AN: Thanks to my reviewers, SunshineWitch91, Vampuric Spider, and Ghostwriter. You all receive virtual hugs.
The first month at the academy passed by quickly. Bridge true to his word went to the sick bay over ten times. Most of them were in the first week, stopping after the gym coach realized the only way to stop him running into walls and passing out from terrible headaches was to let him wear his gloves. Even after that Bridge was rather accident prone. Surprisingly, only three of the times he was sent to the sick bay had to do with bullying. On the bright side, he was the top of his class and undisputed king of the computer lab.
Xenon was almost as accident prone as Bridge, except instead of running into trees, trees fell over and almost crushed her. She was excused from physical training two weeks in after she broke her leg when the monkey bar collapsed. It also became apparent quickly that Xenon was just as much a bully magnet as Bridge. She wasn't bullied as badly, but there was a large group of "pretties", as she liked to call them, that always hassled her. It was easy to make fun of her uncomfortable body and perpetual mess. It was still a mystery as to why everything stuck to her like she was a giant lint roller.
Syd was living her life as one of the queens to the school. Most classes were difficult, but she could ask Bridge to reteach her everything several times. He was patient with her when she was patient with him. She was one of the most average students in that school. Slightly less than average intelligence bit slightly above average physicality. She didn't have a problem with that.
Schuyler was the head of his class when it came to exercise. No one could beat his time for runs or bench press as much. Everyone knew he was the golden boy for the entire school. The only people who knew any different were his party buddies. Dru had managed to fully drag Schuyler into all the parties off campus. Somehow they managed to hide all the hangovers and exhaustion. No one suspected that he was doing anything wrong even though he was still on probation.
Schuyler had long forgotten about his fight with Cooper until exactly a month into school. He was walking along the hallways with no where specific to go, when someone slammed him into the wall. Cooper was the proud culprit.
"So Tate, you pushed off this encounter for a month, but I didn't forget. Tomorrow, at the Wraith Club, no later than ten, be there"
Always short and to the point, Cooper walked out. Schuyler wanted to chase after him immediately but restrained himself. He walked to Dru's room quickly knocking loudly on the door.
His friend opened the door looking miserable. It was Saturday and they'd both been partying last night. Schuyler was fully cleaned up, but it seemed Dru hadn't even gotten up yet. The put together boy was used to this and quickly grabbed some painkillers and water. Dru took it struggling to swallow.
Schuyler watched slowly as his friend and role model rubbed his temples moaning weakly. Dru quickly pulled himself together, "Do you remember what happened last night?"
"I seem to remember dragging you away from some sleazy redhead in the bar, but nothing too bad."
Dru snickered, "Why'd you pull me away? I could have had some real fun"
"As fascinated as that is, I have something more important to talk to you about"
Dru fell back on his bed closing his eyes, "What is it?"
"Cooper wants to fight me at the Wraith Club tomorrow. I don't want to back down on this guy, but what if he gets me in serious trouble?"
Dru seemed to wake up immediately, "The Wraith Club. That place is famous in the street fighting. This guy has connections."
Schuyler looked at him amused, "Enough connections to get him kicked out?"
"If he was able to set up a fight for two SPD cadets, then enough to get him locked up for life"
"So, should I go?"
"Shit, yes. You give this guy an inch and he'll walk all over you. Kick his sorry ass and then turn him in"
"I don't think I should. This puts everything I've worked my whole life for in danger"
"Listen to me. If you always play by the rules, then you'll end up dying full of regret. Go to the club"
Schuyler nodded and left before his friend could pull him into another party. He had to be perfectly rested for tomorrow night. It amazed him that Dru had managed to live his double life for so long. It was almost impossible to keep things from Bridge and he never came back as drunk as Dru.
He walked back to his room, stopping when he saw Bridge playing with his computer happily. Schuyler was too used to his roommate's failed experiments. He grabbed some sweat to change into jogging clothes, but Bridge interrupted him, "Did Cooper threaten you?"
Schuyler froze nervously, "How do you know that?"
Bridge shrugged not looking up, "I had a feeling. Don't fight him on my account."
"It has nothing to do with you now. I just want to take down that self-centered jerk."
