight bow of his head. Turning sharply, he strode from the room, sure to keep his fuming internal as Ivana donned a victorious smile and took another sip from her glass. Sighing contentedly, she set the empty glass upon the floor and placed her freed arm behind her head.

She stared at the televisions before ordering, "Fill with original feed of screen foxtrot 13."

Per her demand, the images blinked before converting wholly to the scenes of Ethan and Hamza, the former sunk in the water as the latter stood under the small waterfall, scrubbing at his muscular frame. A hungry tongue flickered over her lips as she mused that even if they could not meet the master's high standards, she could find her own use for them.

By the time he had finished washing and donned his suit once more, Ethan had largely calmed down even if he refused to provide Hamza with any heat as they journeyed back to camp. He moved swiftly through the trees, pausing intermittently to pluck the ripened fruits he knew were safe to eat from the foliage, looking to add more to their simple meal. In his time in the Colony, he had grown strangely proud of the cooking skills he had cultivated in the course of his survival. During his first few days within the Colony, he had managed to find the majority of the toxic or sickening produce, and had been indescribably grateful to the hole that afforded him some protection as his body expunged his roughage. Since then, he had improved considerably. His previous capabilities had largely consisted of bursting hot dogs in the microwave, overloading already sugary cereal with chocolate milk, and drowning toaster waffles in syrup until it was no longer obvious that they were slightly singed. His twin had slightly greater success in his culinary ventures, and Ethan and the other siblings had been more than happy to allow him to handle the cooking at times when their mother was busy.

His thoughts were interrupted by a searing sensation that felt like an ice pick stabbing through his mind. The fruit he had collected tumbled from his arms, and he heard Hamza cry out from behind the thick brush. As the pain receded, Ethan straightened and called out, "Hamza! You okay?"

"Right as rain," he answered with heavy sarcasm.

"Good. We need to get back to camp. Now," he suggested as he broke into a run, leaping over the roots that twisted through the earth. Hamza stumbled after him, his dash smoothing as he regained his footing and surged forward.

"What's wrong? And please don't tell me that we're running towards whatever just tried to fry our brains."

"That was Ja'nelle. She and Gwen are in danger. Just move."

Before Hamza could question how he had managed to discern that from a wordless transmission, a familiar roar made the trees tremble and purple light flashed ahead. The duo shared a glance before breaking the treeline, emerging into their clearing only to find it being swarmed by haggard teenagers with bloodshot eyes and lips pulled back in a snarl. Ja'nelle struggled against a small pack, knocking two heads together and then tossing the limp bodies into the crowds, giving her a second to breathe before she was set upon by more. Those not launching an assault against the tall girl were concentrated about Sweetie, attempting to clamber atop the translucent dragon and attack her master who dashed along her spine, stabbing or clubbing at the hands reaching for her. Sweetie was otherwise oblivious to the savage youths, focusing upon a blue boy floating before her, deflecting her lavender flames in a bubble about his body. At the boys' emergence, members of the packs distant from their conflicts turned and howled towards the pair.

"We're going to die," Hamza moaned as Ethan called the fire to him, pulling it from where it had spilled onto Gwen's furs.

"Try to avoid that," he suggested dryly before casting the flames out in an arc. He had expected them to draw back, flee from the fire like any normal person would, but without heed to their personal safety, they charged forward. Their tattered attire caught aflame, but they did not slow and took advantage of his surprise, tackling him to the ground and digging toughened nails into his skin. Too late to break free as they piled atop him, he vainly struggled against their assault when time seemed to slow and Hamza appeared over him, booting the attackers in the face and bodily smashing into them before pulling Ethan to his feet.

"Maybe you should follow your own advice," noted the broad-shouldered boy, trying to keep the strain from holding back time out of his voice.

"Thanks," returned the other as he summoned the fire to him once more. Time returned to its normal pace and he used the energy to bolster his strikes, blowing through the forces between him and his other friends. Hamza followed the path he cleared, lashing out savagely at those who sought to rise at them again. Forging a path with fire and fists, Ethan steadily advanced towards Ja'nelle when one of the savages leapt upon her back, sinking his teeth into her shoulder. She screamed but worked through the pain, tearing him from her back and using the offender as a club against the others but the scene made something snap in the brown-haired boy. Gritting his teeth, he seized the faces of two of their assailants and their mouths opened in soundless screams as lights flashed beneath their skin and they crumpled to the ground. White fire surged through his skin and the heat was enough to force the otherwise fearless warriors back, hissing angrily as they circled.

