Ad Serviendum Ac Protegendum.

"Today, we stand here, not as teachers and students, but as fellow colleagues," Dean Ryker starts as our graduation ceremony from the Academy. I've been here for sixteen years, ever since the riot. When I look around at the faces of the other classmates, I feel out of place, everyone here is around their thirties, yet I just broke twenty last week. Even the instructors make this place seem out of place, none of them are younger than sixty, yet Ryker is just in his forties.

"You have all worked so hard, and been through much. Hopefully, you will all lead to great things, wherever you go," He continues giving his speech that we all called the proof of his inadequacy, since the words never change each year. Last year, I think even he fell asleep for a second while saying it. I can't wait to get this over, he makes the one hour speech seem like seven. Luckily, this is really just a prelude to the massive party going on afterwards, tons of fireworks, locals congratulating us, and best of all, the music. Local bands are coming from all around to play, from The Raging Robots and their anti-governmental rock, which will be out of place, to Heroes' Silhouettes and their story telling music ranging from folk to techno. They are really the ones I wait for, their guitarist, Anastasia, is said to be incredibly beuatiful and intelligent.

As the "Old man" continues his speech, I start to get restless, standing in the sun in the dark navy suit with golden trimming and a gold rope around my shoulder. These are our uniforms until we get promoted to Detective, or Captain, which takes years for most. I get so bored that I start making hand gestures since I am lucky enough to be in the back row. The people around me nudge me with their elbows and say, "Be respectful!" I turn to them and make a goofy face, stretching my jaw crookedly, hanging my tongue out with my eyes looking in opposite directions and use my hand to pull back my nose and say, "Not my fault I'm bored and......I'm a freaking dragon," and follow it by making a quiet roar and they hold their laughter in. Mission accomplished.

I get bored of getting told to act my age, which for me is nearly impossible, I am a goof, I live to make people laugh. So, I adjust my hat over my eyes and droop my head abit and nap until everyone is called up to give their "Last words" about the Academy. I'm lucky enough to nap through them until my line is called, and get pushed by the guy who I acted like a dragon at.

"Keep moving Mr. Dragon, and don't embarrass yourself up there, or make any jokes that tarnish the name of this place," He says, I swear, most people have no sense of humor. I am loving that I get to move later on this week. As we all walk, as if we're programmed to not break the line, I think of what I will say and think of the past, I have no clue what to say. As we reach the stage leading to the podium, each name is called, and each of their words are inspiring.

"Step forward, Cadet Aden Sorel youngest to ever graduate from this Academy," Dean Ryker says and I walk up there, each step echoing into my eardrums, mixing with the thundering sound of the audience, causing me to sweat as I search my mind for a possible speech to give. I approach the microphone, the stand, held up by a bronze circle, leading into a slender bronze stem holding up a larger circle, with wires splitting into holding a small black area that sends anyones voice around the town as this is projected to the entire population. I stand there for thirty seconds and I see my best friend in the Academy, Eve, twirling her hands, telling me to hurry.

"Uh, well, this place....." I say and look behind me at all the administration of my home. I smile and take my hat off, my light brown hair falling just over my forehead, blocking my view of the giant plaque, showing a badge and pistol, along with the three foundations of our code. I run my hand through it, parting it as it usually does and smile as I feel a warm feeling pulse through my body.

"This place, is not only a school in which I was taught the meaning of Justice, Balance and Protection, but it is the home that adopted me when I was younger. I consider everyone here as family, and all the Instructors are my mothers and fathers. I look at all my brothers and sisters before me and can't help but hold back tears as I wonder what will happen as we all leave this beautiful home is deserted by its newest generation of guardians," I feel a tear start to drop from the corner of my eye and stare at the ground and watch it as it falls and makes a small, dark impression on the red cloth covering the wodden platform. That isn't all I have to say, but I leave it at that and walk off the stage and everyone cheers and the next graduate's name is drowned out.

After we all finish, the Dean steps up and finishes the ceremony by saying, "That concludes this year's initiation. However, we are sorry,but there is one thing that you all will need to do before you are actually considered full fledged officers of the law."

Wait, what!? Since when did we get a freaking mission thrown on us as we graduate!? I'm not the only one confused as the crowd all starts booing the Dean and all the faces of the Cadets are full of rage. The man next to me gets so mad he bursts forward and gets almost all the way to the podium before being dragged to the floor by sudents. Ryker tries to apologize, but before then, a shot is heard and a red spot appears behind his collection of medals. Then another burst of shots and the Instructors and Administrators are shot in the forehead, the delay between shots is so small that there has to be more than one sniper. Everyone is shocked, and all they can see as the most rational thing to do is to flood the gates as an airship appears above us and men holding rifles with sabres strapped to their backs lower down on ropes. Throughout the madnes, I run to Ryker, along with Eve, and we try our best to help him.

"Old man! C'mon old man! Pull together, you were the one who taught us to show resistance in the face of an attack!" I yell at him as gunshots fire around and the crowds are dropped like flies. Eve, who is trying to find a doctor, is struck over the head with the butt of a rifle and then two ropes drop down and the man is sent towards the ship wit her over his shoulder. I cry out her name as I feel Ryker's body let out it's last breath and I feel a pistol placed into my hand. I look at it as the invaders approach me, their black masks hiding all but their eyes, though they are all a shining silver. I look at the pistol that Ryker always carried, it was made like the soldiers of ancient times, the wooden handle with a metal brace to it with a thin barrel, which is connected to a small cylinder holding six shots that are impacted by the hammer and sent at high speed at whatever it points at. I see its fully loaded and think back to Combat Training with Intructor Ryans.

I throw my hat to the side and walk to the middle of all their sights and place the pistol's barrel agaginst my forehead and listen to the footsteps beneath the gunshots destroying what it left of the town. I hear one of the soldiers is six steps away and his left foot it hurt, bad landing. Perfect for a shield. As I hear him approach, I dash over to him as fast as I can, and barely escape a barrage of bullets from the other soldiers. I bite down on the barrel of Ryker's gun and extend my left hand under the man's machine gun and tear it from his hand as I use my right arm to wrap around his neck to create a flesh shield as he is pelted with bullets. To protect my body, I drop to my knees and bend him over my body. When I hear them all reload, I drop the body and grab the pistol in my mouth with my right hand and place the machine gun against the shield's body and pull the trigger. I'm lucky enough to hit two enemies and I start run from the shield, firing a bullet from the old pistol at the closest enemy. Right between the eyes, I guess those late night practices were of some use.

I make it to a metal pole under the bleachers andits wide enough to block my body from a rain of bullets escaping their barrels. I can't hear how many there are and see a shining mirror and shoot a string holding it, making it swing and show a glimpse of the battlefield, all are dead but them. I count arond fifty and have a total of twenty five bullets. I really need to make these count. I dash to the side and start firing from the machine gun, causing some to drop to the floor and see an enemy reloading, so I charge at him and fire the pistol at him, hitting his shoulder, as I leap into him and steal his machine gun and instantly leap off with a last fire of the gun. I soar through the air and suddenly a man appears before me and catches me by the neck and stares at me.

He punches me in the side so hard, he probably broke two ribs. I drop my guns and he pulls me closer and stares into my eyes and says, "Finally, a perfect specimen."

Then, darkness floods my vision.