Disclaimer: Somehow, I don't own the original characters. I swear, I looked, tried to find it on ebay, but no luck. So, I guess Schneider's bakery and Nickelodeon own them, and I just made some of them… Super.
You know, I can't hear you groaning.
:}
Sikowitz made a phone call, calling Lane Alexander. "I'm a bit concerned, given what I now know." The quirky teacher opened up to the counselor.
"What now?" Lane asked.
"My performance class is doing a musical from the eighteen hundreds." Sikowitz told him. "That, and at least four of my students are now at least tangentially connected with Project Redemption."
"Which students?" Lane wondered. By that point, he wasn't even going to bother playing with the former sidekick.
"How many?" The self styled Mister Abra asked, well aware that both knew each others involvement in the police projects, and so if Lane hadn't just said something to placate him, it meant that there was more going on then meets the eye.
Mister Alexander fell back into his professional mode. "It may not be a different number. I may just be surprised you think there are that many students involved."
"Tori, Trina, Jade, and now Robbie." Sikowitz counted off. "And I know that you'd be contacted about each, given your position both with the project and at the school, so I'm guessing there's at least one other. Main people, cause of course it'd be one of them, and that means either Beck or Andre, since Cat would have told me by now. Given that Andre's cousin is the current Constable, he's a heavy favorite to be recruited. But, for now, I'm going to guess that Tori's romancing of Jade, and yes, she admits all kinds of things during our mentoring sessions, but that romance made Beck less of an attractive choice. But was he back when he was recruited? I think at one point he looked a lot like the only person who'd ever restrained Jade, even in the least. And given the promise of the Heroes Crown, even with it's limits, that says ability would be secondary to potential connection to the Black Dahlia, as well as the potential ability to help contain her."
"Divination?" Lane asked.
"Deductive reasoning." Erin corrected. "Mister Cardabra was a big one on having useful skills, especially for most of the situations we'd run into. We investigated plenty of crimes, and given the limits of divination's sometimes, just being able to follow the evidence was an invaluable tool."
"Then teach Jade that, during your next mentoring session." Mister Alexander said. "That is, if she's not busy talking about her new romance."
"I will." Sikowitz agreed. "But for the record, she's just one of the girls I'm mentoring, and not the one who blabbed about the relationship."
Lane made a mental note to be more careful what he said around the quirky teacher. 'Man has mad deductive reasoning skills. Gonna have to watch what information he gets access to, cause he can easily figure out more then Misses V might want him to know.' He also made a note to ask his informant why she didn't warn him of this side of the quirky teacher.
Elsewhere, else-when, Tori was covered in sweat as she and Trina finished their session. "You okay?" The older girl asked. She was weighted down, in a heavy suit, with additional weights around her wrists, ankles, and in strategic places, in order to tire her out as quickly as possible. Tori, by contrast, was dressed in the kind of workout unitard that one sees in on line aerobics classes. But it was Tori who was breathing hard, having exhausted herself trying to keep up with Trina.
"I'm fine." The singer gasped. "Just let me sit down and die a bit, and I'll be fine. Just fine..." She wiped the sweat off her brow, and focused on her breathing. Tori had taken her share of dance classes, to help her in her performances, and had decent endurance. 'Those weights are supposed to make up for Trina's abilities, but damn. Not even in Warpaths form, and she's barely breathing hard. That girls in serious shape.'
"Well, you did good." Trina told her. "Normally, I spar with Dad, or a couple of the high skill guys, cause my abilities include an absolutely ridiculous recovery rate, and so I don't worry about wearing myself out. But when my baby sister wanted to practice fighting, who was I to say no."
"A sadist who was finally able to get back at me for being better then her at the music chiz?" Tori guessed, not really intending to have said that part out loud.
"No, that's why I told Martin Dean you were into him." Trina replied, not even blinking. "Now, what you did was good, but not great. Obviously, your powers weren't activated cause even they know you need to be your best out there. So you had to depend on yourself, which makes it hella harder to keep up with me." The older sister chuckled. "I'll go easier on you."
