Simple Man

The look on Karin Normandy's face was one of absolute horror as the shimmer in the air of the testing chamber Ray once stood in was now empty save a haze of gray and brown that stayed in the vague shape of her charge.

"Temperature and pressure gauges suggest young Raymundo can withstand a terrib-" the heroine, Relic Quarry, shot the Senior Technician from the PRT a scathing glance as he spoke, "-ly fantastic amount of pressure. He appears terr- ifically durable in this form at least."

Arkady casually twisted a couple dials then tapped a button on the testing console, "The atmosphere of the chamber is reset Ray. Feel free to resume your physical form."

Relic Quarry watched the test subject solidify back into his hoodie and warmup pants clad human form. As she studied him, while he was straightening his clothes, she noticed him scratching his forehead a bit more than a casual scratch. She turned to test subject's guardian, "So, Karin, ahh you said he could travel while in that form?"

Karin nodded assent in response, still not one for words at the moment.

"So he's a Shifter-Mover with a Breaker subtype?"

Arkady put his hands on the small of his own back, his gut thrust forward a bit, and a light popping could be heard, "No no, dearest hero. Shifter is old term. Ray here possibly exhibits Changer-Vreaker-Mover classifications. We'll specify as tests and post interview draw to conclusion."

"Ray says he can travel to places he can recall in his head and just -poof- he thinks he's floating slowly but in reality he's travelling a two, three hour road trip in minutes", Karin spoke as she pulled a handkerchief from under her sleeve and dabbed at Ray's forehead as he stepped out of the chamber.

"I think it dried out my skin, it's kinda itchy", his scar covered forehead seemed even more red and enflamed over his eyes.

"Don't pick it anymore, I'll get some ointment from the van for you. Okay?"

Ray's eyes flicked over to the twenty-something brunette heroine with the grenade launcher as she stood near the older Russian man, "Nah, nah, I'm aight. I got this, no worries, Ms Normandy."

"Ah-huh, I'm sure. All the more I'll get it anyway, Ray."

He tuggeddown on his sweater's hood, "Oy, you're killing me here."

Karin chuckled a moment then sighed, "Just be careful it's - dangerous."

"Arkady said she uses non-lethal-"

"The tests, The Tests, Ray. Focus, we're here to see what you can do but safely. Call out if you feel any discomfort or pain or unease."

"Ahh, my ears alight with warmth, I hear young Ray call me and Arkady has returned."

Ray noticed the Technician's manila folder under his arm definitely thickened with more paper print outs as he left the console behind and proceeded to a new corridor, the rest of their group following.

"So this a pass-fail kinda testing or -"

Relic Quarry interrupted, "No, some of this equipment was meant to test industrial and scientific materials for military and civilian aeronautics projects a long time ago, so the results will be scanned and sent to the PRT servers and the heroine Dragon for thorough data analysis and give us insight to your powers and their effects- especially your durability and what type of form you take."

"Is phase shifting, quantum matter state. Very low threat, like a one, maybe two", Arkady chimed in.

"I, on the other hand, think your molecules diffuse and reduce your air resistance which allows you to travel quickly with either little energy expenditure or a massive energy draw. Considering how your clothes, which seem new, transformed and returned to their same form with no obvious deformity due to Manton Effect says you could be somewhere in the range of a six to eight depending on your power's encumbrance."

"Yes, yes, Quarry, numbers are numbers but I say phase shifting from solid to gaseous-plasma state."

"Nope, he's definitely moving so fast he's dodging the air molecules. And as a PRT liaison from the Protectorate numbers definitely matter to the public."

"Eh."

"Arkady Kuznetsov, do not 'eh' me. I have a patrol after this and I'm dragging a Ward with me so do not tap dance on the last few fu- feelings I have left to give with immaturity", the heroine crossed herself and kissed the black painted large, wooden beads that served as the sling for her grenade launcher.

"Okay we leave it to Professionals upstairs, I am just Senior lowly technician and you carry gun and very big knife", the older man smiled again with just the lower half of his face.

Karin turned to look at Ray as their escorts bantered, Ray simply shrugged and threw up his hands quietly baffled.

~~x

Unease was exactly what he felt when the robotic drone approached Ray in the current testing arena. His eyes darted around seeing scorch marks, gashes, slashes, and recently filled impact sites on nearly all the surfaces around him. With a sigh he pulled his hoodie off, bundled it into a ball and granny tossed it towards the least scorched corner of the testing area.

"Can't I just let Relic Quarry fire some rounds at me, maybe? Please?" Ray said as he leaned slightly away from the approaching robot.

"Eh, dearest Quarry had to go and retrieve her Ward for Patrol early. And as Ms Normandy's Youth Guard hero representatives are late you will have to deal with Ms Dragon's practice drone interim."

"Ohh, then robots make uneasy. Tapping out here, Sir."

Ray attempted to walk away from the drone and it quickly spat a wad of white containment foam securing one of his new shoes to the padded floor.

"Pretty sure that robot cheated, aaaaand ruined my new shoes."

"Fight! Win! Go go, Ray!" Arkady mimed throwing punches before turning back to the monitor bank.

The drone reared back like a viper about to strike. Ray diffused into his ghost streak form, it now carried a few flecks of white in the lower part of the streak. Ray suddenly appeared in the rear most section of the arena and the drone launched several wads of foam that passed through Ray and stuck to the wall and floor.

"So what can Ray do in that - that state if things pass through him and he can't touch them?" Karin asked Arkady.

"Well this is his time to learn. Possibly intangible coupled with immense speed, well he can easily sneak about. In the future a color shifting costume could serve for camouflage in field work, something of ambush specialist, ahh a spy to follow suspects, or scout position for PRT or a Ward team, eh?"

The streak zipped through the drone, Ray appeared behind it in his physical form and kicked the drone. His containment foam covered foot connected to the drone's chassis. It spun and the force of the spin pulled at the foam and carried Ray off his one foot he stood on.

"Maybe Ray could go University or learn a trade, eh?"

The floating robot sagged under the weight of the scarred teen and Ray's body kept trying to diffuse but the foot connected to the bot refused to change.

"Uhh, is calling Uncle an option at this point?" Ray asked as he lay on the floor and the drone slightly dragged the teen.

"In programming of drone there is no stalemate so until only one of you is completely done it stop."

Wads of containment foam expanded near his head and shoulders as the drone kept moving and attempted to spin to get a better angle to secure Ray.

He felt the tugs from the bot over and over with the sight of the expanding foam filling his vision. Ray's thoughts raced back to the night of the Endbringer attacked.

~~x

The massive ice chunk filled Flaco's vision when he looked back over his shoulder. The coming cold leeched the heat from the air around him, the icy waters that pushed it spattered the back of his leg as the other stretched forth and futilely pulled him forward.

When the ice and water collided with his back he felt the shock run its course to his still breaking heart. In that moment the dark sky opened it's great maw and swallowed him whole. Starlight and void served as the stage for what his Mama would call Angelitos, and his Abuelo would call fucked up, as the pair chased and danced across the black celestial ocean of the places scented candles try to describe.

The next thought was the cold on his back gave way to discomfort as the clothes on his body tore free, his vision blurred as moisture and oils on his body wicked away, and the air itself felt thick and clawed at his flesh.

Blinded by pain he kept running until he no longer sensed a thing but the cold pit in his chest before passing out.

~~x