I got some great responses :) thanks everyone! Heres the next chapter.
Oh and they wont always come out this quickly. I was just super eager :)
Shadow's question went unanswered. Before Hiccup had a chance to stammer out a response, Frost stepped forward, a large smile on his face.
"Hey man!" He clapped a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. He could feel the cold seeping through his sweatshirt. "Don't look so nervous. Your life just got a little bit more awesome."
Hiccup felt himself return's Frost's smile and his nerves growing smaller. The twins were still eyeing him carefully.
"He looks like an element boy," Battery said, her voice husky and low. "Probably water or something."
"I don't know," her brother answered. "He's definitely not strength. Too wiry."
It was true. Hiccup reached a little over six feet. His twenty year old frame was skinny and too bony for his liking. He looked nothing like Tank, who was short, but brawny.
"Wiz will scan him," Shadow said. Her demeanor hadn't changed. One hand rested on her hip and Hiccup couldn't help but notice the gun hooked there. "Make sure he isn't hiding anything."
"Such a ray of sunshine," Frost muttered to Hiccup.
"So, what are you?" Tank demanded. He didn't look like he really cared. More like he was eager to laugh at Hiccup's inferior power.
"I-uh I don't really know," Hiccup admitted. At least his voice didn't crack this time.
"Ooh, a mystery," Canary whispered, excitedly. "You look like you have super speed."
Hiccup wanted to laugh. While it was true he had no idea what to call his…power, he knew it wasn't super speed. What happened to him this morning was definitely not simply running fast. Your bones didn't break and expand, skin turn from soft and white to hard, rough black plates, and protrusions grow from your back when you ran. No, Hiccup was something else.
"Just take him to Wiz," Tank said, walking towards one of the many hallways leading out of the room. "Find out what he does. I need to get this suit off."
"Agreed," the twins said unison, following Tank out of the room.
Hiccup watched as they shoved each other. Then, Battery lightly touched a lamp. It flickered out and she used the same finger to press against her brother's forearm. His skin turned to dark charcoal gray, to stone, as a small zap of electricity shot from her fingertips.
It must have been obvious that Hiccup was starring, because Frost chuckled as he steered Hiccup to another hallway. Shadow led the way, with Canary skipping behind her.
"You'll get used to that," Frost told him, removing his hand from his shoulder. "She keeps hoping one day he'll fail to evolve right, but she never manages to get through."
"Its weird," Hiccup spoke up. "I mean, seeing it all so close up."
They left the room and were in a hallway that didn't match the coziness of the room they left. It made Hiccup think of a school hallway, with the florescent lights and tiled floors. They passed large windows that showed science labs and many mechanic stations. Hiccup silently craved to get in there. One thing he knew he would miss was his job at the garage.
"Like I said," Frost answered. "You'll get used to it."
Canary continued her odd dance and skipping routine. Her large braid swung as she moved and Hiccup swore he heard her humming.
"Is she always like that?" Hiccup muttered as they continued down the hallway.
"Another thing you'll get used to," Frost answered. "You can always bet on that girl being happy, like all the time. Nothing gets her down."
Hiccup watched as Canary wandered too close to Shadow, bumping her with the braid he was sure weighed a ton. Unlike what he expected, Shadow gave the girl a smile and continued walking. So, she was just harsh with him.
Frost seemed to read his thoughts.
"She's tough on new people," he told Hiccup. "Don't take it personally."
They rounded a few corners in silence. Hiccup was just wondering how he'd even manage to memorize the layout of this place when Shadow went through a set of heavy metal doors.
They were in a lab of some sorts. It was much larger than the ones they passed and didn't have any windows to the hallway. There were several platforms and tables, but only one desk in front of three, large monitors. At the desk, was a heavy set man with headset on. He looked as young as Frost and Hiccup, maybe give or take a couple years.
"New guy arrived," she announced. Her voice didn't have the harshness it held earlier. "Suits found him before he really figured out what he was."
