Being a Super was hard work. It was even harder, trying to fight crime and raise a family at the same time. Helen Parr managed to make it work, though. Sure, having two kids who were constantly at each other's throats, and a toddler who was just learning to walk, is something most mom's had to deal with, but it was a whole different story when one throws powers into the mix. It was tough to find a quiet moment and just, think.
Now seemed to be one of those rare times where everything was at peace. Helen had just set Jack-Jack down for his afternoon nap, the housework was all done, the kids wouldn't be home for another hour or so,and her Husband was off looking for an actual job.. So, she had decided to make herself some coffee,sit back, and relax.
Since defeating Syndrome's Omnidroid, Violet and Dash's relationship had improved tremendously. They were much more capable of working together than they had been before, but that didn't mean the sibling bickering had ended altogether.
Dash still loved to tease Violet about her crush, Tony, and Violet still enjoyed calling her brother an 'insect' whenever she got the chance. Every once in awhile the duo would argue over who defeated the most bad guys back on Nomanisan Island, -this was mostly Dash, but Violet couldn't let her younger brother show her up-, and who's powers should be feared more, which again Dash was the one who started most of these arguments.
When all was said and done though, the two were really an amazing pair when it came to fighting least from what Helen had seen back on the Island, the forcefield Hamsterball combo worked extremely well. It was a shame Supers were still illegal. The two could be an amazing crime-fighting duo. Hell, the whole family would be an amazing crime-fighting family.
Of course, any progress Dash and Violet had made in the past few months could quickly go out the window.
'If only the law was different..' Helen mused, 'It's a shame the kids got such a small taste for what Superhero work was like back in the day.'
She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the knocking. With a sigh, the super mom set her coffee down and stood to see who it was. Opening the door, Helen was surprised to be met by a large bouquet of dahlias, and a familiar young face.
"Aunt Helen!" a young woman cheered. "I was hoping you would be home, it would have been the worst if you hadn't been. Maybe I should have called… but I wasn't sure if I had the right number and-" taking a deep breath, the woman extended the bouquet. "I-I brought flowers. I mean If you don't like dahlia's, I could change them but I thought you said you liked dahlia's so-"
"That's very kind of you Demetria." Moving aside, Helen let the woman come in, taking the flowers and setting them in a vase with a small smile.
She couldn't help but stare at her niece as she came in. It was amazing how much Demetria had taken after her mother, from the light, cheerful aura she could bring to a room to the bright green eyes that hungrily took in even the smallest of details. She had grown as well, standing just slightly taller than Helen herself, no longer the little flower girl whom threw petals at her wedding.
"Would you like some coffee?" Helen offered. Demetria gave a small nod, and watched as her Aunt prepared a mug for her. They then moved to the living room, where the two could more easily converse.
"So what brings you here? Not that I mind the company, of course." Helen watched as the young woman nibbled on her lip in thought. " I've been meaning to stop by after what happened but, things just…sort of got in the way."
It had only taken a couple of days for Demetria and the rest of Helen's extended family to get a hold of the phone number for the motel. But once they did… Oh boy did the phone not stop ringing that week. Helen's parents had offered to take the whole family in, but they lived in the midwest. Helen and Bob had both agreed it would be too much added stress to completely relocate, especially with how adjusted the kids were to Metroville.
Then there was Helen's brother, David. He lived on the outskirts of Metroville, and Helen had been tempted to take him up on his offer for the family to stay with him and Demetria. Except it's been just over a year since they lost Demetria's mother. Helen knew her brother and while he had joked a full house could help keep his mind off of it, she knew David was the type that liked his space.
Demetria took a sip of her coffee, letting the bitterness linger in her mouth before she spoke."How, is everyone doing? I saw that Vi has more control over her powers."
" Everyone's been great, considering. This isn't the first time we've had to relocate, Violet has been… more confident with herself. Dash has been… well he's been Dash."
Leaning back, Helen turned back to Demetria. It was blatantly obvious that the girl was just making small talk. Something had to be on her mind to cause her to stop by." What about you? How has college been?"
The brunette suddenly found the carpet to be interesting." I actually just graduated, about a month ago." Curious, Helen waited for the young one to elaborate. For something as momentous as that, she didn't seem all that happy.
Instead, she quickly changed the subject." I got accepted into the NSA."
Ah, the truth comes out. It was an idea the young woman had been passionate about since high school.