Bridge nodded before saying quietly, "Don't get in trouble. You're the only thing standing between Xenon and me getting bullied even more"
Schuyler hesitated and bolted from the room. Bridge had a way of giving him advice without realizing it. He passed Syd, who was talking with some of her friends, they didn't acknowledge each other. The squad had already spit so it was a team during class and four separate people outside of academics.
He walked into the public computer terminal. Several students were doing projects or contacting home using the outdated computers. Xenon was jumping up and down trying to grab something from the top of a large circuit breaker.
He walked over to her curiously. As he approached, she managed to topple a large metal box that landed with a loud thunk on her head. She sat down rubbing her head slightly. He rushed over to see if she was ok, but the strange girl brushed him off as usual. "I have a thick skull. Now that you're here could you get my binder from up there?"
Schuyler was easily able to reach to the top and swipe her binder. He handed it to her and she dusted it off carefully. Tired of waiting for an explanation, he asked how it had gotten there. She shrugged nervously, "Some guys thought it would be funny to steal my stuff and hide it in really tall places. I was tall enough to get most of it, but I still have to find my shoes"
She said this with a light casual tone, but Schuyler didn't miss the sadness, "I've said it before, why don't you tell someone about this?"
She shrugged, "If they find out that you can fight back they'll hit you even harder. Lie low and take the hit; you'll find life is much easier"
She walked away before Schuyler had a response to that. He was so distracted that he couldn't even remember why he came there in the first place.
Tomorrow, Schuyler found himself walking into the Wraith Club with ease. He'd told his name to the bouncer and the shark-dog alien had let him in with a toothy grin. This didn't make him feel any better. The club wasn't much different than the clubs he'd crashed with Dru, except for the ominous metal cage in the center.
No one was fighting now, but even the wildest dancers kept a good five feet away from it. Schuyler walked to the bar and flashed his fake ID to a bored barman. He was served a bitter tasting alcohol. It wasn't enough to impede his fighting skills, but enough to make him foolishly brave.
He was interrupted by a very drunk Cooper. He was being supported by a tipsy, giggling brunette with aqua skin. The cadet grinned at Schuyler drunkenly, "So, you actually came. Welcome to my world"
He tripped over his own feet, and caught himself on the bar. Schuyler couldn't help but think that this would be much easier than he'd expected. Cooper regained his composure, "You want to fight now, or to you want a last drink before I crush you?"
Schuyler didn't take the bait, "I'd like to fight now, before you pass out."
He downed his drink and walked straight backed to the fight circle. He spotted Dru out of the corner of his eye. His friend seemed to be making a deal with some slippery people. He'd better win if Dru was betting on him.
Cooper regained most of his composure by the time the DJ had called order to the club. It was oddly quiet as they entered the cage. Cooper made a great show of removing his shirt flexing hardened muscles. Schuyler didn't waste energy on the crowd, but removed his shirt as well.
They sound of a gunshot rang out and Schuyler was caught off guard. Cooper, knowing exactly what it was, managed to land a solid punch to the taller boy's stomach. Schuyler felt the wind rush out of him and retaliated by kicking the bully in the chest sending him reeling into the sharp mesh of the cage.
The crowd booed and hissed, but it didn't matter. Cooper pulled himself up laughing tipsily, "Your clean cut fightin' style ain't gonna cut it here"
The crowd cheered. Schuyler sneered at the crowd. Cooper took this distraction to smash Schuyler's into the metal cage. He felt the metal scraping and tearing his skin brutally. He dropped to the ground and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of kicks.
So this was how Cooper won his fights. He caught his opponent off guard and smashed him into the ground mercilessly. Schuyler struggled to pull himself up as the whirl of fist and feet grew frenzied. He felt like his ribs were either broken or breaking and his face had to be a bloody mess.
He felt himself losing consciousness. He put his arm up defensively. A warm feeling spread through his body up to his arm and a bright light flashed before his eyes. Cooper fell to the ground and Schuyler pulled himself up looking around desperately. If anyone had noticed the light, they didn't react.
