Claire
I knew better than showing off my power, especially in such a public place. It had been dumb, really, but I hated seeing pricks like that get a pass. I know my ruse wouldn't have lasted forever, but I at least wanted it to keep up past the first year or two. Oh well. At least my power would fog over most of it, just leaving the impression behind. Maybe I could use that fear to my advantage...
But for now I needed to get to my match, and then loose terribly. Grabbing Michael's arm I hauled ass through the crowd, already knowing where both of our fights would be. I hated mom's stupid memory drills, but they sure as hell came in handy now. I needed to throw my fight, and get in to watch as many of the other fights as possible. Nick told me that watching the fights was a day of gladiatorial entertainment for everyone year two and up, so there had to be a way for me to get in and watch them.
Michael seemed to still be a little bit clouded as we walked ( read, I dragged him bodily ) through the halls. As we approached the door labeled for his fight I decided to give him a bit of encouragement . " OK, this is you. Get in there and kick some ass. "
He stared at the door for a moment, poor guy, before turning and nodding. " Thanks. Really. Thanks a lot. I guess I'll see you around in class. " He took a dozing step into the combat cell, and the door slid shut behind him.
I hoped he would do well, or at least not get curb stomped. But this was the HCP. Most wouldn't cut it, as the dean had so readily reminded us. I needed to focus on my own goals. But it couldn't hurt to cultivate assets moving forward...
With that though I hightailed it for my own fight. I knew I wouldn't be able to win this match, that would completely blow my cover, but I could use it to get some good intel on the other student.. Nick had been drilling me on information gathering, on a bigger scale than I had ever really needed before, but this would be just like back home in school. I could stay to the background, take my notes, and be ready to exploit( or have Ray and Claire exploit) the weaknesses I found.
Finding my room in what I assumed was record time ( I spent enough time diving through crowds at flash sales that I had developed some major skills) I skipped into the cell that would hold my first battle. My opponent was already there, trying to cover her obvious nerves with plastered on overconfidence. So basic, at least choose a fun emotion to fake.
I skipped right up to her, grabbed her hand, and started the most obnoxious hand shake I could. She faltered for a minute, then yanked away. " I don't know what the fuck you did to that guy in there, but you're not pulling one over on me!"
I knew that if I wanted to I could easily do the same to her. She didn't have the mental strength to resist me, much less the ability to ignore my power. I had learned to feel out a persons mind ever since I nearly got shot by some mundane security guard back in middle school. This girl wouldn't present a challenge to me. But I had to stay in character. I needed to keep the little bits of my cover left.
"I don't know what you mean! I just had him draw on a mustache! And you have to admit, it was pretty funny. " I released her hand, and gave just the smallest push with my power. She would never notice, but it would make her more suggestible.
She blinked once, then twice. " I guess it was kinda funny. But I'm still gonna take you down!"
Good. I could work with that. " Maybe! I'm not really a fighter, but I can't wait to be a hero and help people! Let's do this!"
The speaker up above went through the same lines that Nick had told me about, no killing, don't go to hard, blah blah blah.
The challenge here would be to throw the fight without being horrible obvious about it. I couldn't just quit, but I needed to bail out ASAP, and show as little of my skill as possible. The professors here knew what I could do, having seen our " admissions test " so I didn't need to fight to impress them.
"Begin "
As soon as the dude administrating the test let us start the girl I had learned was Katy burst into flames. Oh. That was perfect. I could pull the old phobia line, and bail out with a solid excuse.
Turning on my best "squeaky and terrified " voice I immediately started screaming. " I yield! She wins! "
Katy looked at me, obviously shocked. " That's it?! What the hell?"
" I hate fire! I'm.. I'm sorry, but we had a fire when I was a kid, and I can't stand it now. You win... " I started breathing as hard as I believably could, laying it on thick.
" Katy Spenser is the winner of this match. A healer will be in shortly to assess both of you before your next rounds." The voice confirmed what Katy had apparently not totally believed.
" Oh. Well. OK. I guess we have to wait for the healer before we can go. "
The door slid open a few seconds later and a dark skinned girl walked in, smiling wide. " Any one need healing here? "
Katy took the lead, since I was still putting on my panic attack show. " I don't think so. She has a fear of fire, so we didn't really fight. "
"Oh my. Here, give me your hand honey. " She reached for my hand, and as soon as I grabbed it a warm glow ran over my skin. It was warm and calming. I just wanted to sit and let this wonderful girl give me a spa day with nothing but this feeling.
