Disclaimer : Disney owns Sky High and it's characters , all the OC's belong to me
And Then There Were Nine ( Part 1 )
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Maxville North Gardens . Maxville , U.S.A
"The Cool Crew"
"No"
"Attack Pack"
"No!!"
"Mega Men?"
"No"
"Superhuman Super Squad!!" Zack said triumphantly
Magenta slowly turned her head and gave him a gimlet were standing beside the bust stop sign waiting for the bus to arrive and for the past few minutes Zack have been throwing one team name after another hoping one will stick with her, unfortunately in Magenta's opinion every single one of them sucked. And after minute or two he began fidgeting under her quiet glare.
"Say one more stupid team name and I'll strangle you with your own shoelaces " She finally said.
Zack gulped and clamped his mouthshut , he knew that despite he towered over the goth girl she could very well do good with her threat. For one thing Magenta was a blackbelt in Kung Fu , her mother's side was predominantly Chinese and as her family tradition dictates, along with several other cousins, she has been studying under her grandfather for several years now , Zack once saw her in action in their family dojo and to his opinion she kicked ass.
"Well, at least I did my assignment and prepared a list of cool team names "Zack said waving a piece of paper "I'm sure guys are gonna dig one of these "
Magenta gave him a rather sarcastic smile "Judging from the lame names you have so far, I highly doubt that."
Zack pulled a sulky face as he folded his list and stuffed it into is schoolbag , he didn't trust the look in Magenta's face , he saw that same look every time she does something drastic to him , in this case she might snatch his precious list from him and tear it to pieces. Smirking Magenta drew out her Ipod , put on her headphones and zoned out. In turn Zack placed his hands in his pockets and together in a somewhat comfortable silence the waited for the bus.
Across the street a door opened and Ethan stepped out of his house. He adjusted his glasses and looked at where the bus stop sign in. He smiled as he saw Zack and Magenta, walked down the porch steps and began heading towards them.
"Ethan, honey, wait you forgot to drink your vitamin shake " Mrs. Tyler said as she stepped out the door after her son.
Ethan grimaced as he slowly turned to look at the glass his mom is holding. Oh he did not forget about that, he was just hoping he could slip out of the house without drinking that disgusting green gunk.
"Aw, Mom do I really have to drink that stuff everyday?" He whined
"Ethan dear, you know the Agency's medical department highly recommended this " Mrs. Tyler said " they designed this drink to help you develop your powers even more"
If it doesn't kill him first, he thought , Taking the glass from his mother he stared for a moment at the thick green shake. Then taking a deep breath he downed the contents with four huge gulps.
"Ugh" Ethan said as he handed the glass back to his mom.
You would think that for all the technological advancements the Agency achieved they would have made a way to make the vitamin concoction not taste like something that came out of the north end of a southbound moose., Ethan thought.
"Ok gotta go Mom " Ethan said as he handed back the glass and ran towards his friends.
Ethan and Magenta turned towards Ethan as he reached them.
"Sup" Zack said as he high fived his friend.
"Hey" Magenta said as she pulled out one of her earphones.
"You guys finished your assignments for Mr Boy's class? " Ethan grinned
"Sure , did!! " Zack said
Magenta smirked and nodded
"Wow , really? " Ethan said surprised, This was a surprise he thought , usually Zack and Magenta would badger him to let them copy his assignment before the bus arrives. In fact they spent many times sitting on the bus stop's sidwalk as they hastily made their assignments using his homework as their template.
Magenta pulled out a micro-dvd.
"We figured we'd save you the trouble and simply copy your homework remotely" Magenta said
"You, What!?!?!??! " Ethan gaped
"Yeah" Zack grinned "I tweaked my wireless at home so that the frequency matches yours"
"And I bypassed your LAN's security protocols and linked to you computer " Magenta added. smugly
"Guys!!" Ethan said "That's invasion of privacy!!!"
" Hey, Dude, don't worry " Zack said soothingly " We didn't snoop around or anything like that, all we did was download your homework and then we got out without touching any of your files "
"Although. I did like the picture you had when you were two "Magenta grinned
Ethan made a choking sound and he felt a hot blush climb up his neck, oh he knew what picture Magenta meant, it was taken during Halloween where he wore a green full body frog costume , he was holding his mom's hand and was crying his eyes out. For sentimental reasons he kept that blasted picture in his computer and locked it with a secure password. But it looks like it wasn't secure enough as he glared at Magenta.
"You said you didn't snoop around" Ethan growled at the two of them
"Whoops , silly me , I guess I opened that file folder by mistake " Magenta said her eyes big and innocent.