Hiccup figured this was Wiz, the man behind the superheroes. There was always speculations they had some form of communication with a higher intelligence during their battles, but it had never been confirmed.
"Hey there," he said to Hiccup, a very welcoming smile on his face. "Hope you don't mind being hooked up to a machine for a minute."
"Guess not," Hiccup answered.
"Don't worry," Canary chimed in. "It's a body scanner. Shows what you can do."
Wiz began typing furiously into the large keypad and looking intently at one of the monitors.
"Go ahead and take off your shirt and shoes. You can keep the jeans on though."
Frost took Hiccup's backpack from him as he stripped off his sweatshirt. He felt his chest heat up as he unbuttoned his flannel shirt, trying not make eye contact with Canary and Shadow.
"Our computers picked you up at 5:43," Wiz continued, still working on the computer. "What happened?"
"Your computers found me?" Hiccup asked, dropping the shirt on a nearby table and kicking off his sneakers.
"That's how the feds find us," Shadow answered. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she gazed unemotionally at Hiccup. Blonde bangs fell in front of one eye, blocking it from his view. "That computer is connected to multiple satellites that are constantly scanning for mutated genes."
"Why didn't it find me before?" Hiccup asked. He tried not dwell on the fact he was shirtless, speaking to the hottest girl he'd ever seen. Not for the first time in his life, he wished he had a bit more in the muscle department.
"Because, they'd never been activated before," she explained. "Your power, ability, whatever technically didn't exist before this morning. It was hidden in your cells. It's like being a carrier of a disease, but not actually showing the symptoms or being sick yourself."
"Okay." Hiccup glanced at Frost, who gave him a smirk. "What activates them?"
"Pain. Anger. Any extreme emotion besides happiness basically. You were either really sad or really pissed off this morning, right?"
For the first time since the early hours of the morning, Hiccup remembered. Saying nothing, he gave Shadow a stiff nod.
"Why do I carry it?" he asked, before she could ask more on the subject.
"Back in the day there was a lot of radiation going around," Wiz explained. He'd stopped typing and moved to one of the platforms, messing with a tangle of wires. "Testing nuclear bombs came with some consequences. Mutated genes get passed down. Some activate, some never do. They never become activated until after puberty though. When it does happen, your cells let off small amounts of radiation. Nothing harmful, but it's unique enough that we pick it up. Our computer alerts a small department of the government. You know what happens after that."
Hiccup nodded, soaking in all this new information. So, he had a bloodline of mutated genes. Wiz nodded for him to come over and Hiccup stepped up on the platform. The metal was cold on his bare feet, but he tried not to let it show.
"So, you have no idea what happened when your cells activated?" Wiz asked, placing the tangled wires under an open tile on the platform.
Hiccup shook his head, sending several strays of brown hair into his eyes. "No, not really. It-it hurt. Is that normal?"
"Hm, sometimes. It just depends. For example, having ice shoot from your fingertips for the first time can burn or screaming at a volume that shatters stone will make your throat sore before your body adjusts to it. But suddenly having the ability to sneak by people and shoot a bullet that never misses won't affect you the same. It just means you have a more physical ability."
"It was weird," Hiccup admitted. "I couldn't think right. It felt like I was being ripped apart and things were coming out of me. I didn't feel like I was me."
Shadow raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed, and Wiz looked up thoughtfully while he shut the tile closed.
"Don't worry. In about thirty seconds we'll find out just what your cells are doing to you."
He stepped off the platform and went back to his desk. Hiccup looked to the others. Shadow was still eyeing him carefully, but Frost gave him a thumbs up and Canary clapped her hands excitedly.
Suddenly, glass was rising on all sides of the platforms. They raised above Hiccup, before closing a few feet above his head. There was several whirring sounds and air circulated through the closed glass. He could feel the vibrating of the machine around him, but it didn't block out the voices from outside.
