Disclaimer: Don't own the source materials. And no, most of them didn't have super powers. I just write this for entertainment purposes, as well as to create something. So, don't sue, cause I don't get anything but reviews.

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Jade sat in her room, looking over her finished homework, debating what she wanted to do next. 'Still too early for bed, but I don't have anything else to do. I'm supposed to keep away from my brother Trent, cause I'm a bad influence and all, so I'm stuck here, in my room, not supposed to leave until morning, with the exceptions of me needing to relieve myself. And of course, should the project need me. Otherwise, mom has put me in room arrest.' Blue eyes scanned the room, and her options. 'Thank the gods I have my computer, movies, and hell, I even have access to television. So, the question is, what to do...' Her eyes once again drifted to her homework, caught up and more, and she smiled. 'I could sleep, just go to bed early. Or maybe write something, cause Tori's right, it was my release.'

Jade shifted on her bed, letting her mind drift to the recent events. 'Am I really ready for this. Tori's a good choice, given both the attraction, and I could never see myself with someone too low on the social hierarchy. Gotta keep dating near the top. If I'm not with Beck, Tori makes an excellent choice.' Jade let herself smile. 'But I'm hurt, vulnerable, and the kind of person you might wind up with when hurt is often different then the kind of person you'll go with when you're whole. Not that Tori wouldn't be a bad choice under any circumstance. It's just… Damn. I don't have a clue how I'm gonna win this relationship.'

Her hand went to her computer, calling up what was supposed to be a forbidden folder. Pictures popped up, most of them about one subject. 'Beck… I never really won with you, did I? I manipulated, gave you a crazy you couldn't handle, and pushed you away even as I held on tight. But I was so scared, and I was more then willing to be there for you, give you whatever, just as long as I wasn't required to show you how janked up I really was. I told you everything about me that didn't include what my mothers family did. I even Told myself I was protecting you. My creative editing, all to protect you. But in the end, all I was doing was trying to protect myself, cause who'd want to be with me once they found out I was a criminal, from a long line of criminals. Muscle and enforcers and goons for hire, that's what my family did. But grandpa, he changed that, tried to make us so much more, and then I went and screwed that up.'

Jade pulled up a picture of her and Tori, backstage at the Platinum Music Awards, Jade in that pink nightmare Mason had wanted her to wear, while Tori was changing part of her own outfit for the inevitable performance. 'Tori. You don't need me, you just want me. I… I don't know how to deal with that. It means I don't have nearly the leverage. Plus, your mom, she runs Project Redemption. She controls my life, at least for now, and I'm dating her daughter. At the very least, am I supposed to tell her about Us?' Her smile faltered as she contemplated her next step. 'Only, she should know by now, cause Tori, not gonna keep that a secret from her mom. That means I need to make sure I tell her, let her know I'm not gonna hurt her baby girl. Then, I find out how much I'm allowed to tell Tori. How much I'm required to tell her. I mean, Dahlia is slowly dominating my life now, and I don't see that stopping any time soon.'

Jade shifted to looking into the air. 'When did things get this complicated.' She wondered. "I need information. I need... a bowl of water...'

Jade slipped out of her room, sneaking out to the stairs, and from there down to the kitchen. Her mother had forbidden her from raiding he refrigerator after dinner, but she was still allowed to get something to drink. 'Not here for anything too much, just a largish bowl.' Jade reminded herself, moving to where the china was stored. After rummaging though for a few minutes, trying desperately to keep everything as quiet as possible, Jade settled on a silver plated serving bowl. 'Materials matter in things like this.' She reminded herself. 'That, and this bowl isn't likely to break if something goes wrong. Now, I need to raid the spice rack, hope I can at least find substitutes for some of the herbs I need. Won't be the strongest, but I'll just pump in a little extra power to overcome the weaknesses of the materials...'

