Chapter 51

Before Keith continued, he pulled out an apple, and took a bite. A thoughtful expression on his face, he looked at the others.

“Get the DRAGOONs ready, we will be leaving after I deal with Nicky.” The other fourth years nodded, and disappeared. A split second later, four of the five DRAGOONs lit up.

“Now then, where should I begin?”

Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Keith raised a hand as he chewed another bite of apple.

“It was a rhetorical question Nicky. Just stay their quietly like a good boy.” Nick wondered if he could create a portal and escape before Keith could react, but knew he couldn’t leave Naomi and Becca.

“I wouldn’t try it Nicky. I know your every thought, you won’t act before me.” He smiled, and finished his apple.

“Now then, the obvious part of this, yes, I have Intellectual powers.” He grinned. “I’m not strong enough to control people with my mind, or any of those fun Int skills, but I have been able to read thoughts since my second year here.”

All Nick could manage with his Int powers were fuzzy noises of thoughts from others.

“Next, why am I doing this? That is probably the most important question right?” Nick starred at him, silently.

“Well, there are a few parts to that story, so I suppose I can start at the beginning.” He pulled out another apple. Nick could only hope he took his time, so that Dawon would be able to reach Alana and get the help he needed.

“Again Nicky, I’m in your head.” He took a bite. “First, the four others are currently at full power in their DRAGOONs. If anyone shows up, they will be able to act and eliminate any threat. Second, even without the DRAGOONs, what makes you think a fourth year, who isn’t even in the top physicals, could even stand a chance against me?”

“And furthermore, thanks to you, I know that Eli is gone on a Top Secret mission. So the only possible threat that existed at this school, the only thing stopping us from taking action, is away, and will not return.” He smiled wickedly at Nick. “Without that information Nick, your loved ones would have been safe.”

Nick lunged at Keith, and his fist was met by an invisible wall. Of course he knew it was fruitless, but his anger had overcome. Keith kicked him back, sending him skidding to the ground.

“Cute Nicky, but you don’t stand a chance.” He laughed as he chucked his apple core at Nick. “Now, listen a little longer, and then I’ll kill you.”

Nick stayed quiet, trying to keep his mind completely empty. He could see Dagr circling the area, and as much as his mind wanted to race for a solution, such as using Dagr to attack Keith, he tried his best to keep it empty.

“Now, to begin with why I am doing this. The short answer is because I, and those four with me, do not want to be pawns for the CCUP. We each have our own underlying reasons, but that is the core of our reasoning.” For a second his eyes looked at Nick, with pity. “You know, my first year here, I was just like you. I wanted to save the world.”

“Then what?” Nick growled, refusing to stay completely silent.

“Then, my Int powers developed, and through my newfound ability to hear people’s thoughts, I learned some terrifying truths.” His eyes grew serious. “We are losing the war.”

Nick gasped out loud.

“It’s true Nicky. During my second year, while we were training with Jared, I peered into his thoughts. He was reliving his last mission. The CCUP ordered his team on a suicide mission, to take out a Devourer fleet.” He paused, as his eyes drifted to the past. “The fleet had already taken out a large amount of DRAGOONs, and the unit Jared was a part of was a last ditch effort to keep them at bay. They were expected to die, but the moment the fighting started, their leader did something that I must say I can respect.” He looked at Nick, and this time his smile was sad and genuine. “Their leader, your father, sent them away, and gave his life to complete the mission.”

Nick’s stomach dropped. What had Keith just said? “What?”

“It’s true Nick, and that fact comes in to play a little later into our story, just be patient.”

How was Nick supposed to stay patient when he found out Jared was a part of his father’s unit. And what’s more, that his father’s unit had been sent on a suicide mission.

“So, after I learned that from Jared, I did more investigating, asking questions from other instructors and physicals who had been out in the world. What I learned was casualties were continuing to rise, and the Devourers were slowly gaining a foothold in our dimension. At that point, I started to develop a plan. I wasn’t going to let myself be a pawn, thrown away to die. Instead, I was going to live my life how I wanted to, and enjoy it.”

Nick had to admit the last part sounded like the Keith he had come to know. At least that part of his so called friend seemed genuine.

“My plan was simple. Gather to top physicals in my year, and before graduation, take our DRAGOONs, and leave the Academy. No one would be able stop the five of us as we left, and with our DRAGOONs, we would be able to travel the universe as we wanted. We could visit planets as we saw fit, fight fights we choose to fight, and live our lives how we wanted.”

“Then what?”

“Well, two things happened that started to ruin my plans.” He looked back at Naomi. “First, Naomi started to become stronger than me, and I could tell from reading her thoughts, that she would never join my side.” His eyes darkened. “And second, Eli came along. Under his thumb, we could never set our plan into motion. That monster could stop every Phys at this school by himself.”

For a moment Nick saw Keith shudder. Eli really was that powerful, however, now Nick had to wonder why he was here. Keith could have completed this plan, as he said, and been gone already now that Eli was gone. Why capture Naomi and Becca, and why kill Nick? “Well, your sister was Rasha’s idea. She wanted to drag her along as her slave. And hey, who am I to tell her how to live her life.” Keith laughed, and Nick’s anger flared.

“As for Naomi, she is the only Phys here stronger than me. I needed to capture her to keep the Academy from sending her after us.” He eyed Nick and grinned. “As for you, I know you would never forgive me, and would chase us down as soon as you were strong enough. And, as much as I hate to admit it, in a few years, you would probably be able to take us on.”

Nick wasn’t buying Keith’s last part, why then had he been so nice to Nick early on? “Good question, and that comes back to your father Nick. Because of his sacrifice, and how much I respect him as a DRED Knight, I wanted to see if you had the same potential. I wanted to help you grow, and bring you over to my side. Why else do you think I was so nice to you early on, and why I purposefully tried to keep you separate from everyone else?” All of Keith’s comments, all of his talks with Nick about superiority and distancing himself from the first years suddenly seemed more sinister.

“That’s right, I was doing my best to make you see me and the others as your only friends and option, so that I could convince you to leave with us.” He looked from Nick to Naomi. “But, you just had to break the rules. I warned you about getting too close to Naomi, and yet what do you do? You go and crawl right into her bed, falling in love, and what’s worse, she fell for you too.” He spat on the ground. “Your thoughts about each other make me sick.”

The fact Keith had seen Nick and Naomi’s thoughts regarding their nights together left Nick both embarrassed and enraged.

“And on top of that Nicky, you started making friends. I take the time to teach you advanced skills, and you turn right around and use them to undo six months of my hard work distancing you from them. I was hoping giving you such an advantage over them would further their animosity. I was mistaken.”

Nick smiled at Keith. “Guess you’re not as smart as you think.” A swift kick from Keith made Nick regret his comment.

“See Nick, I admire your determination, your willpower, and your attitude.” Another kick. “But, as much as I wanted you to join me and the others, as much as I hoped you would be my friend.” A third kick sent Nick rolling across the ground. “I just can’t let you live.”