He held the heat back from Ja'nelle and Hamza, asking the former, "What happened?"

"This weird guy popped up with all these, these . . . things, and then just disappeared. They all attacked us without warning," she breathed heavily.

"Great. Leash knows where we are," grumbled the third of them, glancing between the flames wreathing his friend and the prowling feral youths.

[I think you have greater concern at the moments. Like, what are you going to do when somebody turns off your night light?]

The mental projection blundered through their minds, lacking any of the signs of familiarity with the practice that Ja'nelle's telepathic messages had gained. However, it delivered its meaning as Ethan wavered, his eyes going wide and blank before he collapsed to the ground, the fire about him dissipating. Wearing a small smile, the boy in blue held both hands before him, and Sweetie suddenly stiffened as she struggled against some invisible force that launched her and Gwen across the clearing, smashing into the lush jungle and splintering several trunks. As all eyes turned towards the felled behemoth, the blue boy floated towards the cluster of survivors, the disquieting smile still playing across his lips. He was a lean figure, dressed in a cerulean hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers that hovered at most of the nearby population's heads. Regularly situated about the dome of his skull were circular patterns of scars, still raised and an angry red. There was a faint light to his brown eyes and a shimmering hue of sapphire surrounded a pair of trees that tore from the ground, and shot towards Sweetie as she pushed herself to her feet.

Time slowed as Hamza raced over, pushing through the wreckage to swoop up Gwen and carry her from the site just as time snapped back into place and the dragon roared as the projectiles crashed into her. Gwen immediately started struggling, reaching out for her companion as she called out, "Sweetie! We have to help her!"

"She can take it," he replied grimly.

Ja'nelle struggled against the wave of savages as she tried to defend Ethan, finding herself unable to push into their jumbled minds to gain some sort of advantage. They exploited every opening she presented, their talon-like nails scarring her skin, and not for the first time, she wished that her suit provided more covering. Fortunately, they began to draw away, but before she could breathe easy, she found the impetus for their departure floating before her, lips curved into a predatory smile.

[You're like me,] he noticed and she winced at his telepathic roar.

"Yeah, sure. Except for the fact that I'm not some sort of psychopath, am way hotter, have friends that can actually talk, know -"

[Stop making fun of me!]

It blasted through her head just as a fearsome force slammed into her, throwing her back. She blinked her eyes open to find herself at the feet of the feral crowd, and while they growled menacing, they made no move to attack. Bounding to her feet, she found that they had formed a ring about her and the blue boy, oblivious to anything outside the fight besides ensuring that Hamza and Gwen were not going anywhere. Sweetie lay buried beneath the trees, giving no signs of movement. Grimacing, she faced her fellow telepath as small rocks and other loose material floated about him while he glared at her and he snarled, finally breaking his verbal silence.

"You all think you're so special! That just cause you're prettier or bigger than me means that you can push me around!"

"Okay, yeah," Ja'nelle arched a brow. "You obviously never met me before the freaks who tossed us here worked on me. Though I still might've been bigger than you."

[Shut up!] he reverted back to mental communication as the orbiting objects rocketed towards her and they clipped her as she rolled to the side, letting the brunt of the arsenal catch the people behind her. They howled in pain, but remained rooted to their positions. Ja'nelle sprang forward, swinging at the hooded boy who merely smirked as her fist collided with a telekinetic force field. Gritting her teeth, she hopped back and launched a power kick at his chest that had no more effect than her pervious blow.

[My turn.]

He tossed his hand up and she flew backwards again, bouncing off the ground before rolling to a stop and she groaned as she pushed herself back up and watched the boy float towards her, still wearing the vicious smile.

"You're just a complete head case, aren't you, white boy?" she sneered.

The force of his telekinetically enhanced kick pushed the air from her lungs and lifted her from the ground as he growled, "Stop talking down at me! I'm the strong one here! Me! You can't even hide your thoughts. I know all the moves you're going to make."

"Well, good for you," she coughed as she rose. "But I was kind of busy to be hiding my thoughts, so you might wanna watch that pride."

"Busy?" he frowned, "What are you -"

Time slowed to a crawl for him and his cohorts, silence filling the stretch until it snapped back into place.

"- talking about?"