Jade placed the spices into the bowl, and carried the whole mess up to her room. She then cleared off her desk, and started preparing her space for the ritual that she was about to perform. Using a glass she already had in her room, Jade ferried water from the bathroom sink into the bowl, filling it about half way. Next, she chose her herbs, mixing them together while chanting, using a paperweight and the glass to carefully grind several of them, releasing their essence. Next she pouring the mixture into the bowl, and the water within. The preparation complete, she called out to the water spirits, pouring a great deal of her own energy reserves into the dish.

The water shimmered under the ritual, and Jade was able to start to see answers. The first wasn't the shock she'd have expected it to be. 'So, David Vega is Blue Steel. That kinda explains things, I guess, only it doesn't, cause he of all people should know me, and not want me anywhere near his baby girl. But the spirits are telling me that Holly believes I'm capable of doing good, and that dating Tori would only be a good influence on me. That's nice.' She smiled. 'I have an ally, of sorts. I mean, she's trying to use me, my power. She just realized that Masters approach was only gonna drive me to rebel, sooner or later. But still, it feels like maybe… Water isn't great with the future, but I need to know, whats gonna happen?'

Jade wasn't sure about what she saw next, just knowing that, while it wasn't the best future for her across all possibilities, for the goals she thought she wanted, she was on track towards the best possible future. Soon after, she felt the power ebbing, and let the ritual go. 'Need better divination's.' She decided.

Later, when she found herself being mentored by Sikwoitz, Jade asked more questions about rituals, divination, then she'd asked in their total previous time together. Sikowitz warned her. "Divination seems like a great thing, always knowing what the other people are up to. However, the world is always shifting, changing. No vision of the future is perfect, and they get muddied by the same things that muddy our visions of the world around us. Desire, hope, and just old wounds that blur our ability to really see what is what. The spirits, when used, know far more then they'll ever tell, but don't always understand the question, or what we're hoping to get as an answer. I'd say trust about fifty to sixty percent of what you learn from your divination's, but be ready for things to be radically different. The only place where second sight is always accurate is on a movie set, and only until the writer loses track of the plot they're forming."

Jade accepted his word, but still pressed him about other ways to learn things, see whats there, and see beyond her human ability. That became the theme of that evening, with Mister Abra teaching her a whole new category of spells and rituals for her to know. He even taught her talents, how to be aware of the balances of energy in the world, giving her a sort of second sigh that would warn her a moment before bad things happened, thus giving her the ability to react with the right counterspells. Jade was, oddly, elated, so much so she almost forgot to tell her favorite teacher slash mentor about the latest development in her life.

"I'm kinda dating Vega." Jade told him. "Tori, not the older, less talented one."

"But Trina has talent, just not the kinds we foster at this school." Sikowitz explained. "Then again, I suppose we do, but that's a story for another day."

"Does it have something to do with her dad being Blue Steel?" The pale girl asked.

"Of course, divination." Sikoiwtz said, smiling. "You were spying on them."

"I was trying to discover what I needed to know, and nothing more." Jade said, defending her actions.

"You'd have figured it out sooner or later anyways." The quirky teacher said with a shrug. "Even with the distortion spells my mentor gave him and Constable, cause lets be honest, they need more then those masks to protect their identities. His face plates pretty much transparent, to build trust, so it's not giving him any real concealment, just that mask, and we all know how fallible those are. But even still, working with Blue Steel, sooner or later, you'd have figured it out." He let his smile linger. "So, what will you do with this new bit of knowledge?"

"I-I don't know..." Jade admitted. "I don't see how I can use it to gain any leverage, so I guess I can just sit on it, act surprised when I find out, later on."

"Or, you can use that revelation to start working on a better relationship with the parents of your girlfriend." He smiled, stopping Jade from saying anything, even though she was listening, rapt with attention. "Be honest, tell them you were nervous about the relationship, what Tori's parents might think, and as a result, you poked around a bit, and discovered something you shouldn't have. Tell them, promise to keep it a secret, and work with them to alleviate their fears of you knowing. In time, I suspect things will work out for the best. Just, don't expect them to be too happy about you knowing right now."