"Like Callahan is going easy on Jade?" Tori asked.
"And there it is." Trina smirked. "Reggie is training Jade cause she's gonna be a front line fighter." Her hand touched her sisters shoulder, offering some comfort. "Sista, as much as I love you, no way I want you on the front line. Not all the time, and certainly not without some kind of body armor. Jade, she's gonna have all that, and more, depending. Mom wills see to that. I do agree you need to push your fighting, cause who knows when we'll have to defend the public. I just, we'll go more gradually, and build you up to Jade's level."
"What about your level?" Tori wheezed.
"You don't have my great genes." Trina taunted. "But hay, it's all good. I mean, you have a girlfriend who can melt a tank, and that has to count for something."
"Okay, I'm ready." Tori pulled herself to her feet. "Lets do this again."
"Yea, lets change this up a bit." Trina told her, shedding worn weight like the heavy clothing it was. "We slow this down, and focus on the kinds of fighting techniques that'll help you win against the enemies your likely to face. Tori, you've already absorbed plenty of knowledge and skill. You can fight. But your personality, not the heavy striker type. I'm gonna teach you some soft styles, redirect your opponent into defeating themselves. That and some wresting, for throws and holds, and you can be a boon to anyone who may need your help."
Jade circled the nerdy boy, looking for an opening. "So, they contact you yet?" She asked. Callahan was watching, his judgmental eyes taking in every flaw in her actions.
"Said they needed to take care of a few things, but they'd contact me soon." Rob admitted.
"Jade, as noble as this is, that boy is a rank armature." Reggie told her. "He won't even do for a sparring partner for you. He needs to learn him some fighting skills before we can use him."
"Which is why he's here." Jade said, never taking her eyes off her opponent. "Rob is gonna be a part of my team, so he needs to learn to fight." She turned her head, just a fraction, offering a sympathetic look at the boy. "Sorry, Rob, but I'm not getting you killed. If you're involved, then you fight."
"I have a suggestion." The police trainer said.
"What?" Jade asked.
"Well, a couple, really." He opened, even as he lunged forward, taking the legs out from under the goth. "Like it's great that you're looking out for this boy, but you let your sympathy dull your edge. You put your full attention on him, working to see his reactions, and forgot that there can always be other foes around."
"Right, keep my eyes open for enemies." Jade checked, even as she attempted a kip up. It wasn't her best, but after staggering a step or two, she regained her footing in time to avoid the next sweep her trainer tried.
"Man, that looked cool." Rex chimed in.
Reggie just ignored the puppet. It wasn't a threat, and he'd already accepted that anyone willing to join up with the police paranormal development program, which mercifully didn't have a code name yet beyond the Constable Initiative, admittedly for a specific program, but anyone willing to join was probably a bit off. 'Betting it gets a stupid name, cause that's the way the brass likes to think. Then again, who'd have guessed we'd even have a project like this.'
"Okay, keep my guard up, or you'll go all Cato on me and start attacking me at almost any time." Jade noted.
"God, we had to set up in a performing arts school." Reggie groaned. "So, what I was gonna recommend was why limit him to the body of an ancient Greek hero? See if you can magic up some of the fighting skills that go with.. At the very least, get a copy of my skill set, and have him there as heavy backup."
"Cause it's be dangerous to muck with some ancient artifact." Rob said. "Yea, Sikowitz has filled me in on what they want from me, as well as the difficulties Jade's been having in souping that thing up. Not that easy to change, really."
"But it does give a lot of basic skills, right?" Callahan asked. "I mean, the bodies different. Is it taller, broader, cause those differences can mean you have to adjust how you walk, just to function. I'm thinking that, all things being equal, skills will be easier to add then adjusting the physical abilities, cause it has to have some basic motor skills built in."
"I don't know…?" Rob hemmed.
"Actually, that may be the best idea we've heard yet." Jade told them. "I don't think it'd be so much changing the base enchantments as adding a new layer. Let me talk with Mister Abra, see what we can do."
"And Abra is Sikwoitz?" Reg asked. "Man, you think you know a guy…."