"Shyeah, right, and I suppose you mistakenly found the password too ? " Ethan muttered
"Really, Ethan?, Popsicle?" Magenta chided "Can't you choose a password that's a little harder to guess"
"Yeah" Zack nodded "It took us only twenty minutes to guess the right one"
Ethan rubbed his face "Is it too much to ask for you guys to give me at least a heads-up if you decide to snoop around my files?"
" Now where's the fun in that? " Magenta smirked
Ethan let opened his mouth to argue further but a rumbling from a distance cut him short. The three friends turned and looked at the school bus rolling towards their bus stop. They waited tensely as it nears them and finally they could make out the blond figure of Dusty Donners on the driver's seat. They looked at each other and winced collectively. Zack squared his shoulders, Magenta cracked her knuckles nervously and Ethan removed his glasses , cleaned it , and put if back on.
"Well , here we go again " Magenta mutterd and both her companions nodded in resignation.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
Maxville South Gardens,Maxville , U.S.A.
"...And then Grandpapa insisted I finish the entire platter of waffles, he said I'm too skinny and needed to have more meat in my bones!!!!"
Warren looked up from the book he's reading as he heard Jules' voice. He quietly watched as Jules and Serenity walked down the bus' aisle. Then they sat down on the seats right in front of him.
Jules wearing a turquoise blazer and pants, a jaunty turqoise fedora hat and of all things an elaborate white caravat , turned and gave the black clad pyro a perky tip of his hat.
"Top of the morning to you Guv ' "Jules grinned " ready for another adventure in Sky High "
Warren quirked his brow and wryly looked at Serenity. Smiling she reached into the pocket of her white windbreaker and pulled out her touch pad.
= Are you ready for our first baking lesson in Economics?? =
Warren bit back a curse. Last night he dug through his mom's cookbooks trying to find something easy to make, though he knew how to make the occasional burger or steak dinner when the need arises, but all the recipes were just too damn complicated. Finally out of desperation he swallowed his manly pride and called Layla for advice. After laughing hysterically Layla took pity on the pyro's plight and gave him an easy to follow recipe for tofu cookies. Tofu cookies! he snorted in disgust who ever heard of tofu cookies , if Will and the others hear about this they'll be snickering at him for months to come , but beggars can't be choosers this will have to do.
"Uuuh, yeah found a recipe for cookies last night " he muttered
= Really, what kind? =
"nothing special just your average everyday cookie" He said evasively his face closed
= Aw, come on , you can tell us = Serenity grinned as she poked at him further
Normally Warren would have snarled and snapped at anyone who would dare to get too nosy with him, Hell, even his friends on more than one occasion experienced the sharp end of his tongue because they kept overstepping their bounds with him. But as he looked at that small innocent face and huge brown eyes he found he couldn't muster the fire and brimstone he's known for.
"Uuuh, tofu " He muttered
Serenity's mouth formed a silent "Oh" as she nodded.
Jules however wasn't so quiet, he turned around again and quirked a fair brow at Warren.
"Did I hear it right ?" He asked "Your actually going to put tofu in your cookies "
"Yeah so?" Warren bristled expecting girly boy to make fun of him.
Jules blinked
"So, I happen to like Tofu cookies "Jules said soothingly" I was just wondering it I can ask for some during lunch "
"Oh" Warren said mollified "uh sure , sure , I'll give some to Serenity so she can give it to you"
Jules opened his mouth
Warren glared " I'm giving it to her because there's no way in hell I'm giving it to you in front of the guys, got it?"
Jules' mouth snapped shut then began nodding, after a beat Serenity began nodding as well.
"Good " Warren said curtly and pulled out the book he's been reading last night and pointedly ignored his companions. Taking the hint Jules and Serenity turned and faced forward and began conversing as the bus began moving.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
Double R Ranch , Maxville , U.S.A
Theo stepped out of the bathroom his black hair slightly damp from the shower and a towel around his waist .then he walked towards his cabinet. He opened it and took out a dark gray shirt, socks and a pair of dark blue jeans. After a few economic movements he put on his clothing, afterwards he sat on the bed and pulled on a pair of dark brown bulldog shoes. Then he reached over his nightstand and took a very high-tech looking heavy duty watch, and strapped it on hie left wrist. Finally he walked over to his study table, closed his laptop and slid it into his schoolbag and slinging the strap over his shoulder he walked out of his room.