"I guess so." Jade said. "Look, thanks for working on what I wanted to work on tonight. I was freaking, and wanted some way to predict what was gonna happen next."

"Sure, just..." Sikowitz hesitated, before plunging in with his question. "Why didn't you work on your divination's earlier, like before you tried to rescue your grandfather?"

"I did, and got a hazy answer." Jade said. "Then, as we were working together, and I was under Master's tutelage, I really didn't want to see how bleak my future was. But now, now it could be so good, if I just find a way not to screw it up."

"Trust me, you'll find a way, and it'll be great anyways." The teacher said. "Good night. I'll see you at school."

Jade would wake up, and scrambled to get her mothers good silver serving bowl back downstairs and cleaned up before anyone noticed she's used it without asking. Next, she raced to get ready, but skipped showering. 'Mister Callahan says I should just wait and shower at school. Gonna be working up quite a sweat anyways. Gods, I hate mornings.' With that, she was on her way to school, her chosen outfit for the day snugly hidden in her daypack, while her books hid in her bag.

David Vega, better known as Blue Steel, wasn't usually one to just drop in on his daughters school. But that day, he had another agenda, and had to be the one to be there for the first day of training of a new hero. "So, where is he?" David asked the technician who was going to escort him to the training room.

"We're set up in a small rehearsal room, in the subbasement." The technician said. "I'm thinking you'll be impressed. This Beckett Oliver seems motivated. I think Mrs. V. outdid herself in finding this guy."

"And he's already passed the background checks?" David asked.

"Yep, back when they wanted to use him for the Pandion initiative. Boy just couldn't get that magic chiz done." The technician said. "We're just glad we had a backup for him, cause he may just be the kind of guy you need to help calm Dahlia down. Plus, he's really handsome. Girl got lucky to have such a looker as part of her team."

"Yea, girl got lucky." David said, looking to the side. "So, lets find the place."

They made their way down the stairs, wandering the halls until they were past the various dance studio's kept down below. Another few halls led to the room, a small rehearsal space, where the various technologies and machines needed to maintain and work the powered armor were set up. "I'm expecting him any moment now."

David shifted, waiting for the big reveal. Moments passed, and while he waited, he pretended to look over the armor, while internally trying to guess where his children were that morning. 'Tori and Trina both train in the AM. There's here, and if I'm lucky, I can slip away and find out whats going on with Tori. I know Trina would be a good choice for my replacement, or my heir, what with Warpaths powers and abilities. But Tori, her luck powers, those could be so useful, in saving people, in stopping the major threats. And maybe, just maybe, she and Jade will be willing to stay on and help out. The city could use a few more hero's...'

David was brought out of his thoughts when Beck walked into the room. David recognized the boy as Trina's sometimes crush, as well as Jade's ex. 'They tell me he's a calming influence. Lets see how long that lasts.' The police hero thought.

"You're..." Beck started. "You're Blue Steel."

"That's right, son." David said, shifting into his police voice. "I'm taking time out of my busy schedule to help you out. I'm here today to see how long it'll take to get past the basics, and then I'll be working with you on flying. Turns out it's a skill you have to develop, just like anything else. So, doctor, what are we gonna start with today." He tried to hide his smile, once again wishing for a fully covering helmet. Transparent face plates may build trust, but they also made it easier for others to read one's expressions. 'The armored units they have at Project Redemption need hours of training just to be able to put them on right. Boy will probably be spending his first week learning that. However, this suit is supposed to be adaptive, so maybe he'll figure it out in just a day...'

After the tech explained to Beck how they'd be starting, the boy responded. "It's powered armor?" Beck asked. "How hard could it be to put on?"