But I had to stay in character, I could not afford break again, not so soon after my first fuck up. I slowed my breathing, and let my voice go back to what I had decided would be "normal" for the foreseeable future. "Whoa. That's amazing. What is that?"
The pretty healer smiled and explained. " My power lets me heal, but it also gives a sense of euphoria. It really helps with panic and calming people down. I learned just how useful that was sophomore year..."
Her smile faltered, and then I realized what I had missed. She was in white, which meant that she was one of the fifteen seniors. More importantly it meant that she had been here for the Lander attack, and she had come back after she lived through it.
She stopped herself, smiling again, and let go, turning to Katy. " How about you, are you good to go on the next fight? "
My opponent nodded. " Yeah, all I did was stand there. I'm fine. " I suspected that she had missed the reference to Lander's crucible, but that was likely for the best.
Well. I got the hard part over. Throwing a fight and making it look natural was harder than "sneaking" into an open area that was meant to house students watching the fights. The rest of my day should be a cake walk.
I just needed to find where the observation decks were.
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"Hi! I hear this is where we get to watch the fights! Who else is excited for this next round? " I strolled into a room with a collection of grey and a few white uniforms.
"This round is just about to start. Some issue with the external equipment one of them wanted to bring in. You got here just in time. " A boy with eyes that were pure white told me, obviously not blind from the way he took in my rather stunning form. He was handsome in a sort of goth way. He wore a messy swath of eyeliner around his milky eyes, accentuating his pale skin. A quick brush of my power told me that he had an unusually strong mind, but nothing extraordinary.
A quick pass into the changing rooms had gotten me a new, this time grey, uniform. I probably could have gotten away with my black one, but no reason to take the risk. In a mixed environment with three different classes present I figured no one would notice if another grey cloaked student walked in. I was right, apparently. The HCP should make memorizing the entire class roster a requirement, but they likely had far more... Interesting security measures in place. Still, the classics were classics for a reason. Memory was harder to fool than a computer program.
"Well who do we have down there?" I asked the white eyed boy, giving a small swish as I walked up to him.
" Apparently someone who wanted to bring in a lot of knives. The professors put the kibosh on that until she could pass a skill test with them. They did let her bring in some other equipment, but I couldn't tell what. The other one also has outside equipment, but it's all on her belt, so no idea yet. " He turned to the window( really more like a glass wall ) as the older student at the mic started talking.
I admit I might have been ignoring him right up until he gave the competitors names. Jessica and Stacy. Shit. They had two of my dorm mates going against each other? That seemed like a good way to make enemies. But this was excellent for my purposes. I could knock out two in one. Those two had struck me as serious competition, and I had the gut feeling that they weren't going to be the type to leave in the first round of dropouts. It didn't hurt that Stacy at least had insider knowledge that most kids didn't walk in with.
I politely shoved my way to the front of the pack of kids, a hint of my power helping them pass over the fact that a little girl was moving them out of the way. No way was I missing a second of this showdown.
Looking over the two of them didn't give me a lot of extra information. I hadn't had enough time last night to sift through all the heroes that related to insects, but Stacy didn't have a single one of her spider boxes with her. Odd. I may have been going on a wild goose chase about her power if she didn't really need the spiders. Well, I wouldn't need to wait long to find out the truth. She did still wear her lucky scarf, which was interesting...
Oh god. The scarf. I was so dumb. That brat had basically spelled it out for me too. I didn't have proof, but my Gut said I was right.
"Begin!"
The two girls below tensed, and then I was proved right. The scarf that I was such a big fan of seemed to melt, the materiel flowing over Stacy's skin like a liquid. Before I knew it there were strands of silk extending from each digit, reaching into the small belt pouches she had on her person. The strands engulfed what looked like dull metal marbles, likely a sanded ball bearing.
Stacy controlled silk. That was what she needed the spiders for, and that was why she insisted on wearing a scarf that was really a liability in combat to a combat trial. She wasn't stupid, she was hiding her main weapon in plain sight. She raised the spiders as her own little silk factory, and I had jumped on entirely the wrong train of thought.