As he closed his bedroom door he sensed a presence moving towards him. Instinctively his eyes , ears and nose sharpened exponentially and he immediately recognized Buddy's sensory signature, even though the dog was still several feet away from him and that he was still facing the door . Buddy stopped beside Theo and looked up at him wagging his tail. After a moment's pause Theo reached out and gave him a brief pat, then when that's done he began walking towards the stairs and without hesitation Buddy followed. For some reason the Newfie developed a quick attachment to him , sitting beside him during dinner , following him around the house , lazing nearby when he's working out in the ranch's private gym even ran alongside him when he jogged.
The two of them descended the stairs and headed towards the dining room. The smell of freshly cooked pancakes and bacon reached them as Megan walked out from the kitchen carrying a tray with a large pile of both. Seeing her nephew Megan smiled.
"Good Morning hon , hope your hungry cuz' I made a large breakfast " She beamed
With a quiet nod Theo walked over towards the fridge pulled out a cold pitcher of orange juice , then he headed for the table , sat down and began filling up his glass. Megan placed the trays on the table pulled out her chair and sat down. Theo reached over and took his aunts glass , filled it with orange juice and handed it back to her.
"Thanks, hon" Megan smiled
Nodding Theo sat back filled his plate with pancakes and bacon , slathered butter them with butter and syrup and began digging in. Megan smiled to herself as she watched her nephew eat. Early on she discovered Theo has a very hearty appetite , she spent a lot of time throwing food at him and watch it disappear , though with the level of physical activity she witnessed Theo sustain during his training sessions it was understandable why he eats a lot.
She sliced up her own pancake as her nephew took more pancakes from the tray. slathered it again with butter and soaked it with syrup, and kept on eating.
"When we're done eating I'll be driving you to school " Megan said
Theo slowly looked up "The school does not provide transport for it's students?" he quietly asks
"The ranch at the moment is not included in Sky High's bus route " Megan said "the nearest bus stop is almost a mile away so that won't do for us "
"I see" Theo flatly said and went back to finishing his breakfast
"And since Sky High is along my way to work in the Agency I don't see why I couldn't drop your off on my way there " Megan smiled
His plate now empty Theo again looked up "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Sky High floating on an aerial platform several miles above our heads? "
Megan smiled "Yup, but don't worry about it we'll us my Flying Horse "
Theo stared at her blankly
"Flying Horse?" he asked "What exactly is the Flying Horse"
Megan's smile grew wider "Just let me finish my breakfast and I'll show you " with that she dug in her own food filled plate.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
Theo stood beside Buddy in front of the ranch's main garage as he watched his aunt switched on the lights revealing a bright red Mustang. Then with a hand on her hip and another on the car's shiny metallic surface she turned to her nephew.
"Say hello to the Flying Horse" She grinned then gestured at Theo to get a closer look at the car
After a beat Theo walked inside and slowly examined the Mustang. Without a word Megan reached into the vehicle's driver console and pulled a switch causing the front hood to open revealing it's engine. Theo in turn leaned closer and looked at the engine. Theo noticed while at first glance the Mustang's engine looks like a normal car engine he noticed that several thick metal wires and tubes interlaced on it's sides and on the rearmost part of it all is a large circular device with several small pulsing green lights on it's shiny surface.
Theo looked at his aunt "So, it has a built in flight drive"
Megan nodded "Sure does, I'm surprised you know what a flight drive looks like"
"I saw several drives back in the Agency" Theo said as he walked towards the passenger's side and opened the door "The technicians were integrating them into several vehicles"
"Probably cars belonging to Agency personnel" Megan said closing the Mustang's hood "there are several Heroes who can't fly so the Agency provides them with vehicles that can"
Megan walked over to the driver's seat, opened the door and got in. Theo was already seated and was strapping on his safety belt, after that he quietly sat back waited as his aunt tossed her handbag in the back seat. Megan sat on the driver's seat and before closing the door turned to Buddy, who is now on her side of the car and looking at her expectantly.
"Sorry boy, you know you can't go with us." Megan apologized
Buddy whined and sat back on his haunches.
"I know you really want go with us, but Theo has to go to school and I have to go to work" Megan said.
Again Buddy whined.
"Don't worry boy, We'll be back home before you know it." Megan said soothingly "In the meantime why don't you play in the field, Uncle Horace will be here soon to keep you company."
Slowly and reluctantly Buddy got up and morosely walked back towards the house.
"Will he be alright?" Theo asked quietly.
Megan closed the car door and turned to Theo.
"Don't worry he's always like that." Megan said "Buddy loves to ride cars so he'll try tag along every chance he gets."
Theo nodded.
Megan strapped her seatbelt then turned on the engine. The Mustang rolled out the garage then headed for a hidden road behind the house. Theo looked out the window as stalks of corn begin to enclose them on both sides of the car.