"We have a few units, not this advanced, heavier, used as security for Project Redemption. Usually, the first week is dedicated to learning how to put on and take off the armor." David explained. "Thing is, that's not just a metal suit. It has a lot of components, requires certain things to be put on in a specific order, components attached to one another. You'll have to make sure everything is in place before you can even start moving. Also, you'll find you can't wear too much under it. I think we have a jumpsuit to wear?"

"Over there." The doctor said. "I'm hoping this suit will be able to work over your cloths, but for now, we're gonna have you change into the jumpsuit, and go from there."

"Okay." Beck said. "We only have an hour, so maybe I should get started?"

"Get suited up." David said.

Beck took the jumpsuit, and went behind the screen to change. "So today is gonna be so much fun, right?" The technician asked.

"Not really." David said. "This is the first step, the part that has to be done. Look, once he's thigh deep in the setup, I'm gonna wonder, be back by the end. I wanna see something, check out the other projects we have hidden down here."

"I heard Dahlia is down here somewhere, working on her fitness." The technician said. "You've seen her, so you know, she's a bit of a looker. I wouldn't mind seeing her all hot and sweaty."

"Yea, but I'm more interested in some reservists we have training down here, people I may want to recruit into police service." Blue Steel said.

"Okay, I'm changed." Beck announced. "So lets get started." He looked at the suit, currently sanding on it's rack. "So, where do I get started?"

Beck would spend a good twenty minutes working on putting on a piece of the suit, making sure it stayed connected, or could be easily reconnected, then starting over when he got confused. However, as he went along, the suit itself seemed to be measuring him, and once he had enough on, it jumped at him, flowing over him like something alive. "I think..." Beck started.

"It adapted to you." The doctor said. "It's programmed to adapt to it's primary user, you. So it's adjusted it's self repair system to help you get into the armor more quickly."

Beck was able to remove the armor just as quickly, watching as it flew off of him and reassembled itself on the special armor rack waiting for it. "That's amazing. All I really need is to put on one piece, and the armor will do the rest. I can start with, say, a gauntlet..." He placed the gauntlet on, and watched as the suit flowed off it's charging rack and reassembled on him. Then, the act of sending it away was even easier, with Beck willing the armor to return to it's charging station.

"Well what do you know about that?" Beck said. "Looks like I mastered getting into the armor in just half an hour. So, mister hero, whats next?"

Blue Steel, however, had already made his departure, looking for his daughters, and whatever secrets he could learn from them that day.

"Next, we work on basic motor skills." The doctor said. "Like, why don't we learn to walk, that should be a fun time, and we still have half an hour. Ted," He called to one of his technicians, "set up the walking training equipment. It'll take a moment, but I'm sure you'll be able to master that part in no time."

Beck looked around for the missing hero, even as a set of parallel bars, waist high, were set up, and Beck was told to put on the armor and head over to one end of the training bar. With help, he would make it, but it was his first hint at how different walking in that armor truly was.

David slipped out of the room, walking between the various training rooms and dance studio's. 'I know they're down here someplace.' He thought. "I need to know, see what Tori can do. That's the only way I'll feel good about this relationship her and Jade are starting. My god, I started this when I offered that pale girl a way out of jail. I'll admit, part of the reason was I thought she wasn't all bad. Of course, someone that powerful, it's just better to try and drag them to the side of law and order now, before we have a potential world conqueror. So, this is my fault...'

His eyes slid from room to room, peeking into the widows that were placed in the doors for just that reason, so someone could tell what was going on in the room without opening the door and disrupting everything.

A couple of the rooms were being used by students, early morning practice for the dancers. Those were the hardest to find, because they are and were signed out on a day by day, use as needed. However, they also let David know where to avoid in looking for his children, since they'd be kept away from the students there to practice dance.

David froze as he was looking into a likely window, only to see Jade doing calisthenics with Reggie. 'This looks like something.' He thought, ready to head out. Only, he'd lingered to long, and the trainee saw him.

