Chapter 19. The exams

The exams were to be held in the first practical training hall. Arriz had never entered it before, but he easily understood how special this place was.

Normally, such halls were static technical masterpieces. Their houses were filled with real furniture, trees from Earth grew there, every detail was in its place – and all those things were permanent. Like the burning house – it always remained there.

And the first hall was made of modules. A powerful computer could create any form of decorations there out of high-quality polymers. The results were quite realistic: ice was cold enough, fire burned, flowers filled the air with sweet smells. There was a catch though: such decorations couldn't last more than a day, and it took the computer at least eight hours to create them.

It was too complicated of a system for hybrid training, but it was perfect for the exams. Each of those trials demanded a new type of decorations, since the duel itself was not only about brute force, but also about the skill of using your surroundings in your favor.

The arena chosen for the first day was rather simple. The impressive space of the hall was occupied by a green meadow covered in rich emerald grass. This simplicity was chosen to calm the students down, because everyone knew the reality would be different from what they'd imagined.

There were three observation platforms on the hall's walls, right by the ceiling. One of them was for the staff, another – for the students, and the third one was designed for special guests, but it was empty now. Arriz heard that higher level hybrids rarely came to Ceres while the new generation was still on level two – which made Octavia's visit even odder.

The telepath had a choice: he could stay with the students or watch the exams from the personnel platform. He opted for the first variant, and he wanted to believe he was guided by the necessity to stay close to his enemies – though deep inside he knew he just wanted to support them.

Not everyone came to see the first battle, many hybrids were preparing for their own duels at the moment, and some of them were just not interested. But Arriz couldn't skip it. Because Olivia was chosen to open the exam season.

She wasn't in the hall so far, just like her future opponent, and all attention was drawn to Lady Laura. Her voice was ringing through the room thanks to the hidden speakers.

"Dear friends, let me congratulate you, your first exam is a very important milestone for you. It's your final chance to earn extra points and think about whether you're ready for the hybrid life. Exams are a tough trial. I would like to pay your special attention to the fact that you always have the right to deny. Each duel is a threat to your health and even life, so you're the ones who have the final say, we won't force you. But if you chose to fight, use your full force! Don't think about the amount of points you have, and how strong your opponent is. More points don't mean that one hybrid is drastically stronger. You earned those points in different forms of tests, and your reward wasn't objective all the time. That's what the exams are for: to see your true worth as warriors."

The teachers and the doctor sat by the headmistress's side, while Damian preferred to stay with the students on their platform. He was to make sure the future rivals wouldn't start a fight right there.

"The rules are very simple," Lady Laura continued explaining. "You begin after hearing the sound signal. You may use any moves and techniques you like, as well as the elements of your surroundings. There are three ways to finish the battle. First – if one of the opponents surrenders. Second – if one of the students receives serious wounds. In this case we may interfere, because sometimes you're too caught in a moment to evaluate your condition. Third – if one of the opponents loses consciousness. Your final amount of points depends not only on the victory, but on the time and quality of the duel. I���d like to remind you that the student who lost may also get a certain amount of points if he performed well. A special computer program is used to pick the opponents. It analyzes your strengths and weaknesses, your previous training results, and finds equal matches. The information about each of your duels defines your new opponent. Losing means your exams are over, winning takes you to the next tour. In the end we'll know who the top students from your generation are. Any questions?"

The student platform was filled with whispering. Everyone here knew who the winner would be, so the main intrigue was about the second and third places only.

There were no questions. Not because they understood everything at once, though they already knew a lot from their previous classes. And the rest would become clear when the exams began.

"Good," the headmistress nodded, looking pleased. "Then let's begin. We've got a lot of trials ahead, and even for today there are many battles planned. The first match chosen by the computer is Olivia Samara, Green Team, and Ayjekt Diakonu, Gray Team. Students, please, take your places."

