Sorry about this chapter being a day late. My sister came down from Washington to visit and I got distracted. Anyway, I don't think this chapter is a terribly confusing one or needs any explanations, but if it does, just let me know and I'll update it.

Daniel was placed into a clear pod and strapped to a vertical slab that was body-shaped at the far wall in the Assessment Center. He recognized the all-white walls and too bright lights from when he had first woken. The walls were lined with pods similar to the one he was in, ranging in sizes, and in the center were several tables and virtual computer desks.

Daniel stood in the pod, looking down at his hand, where he flexed his muscles and pulled at the restraints that only allowed his arms to lift off of the slab a few inches. Being left alone for the first time since waking, he could do little but listen to his body's complaints. The nausea in the pit of his stomach had worsened, there was a tight ball of stress in his core that had not stopped pestering him since he had first woken up, and his head still hurt as his subconscious busied itself trying to retrieve whatever had been taken from him.

A tall and slender Talent Scout with a long, white lab coat with a silver pendant on the collar approached his pod, looking in on him with its large, all-black eyes. At the Talent Scout's touch, the glass of Daniel's pod lit up with lights like a computer screen. A red light displayed Daniel's pulse in a steady rhythm off to the side and just above it was the outline of his body, more, thinner lines showing where his bones and veins were. On the other side was what he could only assume was some sort of keyboard, although it was hard to be certain due to the strange symbols that hung inside various sized circles.

Daniel watched as a red light flashed at the top of the pod from the inside and slowly made its way down until it disappeared again at his feet. After the light was gone, he felt a sharp prick on his wrist. He gasped and looked down, seeing that, along with the cord connecting the strap to the metal slab, there was a tube that had turned from clear to a vibrant red.

The Talent Scout scientist looked at the screen on the pod as each test was completed and, as each new set of data appeared on the screen, the alien's face appeared more and more confused. After a few more tests were performed, the Talent Scout turned and beckoned another scientist.

The glass of the pod hissed as it was opened by the new alien. The second reached inside, resting its long-fingered hand on Daniel's forehead, despite the boy's attempt to turn his head away. The alien then pressed two fingers against the center of his chest and kept them there for a couple of minutes. The two aliens looked at each other, making gestures and head movements as though speaking to one another, but never opening their mouths. Finally, the second Talent Scout walked off, while the other stayed and began placing little suction cups attached to wires onto his forehead. It then removed his shirt (two zippers on both sides of his shirt that went all the way up along the arm allowed for it to be removed without having to undo his restraints) and began placing more of the little suction cups on his chest. The Talent Scout only paused in its work when the other alien and a new one came up to look over the information on the screen once they had closed Daniel's pod again. All three stood and shook their heads at each other, confused expressions on their faces, before the new one left to get another Talent Scout to take a look.

Before he knew it, there were eight Talent Scouts surrounding his pod, each of them glancing at the screen with the same curious expressions as their fellows. Eventually, they decided to test him again, and proceeded to do the tests a second time. The red scanner passed over his body, the prick returned at his wrist, similar pricks appearing at different parts of his body as samples were taken from him. All eight of them found it necessary to check his heart rate, his pulse, and generally give him a very thorough looking over. When that was not enough, they ran the tests a third time, adding extra pokes and prods with needles and fingers. Each result caused the scientists to look at each other, communing silently and shaking their heads.

Daniel watched them quietly, trying to gauge what could be causing such confusion amongst them. He wasn't enjoying the tests, (they weren't necessarily painful, but they weren't terribly comfortable either) but he was starting to become as interested in the results as the Talent Scouts were. Maybe something in his blood would tell him something about himself that had been lost.

After almost an hour of deliberation, sampling, and bewilderment, Envoy and the Director were at last called upon.

The Director looked on at the results of Daniel's tests with an intrigued expression. Her black eyes flicked to the boy in the pod, an almost proud expression on her face. To Daniel's surprise, she actually addressed him.

"5125, are you coherent?"

Daniel stared at her suspiciously, swallowing down hesitance. "Yes."

"Are you aware of your species' classification?"

"I'm human, if that's what you mean."

The Director nodded patiently, glancing again at the results on the screen of his pod. "Disregarding nausea and headaches, are you experiencing any other discomfort or illness?"

Daniel's brow furrowed in confusion. "Illness? Am I sick?"

"You will answer the questions the Director poses you, child," Envoy commanded suddenly.

