Like that slow-motion fight sequence at the end of a Tarantino film, Clark and Sybil made their way into the center of the cityscape, guns drawn. "How did I know it would come down to the dynamic duo?" Clark chuckled as they both stared down the barrel of their pistols. "What, sweetie? You were expecting me? I was hoping this would be a surprise!" Sybil laughed back. "Kiss and make up?" Clark said, stepping closer as if the two weren't locked in the final death match for the top of their class. "Sure, hon," Sybil said as she quickly trotted forward and in one smooth movement ducked as Clark fired at where her shoulder had just been. Coming up right on him, Sybil fired one bullet into his arm, and Clark went down holding his wound and gasping, "fine, you win." All of the lightheartedness had left his eyes, Clark's family would not be happy that he lost the title to his girlfriend of all people.

A siren sounded and the lights came back up in the gym. From every direction, their teachers and coaches rushed the two, medics taking Clark off to get his bullet wound resolved, and the rest escorting Sybil out of the gym to prepare for the awards ceremony, the final moment of their schooling careers. The students who had lost early on were already cleaned up, bandaged, and changed for the ceremony, they all stood waiting in the auditorium, cheers rang the air as Sybil entered and she held up her arms in a victory salute to her fellow classmates. Lincoln popped out of the crowd, his entire shoulder bandaged and several cuts across his face had small stitches holding them together, but he grinned from ear to ear and congratulated Sybil, giving her the biggest one-armed hug known to man. He whispered in her ear, "I kinda hoped you'd beat out Clark so he'd get off his high horse." Sybil laughed so loud it rang through the room, "me too, Link!" she exclaimed and hugged Lincoln again.

The headmaster made his way to the podium and called the room to order, which prompted Sybil to take her seat at the front of the auditorium next to an empty seat, and a seat over from Lincoln. "I welcome you all to the 89th graduation ceremony," the headmaster began but was cut off as a round of cheers echoed through the hall. "Yes, yes, very exciting, anyway we are here to honor each and every one of you for being the most intelligent, hard-working, and physically capable individuals in the United States, but of course there must always be those who excel above the rest, and to begin this ceremony I'd like to take a brief look at the achievements of Lincoln Moore, who excelled in mathematics, science, building, electrical, and most of all physics in his time with us." Another thunderous roar split the room.

As they began to show a reel of Lincoln in class with goggles on his head and a lab coat over his uniform, Clark made his way into the room in a sling. He humphed into his chair and looked at the screen without much interest. "Look, Clark I'm sorry, but I had to win, I just couldn't settle for less," Sybil tried, "yeah well you try too hard all the time, don't you?" Clark said and turned towards Lincoln to congratulate him on 3rd.

The video stopped and the headmaster resumed his speech, "in our second most esteemed position, we have Clark Gilroy who excelled in engineering, technology, weaponry, survival, and drama. As the video of Clark began to play, Sybil noticed that Lincoln and herself always ended up in the photos, the three had always been so close, that no one could imagine one without the other two. Clark noticed this as well and scooted even further from Sybil to watch his achievements fall under second best.

Finally, the headmaster returned to the podium for the announcement of the top of their class. "I'd like to finally recognize one of our most talented students, not only for this year but in the history of this academy. Sybil Parker is the first female student to ever win the overall title and most especially, the physical half of the testing, and for that, she will graduate with extra honors." Cheers again rang through the auditorium, and Sybil's eyes watered with the joy of finally knowing that all of her hard work proved to be worth it. Sybil's video came up on the screen with action shots of her on the obstacle course outside, pictures of her writing novels in the atrium, and collages of her schoolwork.

When the video stopped, the headmaster approached the podium for his final statement, "now students, this is the day that those of us who have worked with you for most of your lives finally get to start our work. What happens to students after graduation is always kept a secret from the classes below because of the nature of the work we have trained you for, and we are so proud of all of you and your parents for submitting to our needs as an academy, as a nation, and as a species. Your next step will begin tonight, as we have matched each and every girl with a boy of equal standing in your class, from these partnerships you will create a bond that will last for the rest of your career here, and you have only one job from now on, further the number of our diminishing species."

A lot of confused glances and shocked faces moved about the room as the most intelligent 18-year-olds in the nation tried to comprehend what they had just been told. One student had a hard time holding her tongue, "so we've trained for our whole lives to become breeding cattle for you?!" Sybil shouted to the headmaster, standing on her chair in fury and outrage. "Sit down, Sybil, you all have the greatest honor your nation could give you, the responsibility to continue to make our nation the strongest, the smartest, and the most prosperous." "I won't do it!" screamed Sybil, and the room became chaos as the smartest and strongest students in the world attacked their teachers with whatever they had on hand.

Sybil swung her metal chair and bashed in the head of a medic who was making his way to subdue her and Clark with a taser. "You're welcome, idiot," Sybil shouted to Clark as he stood there, dumbfounded. "Yeah," Clark responded as he punched their English teacher in the mouth. "What the hell do we do now!?" shouted Lincoln over the hubbub. "Beats me," Clark replied as he helped Lincoln take out the office secretary. As the battle continued, more and more faculty and guards arrived and subdued the already injured students. Only three held out with chairs and brute force: Lincoln, Clark, and Sybil.

The headmaster himself tried to make his way towards the three, but Sybil, seeing an opening, made a mad dash through a gap in their captors, and sprinted across the auditorium before anyone could catch her. She raced and dashed down the halls, knocking things down behind her, making her way to the armory. The teachers raced after her, calling for back up, but they couldn't outrun their fastest student.

Back in the auditorium, Clark and Lincoln fought off their oppressors for another five or so minutes but eventually had to give up due to their injuries. The headmaster grabbed Clark by the hair and pulled him close to his perfectly white and gleaming grimace, "if you don't get her to give in, I will kill her," he spat in Clark's ear. Lincoln, overhearing the headmaster, looked at Clark in an utter panic, "Clark, we have to.." Clark nodded, his pride keeping him from responding. The headmaster let him go and Clark and Lincoln were escorted to the armory.