Jessica wasn't idle while Stacy prepared her tentacles of silk. She had quickly reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a packet that had to be seeds. We already knew what she could do, but this would be a test of how much she could do.
She didn't disappoint, at least on a showmanship level. The first seeds she pulled out exploded into a mass of bark and leaves, spreading over her, settling into a shape that resembled crude wooden armor, modeled after the type that the Japanese samurai had made. It still had gaps, but her vital organs and head were protected, and it covered most of her limbs, leaving gaps to allow mobility.
That fact turned out to be a very good thing as five of the thread tentacles that Stacy had tipped with ball bearings went flying at her. Three hit the wooden plates on her legs, but vines sprouted from Jessica's hand, attaching to the ceiling, and quickly pulling her up and away from the last two threads. The wood cracked, but held, strong enough to hold back the heavy bearings that Stacy used.
The five that Stacy had held back were weaving around her, apparently those were her defensive line. Not a bad idea, since they could respond to an attacker or projectile at the speed of thought.
As the last two threads missed Jessica's legs, and collided with the wall I realized I had made yet another mistake. Those weights had to be far heavier than regular ball bearings. Where the two had hit the wall behind where Jessica had been the concrete( which Penny had informed me was actually not concrete ) cracked. There was no way the threads were moving with enough force to make regular ball bearings crack that wall. It must be something much denser, giving her swings more stopping power.
That meant the wood that had only cracked had to be WAY stronger than any natural wood I knew of. I filed that away for future reference.
Jessica had her vines growing and grabbing into the walls, puling her along at a quick pace. She had to be a moving target, if she stood still those threads would take advantage of the gaps she had left on her armor. She must have remarkable control over her plants, as she was pulled, flipped, and deposited in such quick succession that I had trouble following the movement.
Suddenly having her opponent behind her Stacy turned with surprising grace, trying to face her foe again. She was too slow, Jessica had already reached into her pouches again, and a thick tree stump was sprouting from her hand. The wood from the sprouting tree seemed to flow, engulfing Stacy's hands, completely ignoring the barrage of blows from the tentacles. Faster than I thought possible the wood had completely covered Stacy's hands, and continued over most of her lower body, but not going near her head or face.
That was likely to avoid any penalties for potential lethal force. This way Stacy was safely held, and there could be no accusation that she was in danger.
Stacy never gave up. We weren't able to see what she was attempting, but the determination and focus on her face gave away the struggle that had to be occurring. Three minutes seemed to drag on, the tension in the observation room palpable. It was only after the white clad boy had declared Jessica the winner that Stacy seemed to relax.
Oh. She didn't just relax, she seemed to crumple as the tree surrounding her returned to Jessica's hand as nothing more than a seed pod. Jessica caught her before she hit the ground, and whispered into Stacy's ear. She didn't seem to hear, and slowly Jessica lowered her to the floor, sitting beside her. The senior announced that a healer would be in shortly, and soon the same white clad girl that had been in my and Katy's fight came into view. She held onto Stacy's hand, and the girl seemed to come back to herself.
Soon the three girls left the combat cell together, and the watchers were freed from the spell over the room. A murmur shuddered through the room, people whispering over what they had seen. I didn't blame them. Jessica had put on quite the show, and anyone who was around the super powered world for long knew that an ecomancer was someone to watch. Even the lower-powered ones could be dangerous, and Jessica had shown she was at least a mid-range super.
I turned to leave the room, and started heading for the door. I could feel eyes on me, but my cover required that I act like I belong there, so I continued my trek to to the next combat cell. As soon as I got out of the observation room I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whirled, ready to fight, but recognized the white eyed boy who had given me the low down on the two competitors.
"I assume you're a freshy, since the security in this place would have lost it's shit if you were an outsider. " He looked at me with certainty. Damn. Apparently some of the students here were also fans of the classics.
I could play it coy, but he had obviously gone the route of knowing exactly who was in each class. But he also hadn't busted me in front of the other students, so maybe this wasn't a disaster.
"Caught me. I heard that the older students liked to bet on the fights, so I figured I would come along and watch the show. " I decided to play innocent, technically no one had said freshmen couldn't watch the fights.