"We can't take off from the main road" Megan explained "I don't think it do us any good shocking the heck out of civilians when they see a flying red car."
Still looking at the passing corn Theo quietly responded "That sounds logical, so where exactly are we headed?"
"There's an old airstrip on the rear end of the ranch." Megan smiled "When your Uncle Horace was in his twenties he used to be an exhibition pilot so he built the strip for his planes."
Theo turned to her and quietly nodded, then turned to look straight ahead.
For a few moments they drove in silence. Only the sound of the car and the crunching of the gravel on the road could be heard.
"Hon, I know going to school is a new experience for you." Megan said "and I know how things can get intense in high school, so I want you to take it easy ok?"
"Intense? in what way?" Theo asked though he kept his eyes on the road.
Megan thought for a moment then shrugged "you know, growing pains, adolescent angst, trying to make friends…"
Megan paused because Theo was looking at her blankly.
She shook her head "I keep forgetting that you have had a uuh… less than normal childhood." Megan said a bit sadly.
"High school teenaged students normally experience this?" Theo asked
"Well, yeah, most of then do" Megan said "Some of them handle it well, others don't and get into all sorts of trouble."
Megan remembered her school days in Sky High. Along with raging hormones she had to contend unwanted attention she got with her rather curvy figure, especially her eye-catching chest section. She kept getting into fights with catty girls and young lothario wannabes who can't keep their hands to themselves.
During those times Theo's mom Alice, who was a year older than her, was her constant ally. When Megan found herself in confrontations with other students, she can always trust her cousin to watch her back. They were practically inseparable, acting more like sisters rather than cousins. While Megan's personality was usually volatile, Alice was more laid back and easy going. Their contrasting personalities did a lot to help Megan keep in reign her temper and survive high school relatively unscathed.
Theo said "If you are concerned that I might act out because of those teenaged issues, don't be" he turned away looking straight ahead "Physically I'm an adolescent and so far I never experienced those "stuff" as you put it, and it's highly unlikely I ever will."
Megan eyed her nephew curiously "Never? C'mon, in all your years as a teenager you haven't thought or done anything rebellious, anti-authoritarian or any other teenaged related shenanigans?
"No" Theo said flatly "There were other matters I needed to attend to."
Megan can just imagine what those "matters" Theo were referring to. Again her chest hurt with sympathy and sadness for what her nephew had to endure before the Agency found him.
She kept stealing glances at Theo as he silently sat on his seat and seemingly ignoring everything around him. His slender body was relaxed; his hands were resting on his lap, the perfect picture of indifference. He looks so innocent she thought. His facial features were so angelically similar to her cousin that one could easily mistake him for a sweet kid who couldn't hurt a fly.
The only thing that always gives Theo away are his dark eyes. They were cold and emotionless. Which Megan found eerie to look at especially how much they contrast with his fine features. She seen eyes like those before, but they belonged to snipers, assassins and killers.
Killers Megan thought. She wondered if Theo has already experienced killing someone. Even if he did, it was not his fault she thought fiercely. Those bastards who trained him to become like this were the ones solely to blame. They robbed him of his childhood and deprived him of the joys of growing up.
Her adolescent years may have been filled with drama and angst but she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Though there were many difficult times there also a lot of happy times that made her life more complete.
Megan fervently hoped that the damage done to her nephew was not permanent. And that in one way or another he can learn to become a normal, healthy teenager.
The old road finally led to a wide clearing. A wide airstrip was located in it's center. Megan drove the car to the very edge of the strip. Then she stopped and turned to smile at Theo.
"Ok, ready?" She asked.
Theo nodded.
Megan twisted the driving stick and pushed it downward. A clicking noise was heard and a small console appeared in front of it. In the center there was a large blinking red button. Megan winked at her nephew and then she slapped her palm on it.
Large thick straps crisscrossed across both their chests and reinforced glass replaced the windshields of the car. The steering wheel retracted and was replaced by another one that resembled those found in jet planes. The car's front console folded in revealing a more advanced one with several indicators and radar arrays. There was a loud thud in the rear part of the car as large black thrusters unfolded. And finally large triangular wings slid out on both sides of the Mustang.
Again Megan turned to Theo.
"Uuh, your not afraid of heights are you?" she asked
"No" Theo said flatly
Megan chuckled and shook her head.
"Ok, then, here we go" she said
She pushed the gas pedal all the way down and there was an explosive "THOOOM!!" as the rear thrusters fired into action. In a split second the Mustang went streaking down the airstrip. And in a matter of seconds it's front began tipping upward and in no time the entire vehicle lifted from the ground and was shooting for the sky.