It would be logical to assume that the exams would begin with the matches of the weakest students – and that wouldn't be true. Olivia had always been in the top five warriors of her team, and Ayjekt even made part of the top three at his.

Arriz couldn't say he'd studied that hybrid well over the months they'd spent on Ceres. Ayjekt preferred to stay away from the spotlight. He always smiled and was extremely polite to everyone. He had no enemies – but no friends either. He didn't look like he needed them. The most important thing for him was to know that nobody criticized him or hated him. He chose to become a shadow that never got in anyone's way.

Sometimes Arriz had a feeling that this guy was born to become unnoticed. He had grayish blond hair, gray eyes and an unhealthy, earthy complexion. He was tall, but he kept stooping to hide it, and his whole body seemed clumsy and badly proportioned.

The telepath didn't let the appearance fool him. He had enough chances to watch Ayjekt during the training, and he saw this clumsy body gain speed and agility in an instant. So now Arriz was studying the two contestants carefully, trying to figure if the Gray Team hybrid was the second telepath he'd been looking for. That would've been typical for Ayjekt: to possess a great power and hide it – to have a chance for a sneak attack later.

They entered the field from different sides of the hall. At first, the choice of the opponents was so ridiculous that there was no point in this duel: a tall, muscular young man against a petite girl. But Arriz knew all too well that there were different criteria of power in the hybrid world.

Damian took the mic.

"Ready?" he asked.

Of the two of them, Ayjekt was the only one truly ready for this. He was stooping and smiling politely, as always, but Arriz could sense the cold confidence coming from him. Olivia's aura was pulsating with fear and indecisiveness.

However, both of them nodded.

"Good. You may begin."

Ayjekt had been waiting for those words: he jumped off his spot like a spring unleashed. Olivia wasn't going to attack, she looked confused, like she still wasn't sure how she ended up here. But she was fast enough to move away from his blow. Her opponent wasn't ready for this, but he corrected his moves quickly, going after her again.

It didn't matter to him who he was fighting. He had to win and move up. He wasn't going to spare Olivia, her fragility meant nothing to him. Besides, she wasn't obviously weaker, in spite of her looks. Arriz noticed that Olivia's movements were more precise and professional than her opponent's. She hadn't missed a single practice, she trained as hard as everyone else… and she was more talented than Ayjekt.

However, she was caught in a situation that was completely unnatural to her. Olivia wanted to save people, not fight with other hybrids! She wasn't a warrior in her soul. But she couldn't deny that duel, because she needed to pass the exam and get to the next level.

She agreed, but she didn't know what to do now. No telepathy was required to understand her confusion – it was written on her face. She hadn't tried a single attack so far, preferring to stay in the defense. She didn't seem to realize the danger she was facing, though Ayjekt's fists were leaving deep imprints in the earth he was hitting.

"What are you doing, you nimrod?!" Rita jumped on her seat. "I trained you for this!"

"Zip it, Samara," Damian told her. "She doesn't hear you anyway. You have a duel today too, then you can show what you're worth. Leave her alone."

Olivia was near panic by now. Her pulse was speeding up, but not from the physical effort. In that sense, she had the upper hand: Ayjekt was getting tired, while the amount of energy she had in store was simply enormous.

But she was tortured by doubt that kept her from using her advantage. Her breath was coming out in shallow gasps, her focus was slipping. That mistake could help Ayjekt, bringing him the victory he didn't deserve.

Arriz couldn't let that happen. He knew he shouldn't get involved, because he was a terrorist, Karajo got that right. His task for today was finding the telepath among the hybrids, not assisting anyone!

And yet he couldn't let that injustice happen. Olivia was stronger, she deserved to win! He suddenly remembered how she leaned into him on that New Year's party, her trust sincere and obvious. She didn't think he was an enemy, she believed him. She told him about her love – and she wasn't lying. That had to mean something!

He still wasn't able to pass his thoughts to her, but he didn't need it now. He could scare Olivia with that! Arriz concentrated on sending her his emotions instead. He wanted to fill her soul with the serenity she needed.