"Uh huh. And you just stumbled onto an HCP uniform that would ensure you went under the radar. " He started walking, arm on my shoulder like we were the best of friends, away from the observation room door.
" Well, I may have borrowed the outfit, just to avoid any awkward questions. " No reason to try and lie about stealing the clothes, he knew I didn't belong to the sophomore or junior classes. Still, he was guiding me away from the main mass of the students, something that I normally would never allow. But this was the HCP, there was no way they'd allow anyone crazy to stay around long.
"Of course. Look, I respect someone who knows the value of information, but I don't want to set the precedent that the upper classes are all made of idiots. Most of the people here are the brawler type, but between all of us there are a few people who know that fighting isn't the only way. " He continued his march, reaching an elevator that didn't look like the ones we had come down here on.
We stopped in front of the elevator, just long enough for him to press his palm to the door. It opened silently and with a small tug on my shoulder we stepped through. I needed to know where this was going. Being caught was bad enough, but I hated going into a situation completely blind.
"Should I be worried about an older student dragging me into an elevator with no witnesses ?" I wasn't truly worried for my safety, but it was a simple enough ploy to get some information on where we were headed.
"There are always witnesses in the HCP. This place has some of the best security on the planet. Don't be under the illusion you're ever unobserved here. " He released his grip as the doors shut, but he spoke with a certainty that made it clear he knew first hand about the security.
"Fine. There may be cameras down here, but it's not generally a good idea to go down unknown elevators with strangers. " I kept on the same track, hoping to guilt him into giving me information in hopes of making me feel safer.
"No, it's not. But if you're the type that's scared off by uncomfortable elevator rides then you're useless to the HCP, and you'll be gone by the end of the year. "
I nodded at him, deciding that farther pushing would likely get me no where. Soon enough the doors opened to a large room that looked to have once been a server room, cable connections running along the walls and ceiling, old server racks covered to prevent dust buildup. It was equally apparent that it now served a different purpose. A small cluster of 11 students sat in a mismatched array of chairs, a wall of salvaged monitors had been setup, and a small tower of computers was whirring away, splicing into the cables that crisscrossed the walls, and attached to the monitors that were the focus of the group.
"This is study hall. Normally we wouldn't have brought in any new students until the second semester, but if you insist on getting in trouble then you better learn from the best. I'm not sure how much you know about the HCP curriculum, but in second year you'll be introduced to specialties. After the attack on Lander some of the students from the subtlety specialty decided it was important to have, shall we say, a neighborhood watch, of sorts. They started study hall, and began training the other subtlety students in their free time. The professors here are damn good, don't get me wrong, but you can't learn everything in just a few hours of class. " He guided me towards the cluster of other students, who all seemed occupied with what was on the monitors. It took me just a second to realize that they were watching live feeds of the combat cells, all of the students either watching or taking notes.
"Meghan! I brought a new troublemaker from the pile of fresh meat upstairs. She decided to "borrow " ( yes, air quotes were used) a uniform from the lockers and sneak into the observation rooms. I figured we'd better get her in on the program before she got in over her head. " He addressed a white clad girl who was typing away on a laptop.
"I know dumb-ass. I heard you the first time you called for me. " She turned to me, and gave me a once over. She narrowed her eyes, obviously not pleased by something. " I can't read you. I don't like that. If you turn out to be more trouble than you're worth then I will make it my personal pleasure to not only see you out of here, but to have you out of the HCP. Just because I can't hear your thoughts doesn't mean I can't remove you from play. "
I was honestly surprised. I knew Mary could read my thoughts, she had displayed that ability on multiple occasions in just the last day.
"You mean you're a telepath? I know my chaperone can read my thoughts. She never had any issue with it. "
Meghan snorted. " Of course she can. Mary is special. That girl could have been top of her class, but she went with the caretaker job instead. Never assume that anything about Mary Smith is the norm. " With that rather cryptic remark she turned back to her typing, and I settled in to watch the fights. I still needed to do my job, even with this rather unexpected wrench thrown in the works.