Once the flying vehicle stopped it's rapid ascent and settled into a more stable angle Megan looked at Theo to see how he was doing. Only to find him still looking straight ahead. His posture and expression radiating unemotional indifference.
Megan wryly shook her head. She reached for the radio and switched it on. 80s music filled the car as it sped through the clouds.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
Sky High, Maxville U.S.A
"Super Duper Do-Gooders"
"Legendary League"
"Environmental Friendly Defenders"
Warren gritted his teeth as he kept his head down and kept on reading his book. The gang was assembled on the school's steps waiting for the classes to start. Unfortunately for him they decided to kill the time by tossing different possible team names for their group. And in his opinion so far their all suggestions sucked.
"Defenders of Truth"
"Mondo Masters"
He grimaced their choices of names were actually getting worse and worse as they went down their lists. The only ones who didn't participate with this rather stupid exercise were Magenta and Serenity. Magenta was ignoring them and listening to her Ipod while she kept glaring at Zack. Serenity was busy checking her stuff for Economics class and politely nodding when asked about what she thought about the team names. Maybe it's because he was observing her but he noticed that her huge eyes were dancing when she looks down to examine her things, and he was very sure she was trying not to laugh, probably found their choices of team names hilarious he thought dryly.
"Hey, War, didn't you come up with any team names for our assignment?" Will asked
"It's a stupid assignment, and nope I didn't even bother with it." Warren said without looking up from his book.
"Warren" Layla admonished "You should at least make an effort, it's our first assignment as a team."
"Why bother when you guys already have a very interesting list to choose from." The pyro said wryly, and still not looking up from his book
"Really??" Zack literally glowed. "You think the team names are cool?"
"Oh, yeah" Warren said "I can already see the legions of 5 year old fans your gonna have"
Serenity's shoulders shook while she kept looking into her schoolbag, while Magenta shook her head at her pseudo boyfriend's denseness at times, and his inability to recognize sarcasm when he heard it.
"Well, we better come up with a finalized team name soon." Ethan said "We only have the morning before we submit our choice to Mr. Pablo in the afternoon."
"Ok, we'll do our final brainstorming during lunch" Layla said "And that means participation from everyone." Looking pointedly at Warren's lowered head.
No response from the pyro.
"Unless a certain someone wants details regarding his lovely little assignment revealed to the group." Layla smiled devilishly
Warren slowly looked up from his book, his eyes narrowed. Serenity and Jules were looking on with interest, while the rest of the gang simply looked on with confusion.
"You, wouldn't dare." Warren said quietly.
"Try, me." Layla said sweetly
Warren looked up at the Hippie's expression. Her look reminded him of his mother when they are at odds with something, and are facing each other off waiting for the other to back down.
And his mother usually won.
His options at the moment were blaringly simple, stand his ground and have the Hippie divulge to the gang his tofu cookie assignment or concede and make the effort of finding a name for their team.
"Fine" Warren grunted "But I still think it's a stupid waste of time."
"Dang" Will grinned as he sat down beside the pyro "And I thought I was the only got Layla-whipped."
Layla made a face, while Will jokingly cowered as the irate pyro threatened him with a flaming arm.
The school's main bell finally rang announcing the start of classes.
"Ok!!" Ethan said jumping up "Let's get to our respective classes."
"Whoopeee" Magenta muttered as she stuffed her Ipod into her school bag.
"Oh well" Jules said as he straightened his caravat and helped Serenity get up. "We're off to our History class, we shall see you guys later, ta-ta."
With a jaunty wave from Jules and a shy nod from Serenity, the two of them broke of from the gang and headed up the steps.
"Don't forget" Layla said "All team names must be presented by lunch period, ok War?" winking at her tall dark glaring friend.
After getting a reluctant grunting assent from Warren, She took Will's hand and together they made their way towards the school's botanical greenhouse.
"Guess we'll be heading to our computer class" Magenta said as she zipped-up her bag and stood up.
"Zack?" she said as she turned to Zack and sighed in exasperation when she saw him frantically stuffing his textbook and comic magazines into his schoolbag.
"Ok, ok, I'm coming" Zack said as he jumped up.