'It's the only way I can fight crime without violating the Super Act.' A rebellious Demetria had argued, once upon a time. Arguments about this would be one of the highlights of the girl's teen years.
Now Helen knew why her niece was so melancholy," Let me guess, David doesn't think you should go anywhere near super work." Still refusing to look at her aunt, Demetria spoke," I...didn't wait to find out."
Eyes widening, Helen set her coffee down. " You're going to have to sit down and talk to my brother eventually, you know."
"I know, I know I will, I just knew he wouldn't take it well! If I just give him some time to… think, and I show him how good I'll be at it, he won't be so angry with me!"
"Or, you'll give the poor man a heart attack from how much he'll be worrying about you." Helen's voice was soft, but firm as she pointed this fact out.
Demetria knew exactly what her Aunt had meant.
"I know i'm all he has left after mom died, but that doesn't mean he can hold me back. I can finally be part of the world I've been shielded from for 23 years."
The sudden surge of passion had brought the girl to her feet, looking down on her Aunt. Almost as if she was actually arguing with her old man all over again. Helen saw the fiery look in Demetria's eyes, how sure of herself she was. Not unlike how Helen herself had felt just before she had taken up the name Elastigirl.
Finally understanding why her niece had dropped by, Helen looked up at the young woman. "When does your training start?"
Sitting back down, and tucking some of her hair behind her ear, she spoke,"Tomorrow. You... aren't going to try and change my mind?"
"Of course not! Even if I wanted to, I'm sure I won't be able to stop you. You're not a little girl anymore. This is a decision you can make yourself. " Helen lifted her coffee mug to her lips, "Besides, if you were my daughter I would be more worried about what you were hiding."
Demetria blinked. "He called already didn't he?""
"Yep. As soon as he found the torn up envelope that said NSA he knew."
The defeated look on the young woman's face made Helen laugh.
"He's proud of you, you know. "
Demetria sat down in her seat, fiddling her thumbs. "Is he?"
Helen gave her niece a small nod. " He just wishes you told him before you left. And to tell you to call him once you get settled in. Doesn't have to be today or tomorrow, when you're settled."
"I will. I just wanted to tell my favorite Aunt so at least someone knew."
Helen laughed. "I'm your only Aunt. And don't think I'm letting you leave without making sure Dash and Violet see you! Or without dinner!"
Demetria rolled her eyes," Only if I'm paying. I'm the one who came to bother you, after all."
After a quick dinner with the Parr family,Demetria headed out to where the NSA's training academy was located. It also just so happened to be the Agency's main headquarters.
The building ,-well, more like buildings-, were located just on the outskirts of the city of Metroville. Outside, only because the Agency was literally located on an island outside of the main part of the city. Demetria had to present proper identification, along with her acceptance letter just to get on the ferry to the island.
' Well, at least people can't just wander in. ' Demetria thought as she stuck her wallet back in her bag.
The other recruits were already spread out across the bottom deck when Demetria had arrived. She didn't even have the chance to completely take in her surroundings before someone had already approached her.
"Hey, glad to see more people who get creative with their hair here!"
The girl had bright pink hair that seemed to fall into perfect curls around her face. She was also about a whole head taller than Demetria herself, and her stature and style seemed to scream 'I love to cause trouble'. Which was insane, because Demetria believed she could cause a bit of trouble herself. Or at least her mouth could.
"I wouldn't really compare blonde tips to dying my whole head the color of pepto-bismol but, ok." Demetria replied.
"Ooo feisty too. I think I just found my buddy." She gave Demi a devilish grin, " Name's Lani, I'm gonna be sciencing the shit out of things here, if all things go according to plan. What about you?" "Demetria. I'm hoping I'll be a field agent."
Lani seemed to be taken aback."No way? You don't look like you'd be the 'kick-ass' type."
" And what do I look like exactly?"
"The type you'd find at a 'Save the Rainforests' rally."
Ok, now that was a bit offensive." Those can't be the same thing?"
"Touchė. I'm a vegetarian anyway, so I would be there too. All hippie-ness aside, I do enjoy kicking ass and taking names."
"Well you do look built for it." Both girls laughed.
All of the recruits gathered around the exit of the ferry as it docked. A guard opened the latch to the gate with a click, before everyone got off of the boat in one giant herd. They were immediately met by a woman with long platinum blonde hair, who didn't look much older than the majority of them.