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I turned to Briar ( the cute goth boy who had dragged me down here) and asked." So do the professors know about this place? It doesn't look very official, but you said everything was under heavy surveillance. "
He kept his eyes on the screens, watching a girl take blast after blast of fire, and still continue towards Katy, AKA little Miss pyro from my my first fight. " They do. You have to understand that the HCP is different from a more traditional school. We found this place, we built the equipment, and we do the work, but they let us do it. We would have no chance of breaking into the video feeds if the professors didn't allow us to. They may not acknowledge that we exist publicly, but the fact that they let us exist is a sort of... silent approval from them. If we push too far, or try and go where we shouldn't we all know we'd be shut down. We play within the boundaries and they let us have our club house. "
I nodded, understanding. It was similar to the Chinatown agreement back home. Everyone knew what happened there, but could never admit to that. Still, it's continued existence meant that they approved, or at least understood why it existed.
"I can see how that would work out. Who does the training though? The seniors? " I kept most of my focus on the ongoing fights, but I wanted to understand the rules here. Especially if I already had a suspicious senior telepath on my back.
"We all do. A lot of people come in here with skills to share, and those who don't usually find an area to specialize in. You can't make it into the HCP without a few good selling points, especially if you don't have an impressive power. You'll eventually start teaching others here, and those will then teach others. It's a cycle, and it has the upside of constantly improving the level of skill and power our HCP brings to the table. " Briar was also focused on the screens, but he was looking on in a more passive manner. He wasn't in direct competition with those students, so while he wanted to know their powers and abilities as much as much as anyone with my tendencies his continuation in the HCP wasn't based on out-thinking and outfighting those students.
"Is Meghan the head bitch in charge around here?' I asked, not bothering to keep my voice particularly low, since said bitch would simply hear it from Briar's thoughts.
" No, that dubious honor goes to the number one student in the senior class, Nancy. We all just call her Nan though. Hates the name Nancy, says its for old women and grandmas. " He smirked, and I had to agree, it was kinda funny that the most powerful student in the senior class was named Nancy for gods sake.
"But a word of advice, don't fuck with her to much. She's the best for a reason, and I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath. " He was serious, but he had no malice in his voice. Mostly respect. Nancy ( or Nan, if I wanted to keep my head) must be a badass to get that much respect from someone who didn't seem to give many fucks about what people thought.
"I'll keep that in mind. When do we start training down here though? I want to get in as much as I can. Can't afford to get rusty. "
"In the next two or three days. The upper classes have significantly less time to screw around in then the lower years, so it will be a bit before we begin. But if you want I could do a one on one with you until we start group training. " He looked at me with grin, obviously asking me out for more than just a workout.
"Why sir! " I said, adopting the worst British accent I could muster up . " I would be delighted to accompany you for a training session!"
Having someone who knew the lay of the land be in your good graces was always a good thing, and it didn't hurt that he was kinda cute too. I could make this work...
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Ray
My first fight had been easy. Far too easy, honestly. I had gotten used to fighting real villains and sparring with adult heroes back home. Coming here and facing off against someone who obviously had no training fighting, much less fighting someone with powers was a shock to my system. Someone who could make glowing weapons appear sounded impressive until you realized that the poor guy had literally no experience using the weapons. It had been over in less than a minute, finished off with a quick blow that shattered his knee.
I felt a little bad about that, but I didn't want to risk him getting in a lucky hit. Plus, the HCP had healers on staff, so there was no permanent harm done.
This round had not gone as smoothly.
My opponent had gotten in a small hit on my hand when I had attempted to attack his legs( Ettin had told me early on that for someone with a lot of strength the legs were an ideal target, since you had a low chance of killing your opponent. ) and I had felt a bit of something wet on my skin. I mistook it for sweat at first, the adrenaline of the fight making me loose my normal thought processes. As my vision swam I realized that it had definitely not been sweat, but more likely some sort of sedative.
My hit to his leg was certainly hurting my foe, the way he stood making that abundantly clear. Unfortunately the poison was also making it difficult for me to stay conscious and standing myself.
"Give it up. That shit'll put down a bull, you've got no chance. You already won your first fight, no reason to keep wasting my time. " The punk currently taunting me was Sharif, according to the speaker watching over our fight.
I only had one real chance to turn this crap show into a victory. Ettin had told me about how he and his mentor, Titan, had overcome their lack of range in combat. He'd even given me some of the lighter versions of the ultra-dense marbles that they used. I would have been an idiot not to take their advice, so I had started drilling with them on top of my usual workout.