Then along with Ethan the two of them ran up the steps to catch up with Warren who is already making his way towards the school's main entrance. One they caught up with him Zack immediately began imitating Warren's tough guy swagger, causing Magenta to look at him and shake her head. Lately Zack has been trying to emulate the pyro's bad boy demeanor, the problem is with his almost neon clothing and bright coloring he end up looking like a giant plucky cockatoo. Ethan lowered his head and hid a grin, while Warren simply ignored him. And together the four of them entered the school.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
A few minutes later after the gang left for their respective classes, Eric Carson and Principal Powers emerged from the school's main entrance. They headed down the steps and out the wide shool field. Then they stopped and waited.
"Where are they?" Eric mused
"I'm sure they'll be here any minute" Principal Powers smiled. "Ms. Rhoubes won't let her nephew be late on his first day of class."
They waited in silence for a few minutes more. Then from the sky's wide blue expanse a small black object appeared. In a matter of seconds it turned into Megan's flying Mustang as it zooms towards Sky High. After flying at a breakneck speed towards the school, it tilted upward and it's lower thrusters blasted blue flames causing a strong draft of wind towards Eric and Principal Powers making their clothes ripple in it's wake. Then it stopped in mid air several feed above them, finally it began to slowly descend until it settled down at a distance in front of them.
The two Heroes waited until the Mustang's engine died down, Then they headed towards the now resting vehicle. Both the front doors opened, then Megan and Theo got out of the car. Theo quietly slung his bag over his shoulder and closed the door. Megan smiled at the Eric and Principal Powers and waved at them.
"Hi, Eric, Jessica" She beamed at them as she walked towards them.
Eric smiled shyly while Principal Powers shook hands with Megan.
"Meggie it's so good to see your." She smiled "It's been awhile."
Megan laughed "Yeah, I know, but you know busy our Hero jobs can get."
"Indeed." Principal Powers said "Perhaps one of these days when our schedules aren't so tight we can catch up on old times."
Megan smiled "I'd like that."
"Great!, now " Principal Powers said as she turned to Eric. "As Theo's resident Attache, he's here to finalize his enrollment papers."
Megan frowned. "I hope there weren't any problems."
"Not at all." Eric said. "There were a few loose ends but I was able to fix them in no time at all."
"Really!, Wow!, thanks Eric your the greatest." Megan squealed as she gave him a big hug, causing the Attache to turn red like a tomato.
Principal Powers chuckled. "Now, all that's left is Theo's Power Evaluation."
Surprised, Megan looked at her . "Is that silly antiquated system still being used?."
"The one your referring to was the Power Placement System." Principal Powers smiled. "Power Evaluation is merely used to identify and rate a student's power, so that the proper development program is given to them"
"Ah, Ok, gotcha." Megan smiled back
"Coach Boomer is waiting for us at the school Gym so that he can evaluate Theo." Eric said
The three adults turned to look at Theo who is standing quietly behind them. His face expressionless as the wind ruffled his black hair.
"Well then." Principal Powers said to the quiet teen. "Shall we?"
Theo silently nodded.
They began to walk towards the school but Megan's pager began to beep. She pulled it out of her handbag and read the message.
"Shoot, I have to go." She grimaced apologetically at her companions. "There's and incident in Canada and my team is being sent to help out."
"Don't worry about a thing Ms Rhou- I mean Megan." Eric said "We'll take it from here and help Theo get settled in."
Megan smiled gratefully at Principal Powers and Eric. "Thanks guys!, I really appreciate it."
Then she walked over to Theo and gave her nephew a long hug.
"You take care now you hear?." Megan said quietly as she rested her forehead on Theo's
"Yes, Ma'am" Theo quietly said.
The three of them watched Megan hurry to her car. Then Megan gave one last wave at them and got into the car. A few minutes later the car was speeding into the sky and finally disappeared into the horizon.
"Now then" Princpal Powers said as she gestured towards the school. "Let's get started"
Theo nodded and followed the adults towards the school.
(_____________________________________________________________________((V))_________________________________________________________________________)
Principal Powers, Eric and Theo walked down the school's main corridor. Classes are in ongoing so the hallway is deserted save a few hall monitors who looked curiously at the cold-eyed black haired teen walking with the two Heroes.
"So Theo" Eric said. "How's your adjustment to ranch life so far?'
"It has been acceptable." Theo said quietly.
"I hope it hasn't been difficult for you." Principal Powers added.
"No, Ma'am" Theo responded
Principal Powers waited for the teen to elaborate but Theo kept on walking . Eric smiled at her.
"Sorry about that." The Attache said. "I forgot to tell you Theo can be a little uncommunicative."
The Principal smiled in understanding.
"That's alright, we'll just have to include interpersonal communication development in his support electives."
Eric raised his brows. "That would be great!." he turned to smile at Theo "don't you think so Theo?...that way you can communicate with people better."