His own question was answered as he suddenly found Sweetie looming before him once again, Gwen perched atop her spine, and Ethan, awake and cloaked in flames, rising before her fearsome maw. Over half of the savages seemed to collapse to the ground as one as the injuries they had sustained during the clock stop took effect and Ja'nelle was handling the remainder as Hamza lay spread out on the ground, his chest heaving. The hooded boy took a step back, gritting his teeth as he created a telekinetic bubble about him just as Sweetie's flames roiled from her mouth, bathing Ethan in the purple blaze. He breathed in deep as his entire body seemed to glow before throwing the flames forward. When they flowed off the shield, he collected them back up, whipping them into a frenzy that roared over the bubble. The heat within soon became stifling and sweat drenched the boy's clothes in minutes as his breath shortened.

"I'm not sure how much more clear I can make this. I do not like it when people hurt my friends. So I'm going to speak slowly for you: Leave. Us. Alone," Ethan said, not bothering to raise his voice as he stared down at the rolling flames. When he finally felt the barrier disappear beneath them, he called them to heel and watched dispassionately as their attacker slumped to the ground, unconscious and soaked in his own sweat. The remaining savages growled menacingly but fled the battle, self-preservation finally winning out amongst their battling instincts. After they disappeared, Ethan finally released a sigh, his glow dissipating, and nearly plummeted to the ground, caught by Ja'nelle who offered a tired smile.

"I'll admit, sparky, that was pretty impressive."

"Yeah, just don't ask me to do that again. Thanks for pulling me out of whatever he did to me. Did he hurt you at all?" he asked as she set his feet on the ground.

"Nothing this amazing bod can't take," she assured him as the other two converged upon them, Hamza still breathing raggedly. Sweetie bumped Ethan with her muzzle, emitting a sound somewhere between a plaintive purr and growl, and he rolled his eyes before dredging forth the energy he had stored and letting it flow into her, feeding the mythic beast as Gwen stroked her head proudly.

"Everybody else good?" Ethan glanced about.

"Well, I mean, I didn't get to take a nap during the middle of the fight, but I think I'll make it," mused the short girl. "And Sweetie's feeling all better from that little treat. Aren't you, girl? Yes you are. Yes you are."

"Those kids chewed on me. I think they may have drawn blood," Hamza wheezed.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to disinfect those. I do not want to know what sort of bacteria they had in their mouths."

"Oh, goodie," he breathed before finally straightening and sighing, "Now, about moving out . . ."

"Oh, yes. Trumped all previous experiments indeed," Ivana laughed as Dr. Caligan scowled behind the veil of his garment, shifting his gaze from the wall of screens to the scantily clad woman.

"He is unused to his powers. Raw and untrained. Those four have been hardened for what is to come. The fight was unfair," he complained.

"Because it's not like there was a horde of Feral Boys backing him up or anything," she sipped from a new glass of wine. "Our master does not need weaklings in his army. I suggest you scrap the boy and get back to doing some real work."

He snorted and seemed ready for a retort before turning and storming from the dark room, but just as his gloved fingers wrapped about the door's handle, she called him back, "Doctor. That Ethan boy – is he one of your projects?"

"Energy-based abilities? Not exactly my specialty, Ms. Baiul, but I couldn't tell you who did do the work on him," he shrugged. He gave a half-smirk as he suggested, "I'm sure that our Lord Harvest would know. And I have no doubt that he would love to take time out of his schedule so he could tell you who got to play with your little crush before you did."

There was a snap followed shortly by a thud and he found his gaze fixed on the stem of the wine flute trembling in the wooden door, inches away from his face. As its vibrations ceased, Ivana lowered her arm and sipped from her now broken glass as she advised, "You're beginning to overstay your welcome, doctor. Maybe you should work on producing some competent soldiers for the master before I send up my report."

Yanking open the door as he grumbled under his breath, he pulled it shut behind him with all the force he could muster like some petulant child, prompting Ivana to roll her eyes. She took another sip and gazed at the screen before musing, "I wonder, Mr. York . . . How much further do I have to push before you'll kill?"

And we're back in the Colony. We hope that you all enjoyed the chapter and please take a minute or two to leave a review. It would be greatly appreciated.

We're ahead of our own schedule with this update and we are also bringing a spoiler: there will be a school dance that Eddie and Rose attend. It was suggested in the reviews and we liked the idea. So leave your thoughts - we may like them and work them in!

Guest: We're glad that you enjoyed the last chapter. And Gar does inform Dr. Isley and Fries about the impending telepathic scouring. As noted above, yes, we will be doing the school dance. Rejoice.

Silencus: Well, we're glad you enjoyed it and thank you for reviewing. Good to hear that your hair came out well. And in total honesty, we don't really use Facebook that much. Ira kind of rejects most networking sites on principle alone and the rest of us are just too busy writing or reading.