"What do you see?" Shadow asked, leaning over Wiz's shoulder and gazing up at the screen.
"His cells are loose, almost like Tuff's." Hiccup silently wondered why he never heard of that superhero before, then realized it was one of their actual names. "So, his body undergoes drastic physical change. That's why it hurt him so bad."
"But what do they do."
"Hang on, hang on," Wiz muttered, staring intently at the screen. Then, his eyes grew wide. Hiccup felt his nerves return watching his face.
"Oh my God."
"What?" Shadow demanded.
"Is he okay?" Canary asked, worryingly. Both her and Frost approached the screen, but it was obvious they didn't understand it.
"His cells," Wiz gasped. "They're two completely different sets of DNA codes embedded in them. They don't just alter slightly, they completely change."
"All of our cells changed." Frost glanced at Hiccup, before looking back at the screen.
"Not like this. Your cells change, but they keep their base DNA. Even with your powers, you're still human."
"And he's…not?"
"Not when he doesn't want to."
Shadow's mouth dropped and her piercing gaze snapped to Hiccup. The whirring sound ceased and the glass slowly lowered. Hiccup shifted uneasily under her eyes.
"You're a shapeshifter!"
Hiccup's mouth dropped, matching hers.
"Are-are you sure?"
"Yep," Wiz declared, still examining the screen. "And it's no normal animal. There's no known match for your second form of DNA. I can't find anything on it."
Hiccup felt numb as he stepped off the platform. He grabbed his shirt and buttoned it up.
He could turn into an animal. Well, something animal like. That explained the feeling of breaking and growing bones. Hiccup felt like he should be freaking out a bit, but he was oddly calm.
"Nice man." Frost pumped a fist in the air. "What if you change into like a werewolf or something? That'd be awesome! You'd have such a cool code name."
"I can't tell you anything about your other form yet," Wiz continued. His eyes were still fixed on the screen. "But your human self has changed too, just not very much."
"I don't feel any different," Hiccup said, looking down at himself.
"It's very slight. In time, you should be able to train your body to enhance yourself even more, but now it's very subtle changes."
"Like?" Shadow pressed.
"The normal stuff. Muscle dexterity, endurance, and it looks like you've developed powerful reflectors in your eyes."
"I have all of this now?" Hiccup asked, slightly amazed.
Wiz nodded. "Should we test it out?"
The training arena impressed Hiccup more than anything else. It was like a large pit, with padded walls and a walkway on the edge of it, allowing onlookers to see what was happening. There were large cracks in the cement floors and scorched marks on the some of the pads. Targets lined one wall while weights lined the another.
The Guardians stood around Hiccup, now all their normal clothes. It was awkward, seeing them dressed like average people; almost unnerving.
Hiccup tried not to look at Shadow. While he felt surer of himself than when he arrived, locking eyes with her penetrating gaze always made his stomach flip again.
"Okay, new guy," Tank spoke up. When he, Evo, and Battery had been filled in on Hiccup's power, they were just as eager to see what he could accomplish. "Try not to phase. We want to see what your human self can handle."
"Can we stop calling him 'new guy'," Battery groaned. "It's getting old."
Canary gasped, yet another smile breaking out on her face. She clapped several times and did a little dance.
"We never did introductions!" she squealed. Her large braid was swinging dangerously close to Frost, who side stepped away from it.
"I'm Punzie," Canary continued. "My real name is too long, so I prefer the nickname. You know what each of us does, right?"
"Um, the basics," Hiccup admitted. Supers never gave the specifics of their powers to the public. It'd be too easy for a villain to figure out how to defeat them.
"I can control my vocal cords to match the frequency of things around them, causing them to shatter," she explained. Canary, or rather Punzie, then grabbed her large braid and brought it in front of her. "When I sing, at the right note, my hair can heal whatever wound it's touching or myself. If I cut it, the energy inside escapes."