"It is quite alright, Envoy. The boy's confusion is understandable," the Director spoke gently, never looking away from Daniel. "Do answer the question, 5125."

Daniel shot a glare at Envoy before answering, "No. I feel fine."

"Interesting. You see, your vitals are far below that of average human beings. According to your species' biology, you ought to be hypothermic right now. Do you feel hypothermic?"

Daniel blinked at her, trying to figure out what she might mean. "No, I'm… fine, but… what… is something wrong with me?"

The Director turned to address Envoy, who had not stopped looking at Daniel like one would an irritating fly buzzing around one's head, and smiled proudly at him. "You see, Envoy? We do not make errors." She then turned to the Talent Scout with the silver pendant who had first discovered something amiss, "I suspect that there is more to this student than there appears. Further tests need to be conducted. Envoy will give you a detailed schedule for him, but for now reintegrate him with the rest of the students. He will need to eat and socialize."

The Talent Scouts bowed their heads to her, and then turned again to Daniel as she and Envoy left the Assessment Center. Once she had gone, Daniel was released from the pod and escorted away.

Daniel's first day was not proving to be an easy one. He had spent a good deal of time in the Assessment Center and had missed lunch. His Warden escorts got him food regardless and allowed him to eat as they rushed him off down the halls. Eventually, they came to a wider hall that was lined up with other students, all bustling to get into another room. His two escorts gestured for him to go, so Daniel walked to the end of the line. He glanced around at the creatures and teens around him who were all eying him suspiciously, but paid him little more heed. Curious as to what everyone was waiting for, he stood up on his tiptoes to get a glimpse into the room they were headed towards, but he couldn't see past the much larger creatures ahead of him.

"Hey! 5125!"

Daniel looked up as Garfield pushed his way through the crowd to get to him. Once he had pushed past a pair of particularly large teenagers with looks of irritation at both of them, Garfield grinned at Daniel.

"Hey! Good to see you're still alive! What did they want with you?"

"They were going to kill me," Daniel said bluntly.

"Oh. Well, why didn't they?"

Daniel shrugged. "Honestly? I have no idea..."

Garfield looked at him for a second, then shrugged dismissively. "Well, glad they didn't, anyway."

Daniel smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. So, uh… where are we going now?"

"It's the Training Center. This is where we practice our skills and spar. The TS's want us at peak physical and mental condition, so they let us use our skills."

"Yeah, you said earlier that everyone here had powers or skills. I've been thinking about that and… well, this is probably a stupid question with an obvious answer, but I'm going to ask anyway… why hasn't anyone escaped yet?"

"Oh, they give us these," Garfield said, pulling up the sleeve of his grey jump suit to reveal a thin scar on his wrist.

"What is that?"

"It's a suppressor. Vic says that it… I don't know… merges with your veins or something like that… I don't remember how it works. Point is; it makes sure that we can't use our powers outside of the Training Center."

Daniel looked at Garfield's scar, and then pulled the sleeve away from his own wrist. He also had a scar. "What does it do to people who don't have powers?"

"I don't know. I do know that if you do something they don't like, they can give you a pretty bad shock with it. But you've really got to ask Vic these questions. This isn't exactly my area of expertise," Garfield said, then looked up. "Aaaand… here's the Training Center."

Daniel looked up as they followed the last of the line into one of the six large double doors that lined the wall for several hundred feet in either direction. They were each labeled TC1, TC2, and so on until TC6. There were six other halls, each leading to one of the six doors, and had hundreds of students lined up at the doors. Daniel was ushered into the sixth along with Garfield. The Training Center was an enormous, dome-shaped room that looked to be about at least two dozen football fields wide and one dozen long. Evenly dispersed in rows were smaller, but still large, clear domes. From above, it probably looked like bubble wrap.

Daniel stared for a long while, mouth slightly agape.

"We each get a dome that we can practice our powers in. There's a panel where you can request different obstacles or equipment if you need it to the left of the door. And… let's see… this is your first day, so you won't have to duel anyone."

"All students: report to your designated training zone and commence training," a voice spoke above them.

"How do I know which dome to go to?" Daniel asked.

"They're numbered according to your name. So you need to go find dome 5125. I'll see you at mealtime," Garfield said with a wave as he ran off to find his dome.

"But-" Daniel started, but Garfield was already halfway down one of the aisles. Daniel swallowed, looking up and down the rows of domes, wondering how he would ever find his assigned dome in the intimidating maze.