"Of course, you know Sikowitz, right?" Robbie asked, embarrass he'd given away a secret identity already.
"I once met him in his other identity, back when I was a raw recruit." Officer Callahan told them. "Until then, Jade, I love what your trying to do here, but your getting late, and I know you need your sleep. Besides, while Trina may have distracted Tori, she won't be distracted for very long. So, you need to finish this, and move on."
"He knows..." The nerdy boy wondered.
"He trains cops too." Jade told him. "He knows Officer Vega. You know how cops can be sometimes, right?"
"Yea, thats true." Robbie agreed.
"Then lets get cleaned up, cause I did let Trina have some sister time with Tori just to give you this lesson. Now, I need to get my ass home." Jade sighed. "See ya tomorrow, Rob. Pray for good news."
Robbie gathered his things, feeling detracted. He didn't notice the police officer hanging back until he was ready to leave. "You can learn, you know." The man told him. "In fact, I'm planning on having someone teaching you. It's just, Jade, she's got the basics already, and will be on a heavy learning curve for a while now, plus her main focus is all that magic power she can bring to bear. You, you're gonna need any help you can get. So, let me refer you to a trainer, someone who'll help you get started on the path to martial arts competence." He offered his hand. "We good?"
"Yea, we're good." Rob agreed.
Sikowitz was shocked to see Fawn so quickly. "You need something?" He asked as she greeted him. She'd been sitting just outside his apartment.
Fawn didn't bother to answer, instead pulling a simplistic bronze amulet out of her bag, and handing it to him. The mystic was gobsmacked. "H-How..."
"They're big on loyalty, and none to bright." She said, giving an exaggerated shrug. "I'm a bitching actress. I was able to bluff my way in, and sneak it out after I told them it was missing. They were expending every bit of mystic what-have-you trying to find the mystic disguise used to conceal the amulet."
"And how did you disguise it from their divination's?" The teacher wondered.
"I put it in one of those x-ray film bags, and hoped they weren't that clever." The girl said. "Turns out, they spent their energy finding the spy, assuming magic, and not a bit of clever acting. Plus, they tend not to blame, or even suspect, the one who tells them it's missing. The police, they usually watch out, just in case someone was trying to pull a fast one. Whatever. Now, I'm your apprentice. I get that I'll never be as potent as The Black Dahlia, but that's not what I'm after." Her eyes captured his, holding a flame that was almost scary. "Teach me to open in Vegas."
Beck sat with his friends, looking around. Only Jade was missing, even though Robbie had only shown up a few minutes ago. "So, how's everyone doing?" He asked.
"Okay, whats up?" Andre asked.
"It's just, we haven't been as close as we used to be." The handsome Canadian noted. "I know, Cat's in Venice now, so we just don't get to hang out as a group as much as we used to."
"Not even gonna mention her, are you?" Dre pushed. "Beck, she's your ex. Of all of us, you should be the first to bring her up. You're allowed to miss her."
"I know." Beck responded. "But with Jade, it's complicated. Think. She broke up with me before she did whatever it was that got her on probation, meaning she planned it, and knew, knew it was likely to cost her. Plus, Jade's been keeping secrets. And, and not just the normal type, like maybe she touches herself to some rock star, or even has forbidden fantasies about some girl, and refuses to admit she might think of them like that..."
"She told YOU that?" Cat asked.
"No, but I dated her." The actor said. "I noticed things, like the way her eyes might linger on some girl. She did try to hide it, but..."
Cat jumped in. "Yea, never could understand how she could hide a leer in a glare, but she was good at that. Many a Nothridge girl left thinking she was gonna kill them, never realizing she'd checked out their assets."
"Sh-she did?" Tori stammered.
"Was kinda obvious, really." Cat shrugged.
"How come I never noticed?" Robbie asked.
"Cause you're terminally lame." Rex offered. "But this time, maybe it was cause you had to really, really know her to see it. Me, I saw, kinda, but was never really sure."
"You never saw." Andre chided the puppet. "I know, cause I never saw that. Hell, last year, when I had that secret, er..." His eyes lingered on Beck.