Hiccup nodded, thankful for an explanation for her mass of hair. He silently wondered how long it would be if the braid came undone.
"Jack," Frost said, giving a fake bow. "Basically I absorb the water in the air and change it to ice. Pretty simple."
"My names Ruff," Battery said. "And my idiot brother is Tuff. I can take in electricity from whatever I touch and control it. Tuff here-."
"Evolves," her brother said, giving her a hard shoved. "My cells evolve on their own to keep me alive. I don't even have to think about it. I fall in water, I instantly grow gills. My dumb sister tries to shock me, my skin turns to stone. It really takes zero effort on my part."
Hiccup smirked as his sister shoved him back, but Tank quickly spoke up.
"Snotlout. There's nothing sciency and boring about me," he scoffed. "I could carry a train if I wanted."
"I'm Astrid."
Figures. The goddess of beauty definitely fit the girl in front of him, especially when she wasn't using her mean voice. Hiccup waited for her explanation on her abilities, but none came.
"Uh, Hiccup." God, he always hated telling people his name. He didn't care that it was passed down and a family tradition. People probably thought his parents were high when they picked a name for their child. "My names Hiccup."
"Hiccup," Snotlout scoffed. "Damn that's bad."
He walked away, snickering. No one seemed to share in his amusement though. Astrid narrowed her eyes at his retreating figure, then turned back to Hiccup.
"All we're going to do is see where your limits are in this form," she explained. "After we figure that out, we can focus on controlling when you phase."
Wiz stood against the railing that lined the top of the arena. Hiccup could easily see the tablet in front of him that he was reading a list off of.
"Test his muscle strength first," he called down to them. "The computer shows he should be able to hold more than an average human. It's nowhere near Snotlout though."
"Damn right it's not," Snotlout muttered, walking back to the group. From the wall of weights he grabbed a plain, metal rod and thrusted it into Hiccup's hands. "We'll add weights to this until you can't handle it. Don't watch us, just look straight ahead."
Hiccup nodded, situated the bar in his hands held it above him, then looked at Punzie in front of him.
"Nervous?"
"You have no idea," he grunted. He could hear the sliding of metal against the pole above him and the shuffling of the group, but his arms had yet to feel the weight.
"I do actually," she giggled. "I was a mess when they brought me here. I hadn't figured out how to control my vocal cords and kept blowing everyone's ear drums."
Hiccup let out a short laugh. There were more sounds of sliding metal. Hiccup could feel the pressure now, but it wasn't heavy.
"How ya doing Hiccup?" Jack asked from his side.
"Keep going. I barely feel it."
More sounds of sliding metal. The pressure increased, but it was still bearable. After about a minute of this, Hiccup could finally feel the weight adding up.
"Snotlout," Astrid called from somewhere behind him. "They're too heavy now. We can't carry them."
Hiccup felt this one. He grunted and, holding tight onto the bar, managed to keep it upright. He knees were starting to buckle and sweat droplets were appearing on his forehead.
"Okay," he said through his teeth. "I think I'm done."
The weight was suddenly removed. He took in a deep breath and turned to see Snotlout holding the bar at his side with one hand.
"Better than expected," Snotlout admitted, tossing the weights aside. The sound echoed through the room, but no one paid it any attention.
"Way better than expected," Astrid said. "That was nearly seven hundred pounds."
"No way," Hiccup asked. His mouth went a little slack and could feel the corners inching up. "Are you serious?"
"Yep. You train yourself a bit and you'll be lifting way more than that."
Hiccup looked around and saw Jack's surprised, but impressed smirk. Snotlout wasn't sneering at him. Punzie had, again, starting dancing happily and the twins were nodding in approval. He looked at Astrid last and was surprised to see the corner of her mouth turned up too.
For the first time since arriving there, Hiccup was finally starting to feel like a super.
So, reviews? comments? concerns? let me know! hope you all enjoyed this!