A Talent Scout suddenly appeared beside him—it was one of the aliens that had escorted him to see the Director. It gestured for him to follow, so he did.

The Talent Scout led him down twenty-two rows to the left before finally stopping. Daniel looked at the dome to find that it did indeed have his number on it, like it had been indented into whatever clear material had been used to construct the dome. There were four almost invisible lines that Daniel assumed were the door and beside it to the left, as Garfield had said, was a lightly outlined panel.

The door opened of its own accord as he stepped up to it, and closed immediately after he had stepped inside. It hissed as it locked him in and the panel beside the door became more apparent, shining slightly as the screen displayed different training options. There were drones, humanoid and otherwise, gym equipment, obstacle courses, targets and other things that surprised him to find like water, fire, and other elements, live animals, humanoids or alien/monsters, different environments and a range of other options that bordered on the ridiculous.

"Why would they offer a magic kit?" Daniel asked to himself as he swiped his finger over the page.

"Student 5125, selection will close in approximately thirty seconds and training will begin. Make a selection or use recommended settings."

Daniel looked up in surprise at having been addressed personally and looked around the other domes to see if anyone else had heard it. The other students around him had already begun training and didn't appear to notice. He looked down at the key pad again and decided to try the recommended setting, hoping that the Talent Scouts knew more about what kind of training he should undergo since he had no powers.

"Selected equipment: weaponized drones. Training will commence in three… two… one."

Daniel looked behind him as part of the floor pulled apart and a platform rose from below. Hovering a few feet off of the platform were three disks, each with six or eight small holes around the bases. As soon as the platform had sealed with the floor, the holes facing Daniel on the drones started to glow.

Before he had any time to prepare himself, Daniel was just managing to duck out of the way as six red beams fired off at him. He landed harshly, but used his momentum to roll across the floor and leap out of the way of three more shots that fired at where he had landed. Surprised at his own dexterity and speed, he felt a boost in confidence and started moving and dodging even faster, staying well out of the way of the shots that were fired at him.

Although he had been caught off guard by just how rigorous and demanding the training exercise was, he somehow couldn't help but feel invigorated. He took full advantage of the roominess and dimensions of the dome as he nimbly zigzagged, ran and darted around.

He wasn't content to just run around his bubble dodging however. He wanted to test himself and his limits. He had been keeping an eye on the drones. They had fast firing rates, but their guns were only on their sides, which meant that their bellies and tops were vulnerable.

Daniel squinted his eyes in a determined expression and, as he ran over to the slanted wall, he ran up it partway and jumped backwards onto the top of one of the three drones. The weight of the boy was too much for the drone to continue floating and it was driven into the ground with a crash of sparks and thin metal.

Immediately upon landing, Daniel rolled off of it, jumped up, ran over to the wall and did it again, landing squarely on the back of the second drone, but this time, he grabbed it just above the turrets so that it wouldn't shoot his fingers off and flipped over so that he landed with it in his hands. Spinning around, he flung it like a Frisbee into the last drone, sending them both crashing to the floor.

"Training exercise complete. Calibrating next selection… calibration complete. Selected equipment: custom."

Daniel looked up at this curiously. He didn't have to wonder what it meant for long because the floor ahead of him pulled away and a huge humanoid drone appeared. From Daniel's first assessment, there didn't appear to be any obvious weaknesses, but he was feeling pumped and up to the challenge, so he got into a defensive stance, waiting to see what the new drone had in store.

Daniel went to take a step back and keep a comfortable distance between himself and the drone only to discover that his feet wouldn't move. Panicked, he looked down, but could find no obvious reason that he shouldn't be able to take a step back. His head shot up as the drone's arms shot out for his neck. He grabbed its hands and pushed back, his arms shaking as he fought to keep the drone at bay. His back bent backwards as the drone continued to try and grab at his neck, but his legs remained glued to the same spot on the floor, making the position extremely uncomfortable.

As he just barely managed to keep the hands of the humanoid automaton away from his neck, he wondered in the back of his mind how the situation he found himself in constituted as training. At this point, he was just trying to make sure the drone didn't kill him, unsure as to the lengths the Talent Scouts would go.

His arms, trembling with effort, were beginning to bend as the drone gained leeway, steadily causing Daniel to bend backward more and more. At some point, his body was sure to simply snap in half.