"Blue steel, come to check in on little old me?" Dahlia asked.

"You know, if you can be sarcastic, you have breath to work harder." Reg warned, and David laughed.

'Just like him. I'll bet he's already given the talk about pacing yourself, and now he's going all drill sergeant on her.' David smiled. "I just wanted to see where our project was." He said. "How's she doing?"

"She's focused, determined, and scarred." Reggie said, having closed in to keep some of the conversation between them. "Not physical, but emotionally. Masters did a number on her. I'm working with her, trying to get her past the worst of it. If she's gonna last in a real fight, it's because she cares. Heart will carry you through where even hardened calluses fail to protect you."

"Lets see what she can do." Blue Steel suggested, only loud enough to be heard.

"Against you?" Jade asked.

"No magic, we just run a simple challenge, and give you a chance to show us how far you've come. Endurance looks to be the best match." Blue Steel said. "So, Reggie, start that music, and put us through the toughest routine Jade here can take."

Reggie put them through their paces, watching as Jade slowly started losing ground. Blue Steel was still physically as good as he'd ever been. 'I've added weight to Steels outfit, so as to even things out a bit, but sometimes I forget the kind of shape he stays in.' The trainer thought.

Jade, for her part, pushed as hard as she could to keep up, exhausting herself in the process. "I'm still coming." Jade called out.

"How're your wounds healing?" The hero asked.

'"My what?" Black Dahlia asked again.

"The wounds you got helping out in the police training." Blue Steel said. "I know you healed yourself, but no magics fix everything. You just needed time. So, go ahead and show me how much you've healed."

"No talking." Reggie snapped. But the trainer was smiling. They'd found a motivation that didn't involve threats or guilt, something Reggie would need in the days to come.

After about ten minutes of hard movement, Jade was feeling it. 'She's been here for a while, so she's not fresh. Still, no one expects her to be able to go against me, even at her best, and yet, here she is, pushing herself.' David thought. When Reggie called fore a rest, the pale woman almost dropped into her seat. David saw how hard she was panting. "You gonna be okay?" He asked.

"She'll be fine." Reggie said. "She's just exhausted from working so hard. Give her time, she'll recover. And in time, she'll be better able to help you out, out on the streets. I've already started her martial arts program, so I expect her to get stronger still."

"Good, good." David said.

"Um, Steel?" Jade asked. "I can call you Steel, right?"

"Probably better then Blue." The hero said, smiling under his helmet. "So, whats up?"

"Nothing, I just appreciate what you've done for me." Jade said, not sure how to broach the subject. "I'm working hard so as not to disappoint you, not after you put your faith in me. So..." Jade coughed, a sign that she's pushed herself a moment too far.

"Well, that's good. Don't work yourself too hard, just..." The hero said. "Look, I need to get back to the project I was here for. I'll check in on you from time to time, just to be safe, but I really..."

"It's fine." Jade said. "I'm good. I just..." She pulled herself up to her feet, walking to escort the hero out. By will alone, somehow she managed to walk causally, not swaying from her exhaustion. Then, once out the door, she whispered. "I was working on my divination's last night, and I may have accidentally discovered who you are. I have no desire to use that information, but considering I'm dating Tori now, I wanted you to know I am trustworthy. Sorry for invading your privacy, and if you want, I'll forget what I know. I know some spells that do just that..."

"And just who do you think I am, anyways?" Blue Steel asked, keeping his voice just as low.

"Officer David Vega." Jade admitted.

"Now I owe Trina twenty bucks." The hero sighed. "I thought you'd have to be working with me regularly to figure that out. Oh well, we'll deal with this later. For now, I choose to trust you. I mean, I'm trusting you with Tori, right?"

"Yes sir." Jade saluted, the went back to do the cool down exercises, stretching and getting herself ready for the day. Only exhaustion kept her from catching the important clue the hero had accidentally dropped.

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Thoughts?