"You were crushing on Jade." Beck told him. "Not surprised. You got to see her when she let the gank rest, and I'll admit, it does give the illusion of someone sweet under that rough exterior."
"So she's not sweet?" Tori felt odd asking, because she had her own reasons for knowing the truth.
"Jade's like this dude, who wants to be a girl, which is totally good, cause her body, very girl." Cat tried to explain. A frown had covered the cute girls face. "She tries to be sweet, sometimes, like a guy, but it's not that natural a fit on her. She takes care of you, protect you, shows you she cares by her actions." Confused brown eyes blinked as she gathered her thoughts. "And I guess that's kinda sweet, but not in a normal, girly way. No, Jade's passionate, and very loving, but she doesn't show her soft side, cause it's like, totally soft and comfy, but wrapped around something hard and unyielding."
"An iron hand in a velvet glove." Robbie filled in.
"Yea, except… no, wait, velvet can be very soft, so yea. Maybe with a bit of pillowing, for extra cuddly softness, and can I say that in a way that doesn't make me feel like I wanna do girlfriend type things with her, cause I really, really like boys." The redhead explained.
"Yea, boys, cause you like Robbie, as opposed to the many men out there who've show more then a passing interest in you." Rex clarified.
"Has anyone noticed that Rex is being extra mean to Robbie?" Tori said, hoping to shift topics.
"That's cause Jade's not here, and Rex is trying to fill the void left by lack of mean girl." Cat told her, totally serious. "Cause, I'm all sweet, and your a good girl, and while Trina can be mean, she's really a good girl too, who just happens to have a few quirks, like wanting nice things, and bragging about them."
"Cat, breath." Rob cautioned.
"Kay kay." The girl chirped.
"Yea, we do all kinda miss the gank." Rex added.
"Look, Jade hides things." Beck told his friends. "Even from me, she hid things. Did you know, several months ago, she did something to herself? Spent a week in bed, recovering, cause she hurt herself with one of her plots. And she refused to tell me what she'd done. Not one word. And that's what made her breaking up with me feel almost expected. Jade's been hiding things, and I just couldn't live with that level of duplicity. Not with me not knowing what was going on in her head."
"Bad news, Beck." Trina said, letting them know she'd entered the room. "Not a girl on earth you can date where you'll have a clue whats going on in their heads. Not even if you were a girl." The girl chuckled, her mirth echoed by the other girls in the room.
"Trina, good to see you're home." Tori said, smiling.
"Yea, finished my workout, and I felt I needed to be home tonight." The older girl smiled at her sister. "Besides, we had so much fun bonding today, I thought I'd be more welcomed here."
"Oh Treen, you're always welcome here." Tori gushed, Cat echoing that sentiment with her wide open hug.
"Yea..." Rob started, but stopped at the look the other guys were giving. "I mean, sure, cause you live here, and we have no right to ask you to leave, but..." His eyes tracked the frowns on the other boys, and he wondered how bad things could get.
"Yea, sure." Beck sighed.
"Um, Robbie, could you help out with something?" Trina asked, and the boy almost tripped leaping to his feet. "Mom is on her way home, and wanted someone to help bring something in. It's not heavy, and I know you're always willing to help, so..."
"Grunt labor." Tori told Andre. "Rob'll do it in exchange for the possibility of a hug..."
"Boy's desperate for the touch of a woman." Rex said, and all three friends, Andre, Beck and Tori, looked at the mannequin. Robbie was across the room, talking with Trina.
Tori poked the puppet, and when she got no response, figured that Rob was an even better ventriloquist then she'd guessed, and that he'd figured out what they were probably talking about. That was the only answer she could fathom that gave them any piece of mind.
:}
Looks like there's a lot that goes into being a super hero, including constant physical training. Thinking Tori will get there, later. But for now, we have both Robbie and Trina working to get stronger, playing catch-up tot hose who've been pushing for it for a while now.
Also, wanna guess what the amulet does. Also, lets hear it for Fawn Leibowitz. Never underestimate the cunning of a good actress, even if a touch crazy.