It was quickly becoming clear that this was a losing battle. His arms were weakening, the core of his center was painfully tight and tense, and his body could only bend so far. He scanned the drone over another time, hoping to find something that he might have missed, but its outer layer of rubbery skin revealed no exposed wires or anything that he could grab onto and he didn't have sufficient leverage to deflect the robot's advances elsewhere. He was trapped.

Eventually, his arms couldn't hold the robot's at bay anymore and he was shoved backwards onto his back, his legs bending awkwardly as the bottom of his feet remained glued to the floor. The drone's hands shot out and latched onto his neck and Daniel shut his eyes as he prepared for the automaton to either choke him or break his neck, but instead, it got off of him and was lowered down back into the floor on a platform.

"Training exercise complete. Calibrating next selection…"

Daniel's feet were released, allowing him to sit up and flex his uncomfortably stretched leg muscles.

"Calibration complete. Selected equipment: fire environment."

The training exercise lasted two hours, but to Daniel it felt like an eternity. Eventually, he figured out that the training equipment being selected for him were to evaluate his skills and any abilities he might have. He supposed it was clever of the Talent Scouts to present their students with different situations, in case anyone tried to hide a skill or ability, but his acknowledgement of the Talent Scout's methods only went that far. As far as he was concerned, they were just trying to torture him.

Because he was managing to finish each training exercise quickly, he was being presented with a wide range of training exercises. The environment changes in his pod were not so much him having to fight anything, but rather just to see if he could handle the change in weather and temperature conditions. To his own surprise, none of the temperature changes bothered him very much. During the fire environment training, his pod was surrounded with flames that quickly built up the temperature, but Daniel only felt mildly hot. The same went with the colder temperatures, which were done using blizzard-like weather. Despite the extreme conditions, they were just slightly uncomfortable.

After the weather and temperature exercises were completed, his training switched to gauge his intelligence. He was given various battle drones that posed different situational threats, similar to a more physical game of chess. He wasn't allowed to fight all of them at once, but instead had to determine what battle drone was the most threatening, and hope that his choice didn't end with him getting hit with an electrical bolt (which he was unfortunately hit with more than once). After all of the exercises were finished, he wondered if the Talent Scouts would think he was stupid, since he had not done terribly well on the intellectual portion of his training.

Finally the two hours had gone by and the pod opened up for him. He hurriedly jumped out, not wanting to be in it any more than he had to, and was immediately met by Victor, who was grinning at him.

"Hey, you did really well," he commented.

Daniel looked up at him from where he stood bent over, hands resting on his knees and panting as he tried to catch his breath. "I beg to differ."

Victor shook his head. "No, man, I was watching you from my pod," he said, pointing to the pod crossways from Daniel's. "You did really good. Especially for your first day. I've haven't seen someone go through that many equipment selections in one sitting in a while. You must be exhausted."

Daniel nodded, wondering how on earth Victor had managed to do his own training exercises and watch him at the same time. He hoped that perhaps the training exercises got easier as they went along.

"Did they give you your ranking yet?"

"My what?"

"Your ranking," Victor said again. "Your rank will decide who you'll have to spar with later on."

Daniel frowned. He had gotten to look around at some of the other pods around him before his training had started and everyone he had seen had some sort of power. He didn't particularly like the idea of having to fight any of them. "No, I don't think I've gotten it yet. Where do I-"

"Oh, there it is," Victor said, looking over Daniel's head at the pod behind him.

Daniel followed his gaze to view the number that had formed above his identification number on the dome.

"What does 9D7 stand for?" Daniel asked, reading the word aloud.

"Not bad," Victor said, elbowing his shoulder encouragingly. "The 9 stands for your physical ability and the D stands for your intelligence level. You got just three below the highest on that one, so nice job."

"What?" Daniel asked in shock. "How? I did horribly."

"Well, on the basic stuff, yeah, you did. But that fight with the weaponized drones probably counted towards your problem-solving skills."

"What about the 7? What does that stand for?"

"Your overall rank. 7 is actually really impressive, all things considered. Honestly, I would have thought you would end up in the 9's."

"What's the 9's?"

"The lowest rank," Victor said.

Daniel frowned at him.

"What? Come on, man, look around you. You're in a building stuffed to the roof with super-powered freaks."

Daniel laughed at that. "I guess that's true. So what's your rank?"

"2B3, but I'm a cyborg, so I guess you could say that I'm partly cheating," Victor said with a wink. He looked around as the other creatures, monsters, aliens, and humans began making their way out of the Training Center. He looked at Daniel and gestured for him to follow. "Come on. It's chow time!"