"You're stronger than him. You won't harm him with your victory. You shouldn't hold back. We believe in you. You deserve it." – Those were the thoughts he was thinking, trying to pass the feel of them to her.

He couldn't focus on searching for the second telepath like that, since he was thinking about Olivia only. The good thing was that the second telepath wouldn't detect him too – unless it was Ayjekt…

But Arriz didn't care, he could sense his plan working. Olivia's movements were confident again, full of their usual grace, her panic was over. Her soul was peaceful, and she dared to attack.

She was as quick and dexterous as a hunting fox. She moved forward, pushed herself off the ground and hit her opponent on the chest with both legs. Ayjekt didn't expect this, and he couldn't block her attack. He fell back, but rose to his feet immediately. That blow wasn't enough to take out a hybrid of his level, though it was a good start.

Arriz kept supporting her. He knew he broke the Organization's laws once again, but he wanted to finish this properly.

His assistance was exactly what she needed. Olivia didn't like fighting, she just accepted the necessity of it. And when her confusion was over, she remembered her sister's lessons easily. When Ayjekt tried to hit her again, she propped herself with both hands on the grass to have a chance to swirl her feet in the air. Her movements were too fast for her opponent to move back. He was back on the ground in a couple of seconds, rubbing his jaw painfully.

He didn't want to give up, but he was tired. Olivia wore him out even before she started to attack. His blows were clumsy now and easy to predict.

Olivia was saying something to him when they fought. Hearing her from the platform was impossible, but the telepath could guess what it was through her aura. She suggested Ayjekt to surrender. She felt sorry for him, because she knew she could hurt him, and she didn't want that. Plus, the outcome of that duel was already clear.

But Ayjekt didn't understand that. He simply couldn't believe that he was defeated by a skinny pale girl! Especially since at first his superiority was so evident. He was reaching his limit, though his stubbornness forced him to continue.

And Olivia finished this battle in one blow. It was an act of pity, not smugness on her behalf. She moved under his arm to get closer and hit his chest with her palm. Her strength was enough to throw him back, crushing him into the ground. He didn't try to get up after that, his eyes remaining closed.

"Knockout," Damian commented.

"The duel is over!" Lady Laura announced. "The winner is Olivia Samara. Ayjekt will be sent to the infirmary. I ask our next contestants to prepare for their battle."

Ayjekt couldn't be seriously wounded. Soon he'd recover and continue watching the exams from the platform. And whether he'd hold a grudge against Olivia or not was still under question.

Arriz wasn't concerned about it so far. Now that the duel was over, he realized his influence on the outcome fully. He shouldn't have done it! So much for his decision to follow the standards of One Breed strictly… fighting against his own soul wasn't easy, he had a long way to go here.

He looked around carefully, trying to figure if anyone understood his interference. But nobody was staring at him, the hybrids were too busy discussing the results of the first battle. And Rita even left the platform to talk to her sister. Arriz wouldn't mind joining her, but he couldn't. He had to watch all battles – a good spy should know his enemies.

The computer matched Karajo with one of the weaker students from the Red Team, Arriz didn't even know him too well. It was a truly strange decision, the telepath could sense the contrast between their powers at once. The Read Team hybrid agreed to that match, trusting the computer's judgment – which was a mistake, of course. It took Karajo fifteen seconds to leave his immobile body at the bottom of the pit created by her blow; Arriz was watching the time. She didn't hurt her opponent critically though, she was controlling her strength perfectly. That demonstrative victory was meant for her future rivals, and she succeeded at that: the fear her name brought was growing.

Norman's first match was also scheduled for the day one. His situation seemed hopeless at first: his opponent was Coris Solstice from the Black Team. The hybrids were compassionate for Norman long before the battle began, no-one believed he could win… except for Norman. Leaving the platform, he turned to them for a moment:

"He's number five in his team. I'm number two in mine. Rethink your bets."