"I don't see the point in that." Theo said flatly "But if you think it's something I need, the so be it."
Principal Powers smiled and shook her head.
They finally reached the gym. Principal Powers pushed open the door and they walked in. Coach Boomer was waiting in the end of the gym on an elevated platform. He was writing on his clipboard but he raised his head as heard their approaching footsteps.
"So" Coach Boomer said "It this him?"
"Indeed" Principal Powers smiled
"Ok. then, come up here kid" Coach Boomer said as he tucked his clipboard under arm "And make it snappy I don't have all day."
Theo turned to Princpal Powers. When she nodded he placed his schoolbag on the ground and walked up the platform.
Coach Boomer looked Theo up and down. Taking note of his loose fitting gray shirt and jeans that hid his body structure. The coach guessed him to be 5' 8" in height and looked like an innocent looking kid. He's not sure what to make of Theo's eyes though. They stared at him with no emotion at all.
He cleared his throat "Your kinda scrawny, aren't ya"
Theo kept looking at him silently.
Coach Boomer shrugged "Fine" he grunted "Ok kid what's your power?"
Theo kept looking at him a few more seconds, then he turned to Principal Powers.
"Does he have the proper clearance for that information?" Theo flatly asked
"What!?!?!?!?" Boomer choked.
Eric coughed into his fist to hide his laughter. Principal Powers grinned at Theo, while Boomer looked like he swallowed a watermelon whole.
"Uh, yes, yes, It's ok Theo you can tell him you power"
Theo nodded and turned back to Boomer who is now glaring at him.
"Enhanced senses and agility" Theo said quietly
"Oooh, some power" Boomer said snidely "And here I thought you have some super secret destructo power because you needed clearance to let me kniow"
"It's standard operating procedure from where I came from" Theo flatly responded "It's unwise to divulge to unauthorized personnel such sensitive information"
"Well" Boomer growled at him "your in my turf now and I'm in charge here, I guess that qualifies me as authorized personnel !!" he was near shouting at the end of the sentence.
Theo looked at Boomer from head to toe , from his coach cap to his sports jacket down to his white gym shots, knee lenght white socks and rubber shoes. Again he turned to Principal Powers.
"Is he really in charge or is this what you call a joke?" He quietly but seriously asked.
Principal Powers and Eric laughed. But Boomer didn't find it amusing and was swearing and turning purple from the neck up.
"Let's get on with it!!" He yelled at Theo, his sonic shout causing the teen to do a half-step backwards.
"Car!!!!" Coach Boomer yelled without any further ado.
The car came crashing down towards Theo. Without looking up Theo simply stepped out of the way. The car hit the ground in a resounding CRASH!!!. Boomer stared blankly as Theo calmly stood beside the smoking wreckage.
"What the hell was that!?!?!?" Boomer yelled.
"Is this how you test your students?" Theo asked
"It's one of my tests yeah!!" He snarled
"With all due respect sir, but I think it's imbecilic" Theo said flatly
Eric's chortle of laughter could be heard
"It may be imbecilic to you" He pushed his scowling face very close to Theo's " But this is my test so whatever I say goes, GOT THAT????"
Theo looked at him silently for a few seconds
"What did you expect me to do?" Theo asked.
"You should have done something to stop the falling car" He growled. "That is if you can" He jeered
"I can stop the car from falling" Theo said flatly "But I don't think you'll like my methods."
"Oooh scary" Boomer said snidely as he straightened up "Well, do your worst, show me what you can do."
Theo again turned to Principal Powers.
"WILL YOU STOP LOOKING AT HER AND PAY ATTENTION!!!!!" Boomer roared.
Princpal Powers smiled and nodded. Theo turned back to Boomer.
"As you wish" Theo said quietly.
Boomer gritted his teeth for a few seconds. Then he opened his mouth to yell "Car". With a blur of superhuman speed, Theo's hand snapped towards Boomer, jabbing two stiffened fingers on a spot just below Boomer's adam's apple. Boomer staggered backward and tried to yell but no sound came out of his mouth.
"Boomer!!" Principal Powers shouted " Are you alright??"
Boomer looked at the two other adults, he gestured towards his mouth and stuck out his tongue. He appeared to be yelling not a single word came out. Princpal Powers turned to the teen who is quietly looking at the panicked coach..
"Theo, what was that?" Principal Powers asked curiously.
"Nerve strike" Theo said calmly "I used my sense of hearing to locate a vital nerve point near his voice box, I temporarily paralyzed his vocal chords."
Principal Powers raised her eyebrows "Impressive."
