I'm not an English major and I never got into creative writing, so most of the time it is very hard for me to get a point across in a non mathematical realm. I mixed X-men's Psylock and Tomb Raider to get Warren's mother.
First period all parents sat through an introduction meeting in the gym while their children reported to homeroom. Principle Powers had done some judicious rearranging of schedules after Homecoming as a reward for the small group of friends that had been responsible for saving not only the school, but quite possibly the entire super community. The result was that they all wound up in the same homeroom, with the exception of Warren, as he was in a different grade. So, separated from both their parents and their enigmatic reluctant friend, the group did what came naturally to teenagers…they gossiped.
"Dude! Warren's mom is HOT!" Zack's exclamation earned him a slap to the back of his head from his tentative girlfriend Magenta, a scathingly disapproving scowl from Layla, and confirming nods and murmurs of agreement form the rest of the student populace in Homeroom 110.
"Well, she's definitely not Chinese." Commented Ethan…
…
Meanwhile in Homeroom 210...Warren found himself facing the inevitable catch 22: he of course had to be on his absolute best behavior because his mother was at school, but being on his best behavior would put an irreparable dent in his reputation. So, maintain his reputation (which already had a serious dent in it because of a certain red head), or maintain his manners and have a quiet weekend at home. Choices…they could be a b
"Mr. Peace," Mr. Madula interrupted his train of thought. "Do you have your homework?" Warren gave the super nerd his patent pending death glare. Mr. Madula gulped, super nerd and adult though he was, he often forgot how intimidating this particular teenager could be.
Warren of course had his homework, he always did. Breaking his glare he searched through his bag and dug out his mad science homework, only slightly singed at the edges. He almost rolled his eyes at the students that were not so subtly observing the exchange between himself and the eccentric teacher. They were probably thinking something along the lines that Mr. Madula was bugging him about past due homework. And that if it didn't get turned in today, he would have to serve yet another detention. He rolled his eyes. Actually, he was going to be absent from school for a couple of days due to a…previously arranged event, so he had arranged to complete the work that he would be missing ahead of time. He wondered how many of them would drop dead of shock if they knew, and how many would follow if they knew it wasn't the first time he had done something like this. He decided that it really wasn't worth his time to wonder about such things and returned his attention to his book, and musing about the problem that was his mother visiting the school.
…
The gym was packed with parents. Someone, somewhere had decided that it would be a great idea for the parents of new freshmen to go through power placement, just as their children had had to. Principle Powers had debated, oh how she had debated, on whether or not that was a good idea. After all, this year the majority of the freshmen were first time supers in their families. And the ones that were second (third, and in the case of a certain pyro 10th) generation supers, there really was no point for them to go through power placement. But in the end, who was she to mess with tradition, especially when the Mother's Club meddled in it.
So there sat the parents, with their 'Hello My Name Is…' name tags, waiting for Coach Boomer to make his dramatic entrance. Usually the waiting period would be filled with chit-chat centered on catching up and comparing 'hero' stories (their like fish stories, the kind where the fish gets bigger with every telling). Today though, the chit-chat was about the very beautiful, very confident enigma that was Mrs. Peace.
Her hair was French braided to the back of her skull and tied off leaving the rest of it to flow down her back in a dark wave, a random braid mixed in with the loose hair. She sat alone, prim and proper in her charcoal business suit studying her nails as if the very situation was beneath her attention. Just as Josie Stronghold had gathered enough courage to approach the woman, there was a noise coming from the center of the gym.
All attention was diverted to the center of the gym as a platform rose out of it, the man known to the student population as Coach Boomer rising from the center of the platform. The incoming freshmen were usually too timid to react to Coach Boomer with anything but frightened silence. This group was different. There was a moment of stunned silence. Not the stunned silence that accompanies someone of great renown or grandeur, but the stunned silence of "I can't believe I'm actually seeing this." The silence was quickly broken by a few sniggers and snorts.
Put out that he would be unable to intimidate students, and intimidated (though he would never admit it to anyone…ever) by standing in front of several people he used to go to school with, Tommy Boomer took out his clip board and looked over the crowd.
Gathering his courage, he shouted "Alright, listen up. You will address me as Coach Boomer, or Sonic Boom." He frowned when he thought he heard someone say "Are you sure it isn't Gym Teacher Man?"
"The first thing your children do when they enter these halls is go through a placement exam. This exam allows us to evaluate the extent of their powers and determine which school track would be better for them, the Hero track, or the Sidekick track."
"Excuse me." A bright and cheery voice interrupted his monologue. He frowned again and scanned the crowd of parents looking for the interrupting party. There was a petit red head standing off to the side looking like she was ready to burst.
"Excuse me," she continued, "But didn't the incident at Homecoming prove the inherent flaws in this system? I was under the impression that revisions to the course structure were under way."
"Yes Miss…" Coach Boomer prompted. "Williams, Eleanor Williams." She supplied. He should have known. The flower child's mother, the hair should have been a dead giveaway. "Yes, well until the revisions are complete and have passed the approval of the NSC, then the system that is currently in place will be used." He explained. She looked unpleased, but didn't push further. Oh how he hated having to be polite.
"The current system," Boomer went on to explain to the group, "requires each student to demonstrate their powers and then be subjected to simple tests to evaluate their power's usefulness in the most basic situations. You all will do the same today. Though, regardless of how you do in these tests, you will be given the same evaluation that your children were given. Now, if there is nothing else, we will begin. When I call your name, please step up to the platform." With that he pressed a button on the remote control he stored on his belt and a set of stairs folded out of the side of the platform.