The crowd was a loud jumble of noise tearing into his brain as he pinned Cooper. He looked up unsure of what a "win" was. The crowd seemed to have turned on their champion. There were still cries in favor of the defeated bully, but most of the people were screaming for Schuyler to crush Cooper.
The steady cadet looked down at the drunk, whimpering cadet. He pulled him to his feet and began to pummel him with his fists. Cooper seemed to have given up on winning this and let Schuyler slam him like he was a light punching bag. As Cooper fell to the ground unconscious, the sound of sirens blared.
The cage was unlocked for Schuyler and he followed everyone else streaming for the exits. Several patrons patted him on the back, but most were too busy not getting trampled.
Schuyler and Dru made it back to HQ with surprising ease. Dru left still laughing drunkenly about the fight. Schuyler thought that he'd successfully gotten to safety when the light in the dorm room came on. Xenon was sitting cross-legged on a couch doodling something in her notebook.
Schuyler froze unsure if she'd even noticed him. He began to move, but she spoke with a light tone, "I know that you're not particularly book smart, but you should know that you're not going to be able to hide that face tomorrow."
He had forgotten about his face until now. As the adrenaline receded, he felt like collapsing in pain. He traced a finger across his face. Xenon pulled out a mirror and flashed it at his face. He winced.
One of his eyes was already turning black. There were numerous scrapes down one side of his face. His lips were spilt in multiple places and his nose was bleeding. As he winced he felt he chest scream in pain. He lifted his shirt and examined his chest. It was a rainbow of colors.
Xenon looked sick and held his gaze carefully. "What were you doing?"
Schuyler murmured softly, "I got in a fight"
"I can see that"
He tried to think of a good lie, "I was mugged. I barely got away with my life"
She nodded, and for a second he thought she believed him. "So, Cooper mugged you"
At his shocked expression she shrugged, "Bridge told me. He is more observant than you realize. He's more observant than he realizes."
Schuyler sat wincing, "I didn't fight him for you guys. I did it for my own selfish pride."
"Well, it's the thought that counts"
"Why are you so angry?"
"Why have you been going to so many parties?"
He froze, not bothering to respond to that, "Bridge can smell the alcohol on you. He thinks it's from your buddy Drew or whatever. I figured it out easily"
Schuyler sighed beginning to place his head in his hands, but stopping because it hurt too much. Xenon hesitated before asking the next question, "How did you win?"
He looked at her sourly, "Are you saying that you don't think I could beat him?"
She made a face, "No, that's not what I meant. I mean you look like you got the crap kicked out of you, but you came walking in here like you were proud. If you'd lost, you'd walk I here looking like a kicked puppy"
"I don't know what happened. He had me down and he was hitting me really hard; there was a flash of light and he fell down"
She closed her notebook thoughtfully, "You sure it's not just you're powers acting up?"
He stopped and looked at her blankly. She covered her mouth in surprise, "You don't know?"
"What don't I know?"
"That you have powers"
He laughed tensely, "I'm no superhero. I've earned my position fair and square."
Xenon rolled her eyes, "Powers aren't cheating. In my case, they just get in the way"
"I don't have powers"
"Yes you do. Everyone on this squad has powers"
"Really? And what would those powers be?"
She sighed and leaned back, "I wouldn't know what your abilities are. Bridge is a psychic and I'm a human magnet"
He laughed despite himself. She glared and concentrated on an empty cup on the table. It rattled and flew through the air missing her extended hand and smacking her between the eyes. She shook her head and tossed it back onto the table, "Well, I've said it before. I have a thick skull"
Schuyler didn't laugh, "What makes you think I have powers?"
"Bridge is a psychic. He can sense these things"
"Is he really psychic?"
"Of course… not what you'd be familiar with. He hears everyone's thoughts at once so he can barely hear his own thoughts let alone pick out specific voices. His powers are centered in his hands so he wears gloves to dull any pain."
"So that's why he never takes them off. What can Syd do?"
"She doesn't know. I've been trying to get it out of her, but she doesn't understand. I guess all abilities aren't as obnoxiously obvious as mine"
Schuyler stood and attempted to walk toward his room, but Xenon stopped him. "You are going to the sick bay. Don't worry. I'll back up that mugging story"