Boomer's face grew even redder as he glared at Theo, and angrily pointed at his throat.
"From what I understood so far, the objective of this unusual exercise is to stop the car and the same time use ones power" Theo said "I simply accomplished objective with the methods available to me."
"Well" Eric chuckled as he folded his arms "That's one way of doing it."
He turned to Principal Powers
"I'd say, despite his rather unorthodox methodology Theo performed favorably, don't you think Principal Powers?" Eric added
Breathing harshly Boomer looked at Principal Powers and pointed an accusing finger at Theo and vehemently shook his head.
"I'm sorry Boomer" Principal Powers apologized "but I'm with Mr. Carson in this one."
Boomer gaped.
"The point of this evaluation is to classify a student's power and to determine how to help them develop it further." the Principal continued "Theo was simply following your instructions."
Boomer yelled but still silence filled the gym as he did so.
Principal Powers turned to Theo "Uuuh, Theo, I think you should give the coach his voice back."
Theo nodded.
"Hold still, please" Theo said politely.
He walked around Boomer who is looking at him suspicously. When he was directly behind him, Theo placed a hand on the coach's head, held it steady, and with his other hand jabbed at a spot behind Boomer's neck with his fingers.
Almost instantly Boomer began coughing. Theo and the two Heores waited for Boomer to recover himself. Finally after a full minute of coughing fits he spun around and stormed towards Theo and glowered at him menacingly.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted!!" He snarled "Your kind don't belong here in Sky High, you should be kept in custody under strict supervision!!."
With that Coach Boomer looked at Principal Powers
"This, this kid is unfit to be in Sky High." He growled "He's disrespectful, shows no remorse after assaulting a teacher!" Boomer thumped a fist on his chest. "I recommend that we deny his enrollment here-"
"I don't think so" Eric interrupted his face hard. Gone is the jovial pleasant faced man a few moments ago, and in his place is the Interior Affairs Attache of the Agency.
"Matheo Saccay is enrolled here in Sky High under the orders of the Agency's main directorate" Eric said "And as the SPB Rights Law dictates under section one of the protection of minors act; every minor has the right to a quality education free from discrimination because of their beliefs, race, gender, and parentage.
Eric walked up the platform and faced down Boomer menacingly.
"Violation of that law penalizes the violator with the full might of the Agency's Board of Monitors" he smiled held no warmth "I'm sure they would be interested to hear how discriminating you are towards young Theo, Coach Boomer."
Boomer paled. There's not a single Hero alive who dared to underestimate much less defy the Board of Monitors. They are a collection of the most powerful and respected Heroes elected to act as supreme disciplinary council. The Board of Monitors are charged with the task of enforcing the laws of the SPB Rights Law and policing the Hero global community, making sure it's many guidelines are seldom violated. And the Board is known to be very severe with its handling of those foolish enough to break it's laws.
Boomer stared at Eric with frustration. Then he turned to glare at Theo who is standing behind the Attache, watching their interaction impassively.
"Fine!!" He sneered "But don't say I didn't warn you when that miscreant shows his true colors"
With one final look at Theo that promised retribution he jumped down the platform and stormed out the gym.
For a few minutes silence filled the large enclosure. Principal Powers and Eric were looking at the swinging gym doors where Boomer just exited. Theo left the platform and went to where he left his schoolbag. He calmly picked it up and slung it over his shoulder.
"Will, Boomer be a problem?" Eric asked the princpal.
"Please excuse Boomer" Principal Powers "He can be a bit volatile at times , but he's an excellent teacher and his heart is in the right place."
Eric eyed her doubtfully.
"I trust you keep him in line then." he said
Principal Powers smiled and nooded assuringly.
"Well then" Principal Powers said turning to Theo "Why don't you head for your next class, I'm sure your eager to get started."
"Do you need help locating your classrooms?" Eric asked
"No, thank you" Theo said as he held up his wristwatch "I researched the school's floor plan last night and downloaded them into my MTP." (Author's Note: MTP - Multipurpose Time Piece)
Principal Powers smiled "I knew having a Sky High website was a good idea."
Eric looked at Principal Powers "I hope you didn't post any sensitive information that could potentially compromise the school's security."
"Of course not." Principal Powers chuckled "It's simply a collection of Sky High brochures we have downloaded into the internet, nothing revealing or anything I assure you."
"Excuse me" Theo said quietly.
Both of the adults turned to look at him.
"If we don't have anything more to discuss" He said flatly "may I be excused so that I can go to my classes."
"Oh, of course, sorry about that." Principal Powers said "you can go ahead Theo."
Theo nodded and silently left the gym.