Reaching a hand into the pocket of my uniform I tried to grip onto the rough metal ball, my body and vision wavering due to the drugs I had been slipped. I needed to focus, this was how I could prove that I belonged here, that I had the power to be a hero here. My fingers tightened on the sphere, and I focused my vision, trying to see through the waves that clouded my eyes. I pulled the bearing out, focusing on the knee that had gone untouched. If he couldn't stand then the match was mine. I threw, adding enough force that it would disable the limb of the average person.
My training had paid off, as the bearing flew fast and true, Sharif not paying enough attention to me to dodge. He though he had already one the battle, so why bother focusing on a downed opponent. My senses were better than any human, but the crack that came from the shattering of Sharif's knee likely would have been audible to anyone in the room.
He went down, cursing up a storm. I had heard a lot of creative language in my days, Claire being one of the best users of curse words I had observed. He was nearly on her level, but he lacked the creative touches that made Claire's cursing so well done. With both legs down and me out of reach the fight was called quickly.
A rather pretty dark skinned girl rushed over to Sharif's side, holding glowing hands to his exposed flesh. "Hold still! I need to have skin contact to fix you up. "
He moaned something, but I never found out what. With the fight officially over I gave up my hold on conciseness, not even feeling my body hit the ground.
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I woke up in a rather comfortable bed, and my first instinct was to go back to sleep. My body had tended towards more extremes after getting powers. I ate a lot more, and when I slept I was out like a light. It was a small price to pay for getting such cool powers, and for getting to work alongside my girlfriend.
The girlfriend who was currently shaking me like a Bond style martini. "RAY! You're not going back to sleep ! We have to go see the final match! Jessica's in the finals, and Claire wants us to cheer for her. "
"What happened?" Ok, I was still groggy. Whatever that guy had dosed me with was taking it's time to clear out of my system.
Penny looked embarrassed for a moment before telling me." You technically won your match, but the drug that asshole used on you didn't clear out fast enough for you to make your third fight. They had to disqualify you. I'm sorry, I know you wanted to show your skills today. " I was a bit shocked that Penny had "stooped" to using traditional curse words, but it was also sweet that she cared so much.
Penny grabbed me in a quick hug before pulling away. " Come on minion, you know Claire will have her revenge if we miss this fight. "
I knew she was right. We may never know when, or how, but that girl would see vengeance served. With Penny helping me through the halls ( Read- dragging my groggy behind at speed) we made good time to the combat viewing area. The large room overlooking the cell was crowded with people in all uniform colors, and I even saw a couple of the professors standing in the crowd, obviously interested in who would take the metaphorical crown.
The brackets were originally separated by sex, but once the competition got to this level the difference in body size and strength was nearly moot, so the top boy and top girl would be competing for the overall top rank in the freshman class. This would be determining the top of the heap, and I couldn't wait to see what happened.
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Corey was a bit more shocked than he wished to admit to when a group of four suddenly appeared in front of him, only to have one of them disappear once more. As a teleporter he was used to seeing the annoyed or surprised looks on peoples faces when he pulled that stunt, but it was different having it done to you.
A man in a dark outfit seemingly made of nothing but pockets stepped forward, reaching out a hand. " Hi. I'm Jeremiah, and these are my teammates, Perception and Deficit. We've been called in on case number 1163. Apparently someone pretty high up decided you needed some extra fire power. "
Corey tried to keep his face blank, but that was easier said then done. In the end he decided on honesty, even if he might piss off some powerful people.
"I know that my boss wanted hero involvement in this, and don't get me wrong, I respect what y'all do, I just don't see how having someone who throws tanks around for fun will help this case. But I have been ordered to read you in, and I'm sure as hell not gonna piss Her off. "
Jeremiah smiled, and I thought I saw just a tiny bit of a grin on the woman's face, perception, he called her. I looked to the other one, and he gave me the weirdest feeling. Looking at him felt... Slippery. Like he would stop existing if I so much as blinked. I noticed the four guns the man had strapped onto himself, and was impressed to say the least. I love me a good old gun nut, hell, I was one myself.