His confidence had a reason behind it. Arriz knew that before the exams Norman intensified his training, he was staying in the practice halls day and night. But the telepath couldn't imagine it brought such results! Norman was not only equal to Coris – he surpassed his rival. It wasn't easy, but he succeeded, and his greatest achievement was his light ironic smile that stayed on his face through the whole battle. He didn't give a damn what the others thought as long as he believed in his victory.

But the greatest intrigue of the day for Arriz was Iutah's duel, because he could sense: that hybrid was up to no good. He would do anything to get to the next level. But was he strong enough to do it without cheating?

Arriz doubted that. It wasn't just about power, Iutah's hatred for hybrids was just too strong. This exam was a better chance to hurt them than the New Year's party – but he achieved a lot even then. This trial was his first legal opportunity to express his anger.

"Don't forget to mention this to the Organization," he told Arriz. "I want them to know what I can do to those clowns!"

Arriz wasn't trying to talk him out of this. He realized that Iutah's mission was like a religion to him, he didn't think about it, he believed it. The telepath wanted to share that blind faith, but he just couldn't. The contrast between his opinion and the Organization's opinion was too great.

About a week before the exams Iutah began avoiding everyone, starting with Arriz. It wasn't untypical for him, so there was no reason for worrying, but the telepath couldn't shake off the feeling of some hidden trap being prepared.

Iutah's eyes, his mysterious words, his voice and smiles – all of that kept a secret full of dominance. He wanted to win, but beside that he wanted to do something to impress the Organization.

Lady Laura said that sometimes hybrids get hurt or even killed during exams. That must've served as the best inspiration to Iutah.

The telepath couldn't guess what was going through his partner's mind, and asking him was useless. He knew Iutah didn't trust him enough to tell the truth. So Arriz had to watch the duel with everybody else to see the outcome.

And Iutah's wasn't lucky with his opponent…

"Iutah Kerengree, Red Team, versus Jack Da Silva, Black Team."

There were confused whispers among the audience: it was the first time they heard this name. Arriz didn't share their surprise, he knew that Light Silver was just a nickname that hybrid got when he and his brother ended up on the streets. There were different names stated in their documents, the twins just didn't use them for some reason.

Iutah and Light were considered friends. Not too close, because Iutah didn't need any close friends, and the twins refused to let anyone into their world. But up to the exam those two were in good terms. That left Arriz with the hope of a positive outcome of this battle.

When the duel began, it became clear straightaway than the opponents were on a totally new level in comparison to the previous contestants. Even Norman and Coris weren't able to create this extreme, overwhelming feeling of absolute force in the hall. Karajo probably could've done it – if she had a worthy opponent. But so far her battle looked more like a pro-wrestler dealing with a kindergartener.

And these two… Both of them were on the second level, but it was easy to forget now. They moved so smoothly, as if gliding on air. They were trying to foresee their opponent's movements, and this duel was more of a chess play than a fight to them. Their physical strength was roughly on the same level, and they had to rely on their intelligence and luck.

Iutah won. That victory cost him dearly: the match lasted for more than two hours, and the rivals were exhausted by the end of it. The atmosphere was so tense through it all that not a single viewer left the audience until everything was over.

Light made a mistake. He wasn't fast enough to move back and got hit. Iutah pressed him to the ground, face down, and the twin couldn't break free from his grip.

Lady Laura hurried to end this:

"The winner is Iutah Kerengree! My compliments."

As soon as she said this, Iutah let his opponent go and helped him to his feet. They shook hands. No harm was done. Light left the hall defeated, but not wounded, and everything seemed okay. Still, Arriz couldn't suppress the feeling of dread because he knew that Iutah's playing by the rules could be part of one big trap. But who was his final target?

Lady Laura's voice broke the train of his thought.

"The first day of your exams is nearly over! And the final competitors for today are…"