"Zimmer" he shouted…
…
Back in homeroom 110
"So do you think it will take all day to sort our parents like it did us?" Ethan asked as he sorted his cards, "Do you have a 2 Will?"
"Go fish." Will said, "I'm more worried about if they are going to make them follow our path exactly. You got a 4 Zack?" Zack's shoulders slumped as he frowned and handed over his 4.
"What do you have to be worried about?" Magenta asked, "Hand over your 2 Ethan. It would be way too easy if it did take all day."
"Why do you say that?" Layla asked as she put down two Queens.
"Because then we wouldn't have to deal with our parents sitting in on our classes with us." Magenta answered.
…
Homeroom 210
"…cannot fix a lamp on the horizon and count the number of passes per second. As it rotates, a Kerr black hole drags the entire fabric of space-time along with it. Theoretically it is only at an infinite distance that space-time ceases to 'rotate'…"(Black Holes. Jean-Pierre Luminet. University of Cambridge. 1987. P150)
'Wait, so if Kerr's geometry is a correct interpretation of black holes, then would a super massive black hole at the center of a galaxy explain the spiral pattern? The particle density of space is way too low to cause sufficient resistance to create the arcs seen in a spiral galaxy, but then again it could just be a function of angular momentum…'
And you all thought he was reading comic books and brooding over his mother being at school, and his best friend (yes he finally admitted it to himself) who happened to be his other friend's ex-girlfriend who became his friends in a misguided attempt to get the two friends together in the first place, wait where was I…ah yes; his best friend having a habit of sending more than best friend signals his way.
(if you got lost in that one, that was my intent. Warren considers Layla his best friend, and reluctantly admits that Will is indeed a friend)
…
Back in the gym
'Heaven help us all if she's anything like her daughter…' "Williams." Boomer shouted.
Her only movement was to cross her arms and stare at him. "Oh, don't tell me," Boomer said, "You only believe in using your powers when the situation needs it and you don't want to support a flawed system. I get enough of that from your daughter, now if you would be so kind as to play along for everyone else's sake." His tone was only slightly sarcastic.
She harrumphed. "Yes I do believe in using my powers only in situations that warrant them, and I do not want to support a flawed system. And even if I wanted to play along for everyone else's sake, I couldn't because my powers are communicating with animals and there are no animals here. Except maybe you, but even then you don't count." Mrs. Williams retorted.
…
Homeroom 110
"Dude! I swear your cheating." Zach said after giving up his 10 only to draw one.
"How do you cheat at Go Fish?" Magenta asked.
…
Homeroom 210
"…to 'rotate' and that it is possible to attribute an angular velocity to the horizon. Closer to the black hole, space-time is irresistibly sucked into a whirlpool shape. After the capture of light, this is the second fundamental characteristic of a black hole: it is a cosmic maelstorm." (Black Holes. Jean-Pierre Luminet. University of Cambridge. 1987. P150)
'Yah, that makes sense…'
"There is a profound analogy…"
…
Gym
'Ug, they had to wear their costumes didn't they. Why did they have to have a kid, and why did he have to go to school here? Why me? Why me? Why me?' Boomer complained to himself. "Stronghold." He shouted.
From the back Josie and Steve perked up. Putting smiles on their faces they began their walk (on Josie's part it was a graceful walk but Steve was more like strutting). Both with fists on hips and smiling graciously at the crowd they passed through.
Steve moved up the steps first and struck a gallant pose. He extended his hand to Boomer with a tight lipped smile, "Hello Boomer." Both men were clearly displeased to be in the other's presence. Boomer glanced at the outstretched hand and said, "Car." He had decided to push a button instead of shake the hand.
The word had barely left his mouth before a well used, generally crushed, multicolored car came crashing down on top of the unsuspecting Commander. Some of the first timers in the audience gasped. Some second and third timers cringed. Josie rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head.
Steve hadn't been expecting that (though if he were smarter, he should have). He bowed beneath the unexpected weight, but did not collapse. After adjusting his footing he straightened and tossed the car off to the side. Returning to his gallant pose he smirked at Boomer.
Boomer rolled his eyes. Then a slow smug smile spread across his face remembering that the parents would be placed on the track that their children were on. The Stronghold kid had been a sidekick before his fight with the Peace kid in the cafeteria. Oh how he was going to enjoy this.
"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE KICK!" he shouted, delving into his power; papers wend flying, parents lost their balance, windows shattered. A smile of triumph settled on Boomer's face, as he had managed to knock Steve off the platform. Every kid in the school paused what they were doing and wondered what poor side kick's parent managed to piss off Coach Boomer.
Replacing his triumphant smile with a pleasant one he turned to the waiting crowd of parents and said, "Mrs. Stronghold if you wouldn't mind stepping up here, we will continue with the placement process." Before she moved she shot both her husband and the teacher a look that told both of them that she was not amused. Then she gracefully stepped up to the platform.
"Now if you would please, tell us what your powers are." Boomer said as a perfunctory necessity.
Josie raised an eyebrow at his honey tone. "I fly." She said.
"Ok," Boomer said as he wrote something down on his clipboard. "Spring." He shouted. Before she even had time to process what he had said she found herself launched into the air. She stopped her forward progression turned and hung there for a second, hands on her hips. Then she decided it would be best for everyone if she played along. So she did a circle around the gym and landed neatly on the platform. "Hero." Boomer said.
As she stepped down he looked at the next name on his list and almost fell over. Gathering himself, and hoping that he didn't sound as shocked and fearful as he felt, he called the next name.
"Peace."