"Your team has DVA clearance, so I'll do a little bit of explaining too, I suppose. Shall we sit? " Jeremiah motioned towards the chairs setup around one of our teams meeting and staging rooms. I had already retrieved most of the evidence and files, but since I needed to give the rundown I took the liberty of getting the rest setup in advance.
"Make yourselves at home. I have the feeling you'll be seeing a lot of this room, if history has any measure. " We made our way to the chairs, each settling in for what was undoubtedly going to be a long night.
"Thank you. Now, before we get to your case I want to give you a little more information than we normally make public. When a hero graduates they must have chosen a discipline, or major. Each one is different, but my team all comes from the subtlety major, otherwise known as the dirty tricks brigade. We all have different areas we excel in, but consider us the spies, manipulators, and undercover agents of the hero world. We're not the popular, well known heroes, but we do our job, and we do it damn well. " Jeremiah looked comfortable talking about things that many people would shy away from. He had obviously come to terms with the fact that he was in a less than honorable field, and was no longer afraid to say that out loud.
But on the upside he may be useful. Way more useful than I had guessed at first. Just more proof to not disregard the orders that She gave, even when they seemed fucking stupid.
"Well, I gotta admit this is better than I was expecting. I thought She was putting heroes on the case to make it look better, but if you all do what you say you do then I think you'll be downright useful. Now, did She tell you how she wanted things run, or are we just making it up as we go along? "
"I was given the authority to make that call. Bluntly, I think this case is a shitstorm waiting to happen. Almost 20 missing children, and no physical evidence or witnesses. Plus, these are just the ones we know about. It's highly likely that these people are also taking the opportunity to grab up any supers or powereds they can find living on the streets."
"My team thought the same thing, but it's near impossible to track those groups. They're constantly moving, just trying to stay alive and not get lynched in the fucking streets. Those kids do everything they can to be untraceable, hell they try and be invisible. I threw what I could at that angle and came up with nothing but suspicions. " Corey hated to admit it, but he and his team had felt useless on this case. His voice was strained, with a mixture of anger, frustration, and sadness.
Perception took the break in his speech to speak up. " Sir, I know what your team has done, and I've looked at all the numbers for your entire teams existence. You all do good work, and put up results. This isn't an attack on you or your people, but you don't have the resources that we do. We can do things and go places that no federal agent would be allowed into. This type of case is why subtlety heroes exist. "
Jeremiah nodded at the other team's leader. " She's right. Your team is good, so good that I plan on working with you all on this. Having a dozen trained supers to throw at this is a resource that only an idiot would turn down."
Corey snorted. " You don't seem like the dumb type, even if I didn't know you were a hero."
"Thank you. Now, my team is made up of subtlety heroes, and most of us aren't the type to go for traditional combat. Normally I'm the face of the team, but Perception and Deficit are two of my teams best at this sort of work, so they'll be working in the offices, along with keeping up their normal hero duties. This case is a priority, but it's not the only thing we're responsible for. They'll be in and out, but expect them around for a while. There is one more person that will be working directly with your team, but he is currently on assignment. You may be familiar with Jack of All?"
"Shit. Yeah, I've seen quite a bit about him and his whole test group. I though he was working in Brewster, with Titan and his ilk? " Corey tried to keep up to date on heroes in general, but the news that four powereds had made it into the HCP, and then graduated had shaken the country. He had certainly heard of the new hero, but he was surprised to find the man associated with a team of sneaks.
"We've tried harder than you would believe to make the situation seem that way to the public, but he is interning under me. He'll be the hero assigned to work with your team in any combat situations that may arise, along with myself to supervise.
Corey nodded at the hero, finally feeling a bit of hope that they might get somewhere on this damned case. " Well, let's get to it. There's a lot to go over. "
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Authors note
Yo. I'm messing around a bit in this chapter, trying to make the points of view work how I want them to. If you all find it hard to follow, or just hate them let me know and I'll re-write with a single POV per section and see how that feels. Also for anyone who knows the SP canon, yes, I'm fluffing it a bit, but I see no direct canon conflicts. If there is an issue you find feel free to PM me about it. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Also the chapters will move a bit faster after this. I want to lay a good ground work for the story, especially for those who may not be familiar with the SP story line. Please bear with me.