"I suggest that those of you who will leave within the first week turn around and get back on that ferry, instead of wasting everyone's time." The woman spoke as her eyes darted around the group, sizing them all up.
Some people seemed a bit uneasy by those words. Someone near the front muttered something about this being a 'scare tactic' to his buddy. Still, no one made a move to leave, and this made the woman smirk slightly.
"No takers? Well then,my name is Mirage, and this," the woman led the group onto the flat greens of the campus," is where you will be spending most of your time for the next several months, and if things go according to plan, your careers as well. "
The Agency was clearly well cared for, made obvious by how bright and green the grass was, and how neatly trimmed the shrubbery was kept. Instead of the smell of asphalt, pigeon droppings and garbage typical to the city, there was the scent of sand and saltwater on the breeze.
So far it looks like a college campus. There was an outdoor track off to the right, where people were running laps and doing sets. There were agents bustling about, some in lab coats, some in business attire, and some in what looked like more casual outfits.
The only obvious difference between a college campus and the Agency seemed to be the fact that there were people sparring with each other (both with weapons and in hand-to-hand combat!) around the green.
Demetra's thoughts were interrupted by Mirage continuing her speech." None of you are Agents yet. But by the end of your training here, you'll all have earned the status of Initiate. As an Initiate, you'll be assigned to an Agent to apprentice under. From there, you'll be at the whim of your handler. For now, you are all only recruits."
Mirage led them into a building that resembled a residence hall. There were sofas and chairs spread out across the large common room with four hallways (not including the one they had just come from) leading to what appeared to be dorms. There were also stairs that led up to what looked like a small library/loft.
No Kitchen though. The NSA had a mess hall that all of the Agents and recruits were free to use.
Their guide brought everyone's attention to a gigantic wall monitor at the far end of the room. On the screen was everyone's names and faces on it. Demetria could not help but notice that every profile on the monitor seemed to be paired up with someone else's. The recruits all looked at the agent who welcomed them, expressions begging for an explanation.
The woman was more than happy to oblige.
"All of you were hand picked to be part of this specific recruitment class. As such, you will all be tasked with a mission as you go through training here." Mirage gestured to the screen before continuing. " There is one thing all of you have in common. Each and every one of you has brought a secret with them. A secret that no one else must ever find out about you. You have all been assigned a partner on this screen. Your task is to investigate your partner, and find out what it is that they want to keep hidden away so desperately."
Mirage made her way to the exit, then turned back to the recruits."Now I suggest all of you get settled in before training tomorrow." With that, she made her exit.
There was a moment of silence among the recruits, then one by one, chaos erupted in the room.
"What the hell did she mean by 'secret no one else must find out'? That could literally mean anything!" Someone questioned loudly.
"The NSA can do some crazy things, but how would they know what kind of secret to pick out?" Another voice, added.
And more and more of the recruits expressed their anger, except for Demetria. She just stood there in utter silence. They knew. The NSA knew about her powers, and she hadn't done anything to make them aware of them yet. What else could her secret be?
Demetria looked back up at the monitor, studying the image of the person who would find her out.
It was a guy, with dark brown hair, bright blue eyes and chubby cheeks. He looked kind of adorable, and weirdly reminded her of Dash, in that 'little brother' kind of way.
'Hard to imagine that this is the guy that has to out me. Unless… I'm overreacting. Maybe there's some other secret I wouldn't want anyone to know about?'
Demetria took a quick glance around the room. While the other recruits looked visibly shaken just like she did, they had all taken to settling into figuring out which room they were in.
'No, I doubt the NSA would be interested in some embarrassing thing anyone did as a child. It has to be about my powers. Which means the NSA knew about them when they accepted me.'
Sighing, Demetria decided it would be best to play it cool, and deal with the curve balls as they come.
The only source of light in the room was the monitor in front of them. The image on the screen had a clear view of the common room the new recruits were in. Two figures were watching, one clearly Mirage, and the other an older gentleman.
"I wonder how long it will take for them to figure it out?" Mirage asked the other figure.
"If they all have the potential we think they do, it won't take much longer than a week, two tops." The man replied.
"From there we'll be able to start their real training."
The other figure nodded.
" I wonder what will happen if they don't figure it out?" Mirage asked the man.
With a sigh, the figure shook his head." If it takes too long, we'll try to call it out of them. I doubt we'll need to."
"You would be amazed what a person will do to keep a secret, Mr. Dicker."