Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters. Vinny, kinda my own guy, but I'm still not making anything off of him, so you know.
:}
Vinny was nervous as he walked out of his first day at Hollywood Arts, heading towards the curb where he'd been told to meet up with his ride to Project redemption. The moment was nerve wrecking for the boy who had learned the hard way how little to trust most people. 'Mom wants this, so I'm gonna put in the effort, find my way through. Doing this for mom, so...'
"You want me to call off that ride, maybe give you a lift instead?" Andre asked as he shrugged himself up from the spot he'd been waiting. "See, I figured you'd feel more comfortable riding I with a friend then riding in with some stranger you just met. Not saying you're not gonna meet the man, cause I'm not always gonna be offering a ride, and he does work with your probation officer. However, there are others in the program, and before we know more about you, figured I'd give everyone a break and take you in myself."
"Others?" Vinny eyes Dre. "Yea, you told me. Just, I… Can I call my mom?"
"Sure?" Andre shrugged. "Just remember, there are plenty of secrets you're gonna have to keep, partially to keep everyone safe. You're mom, the less she knows, the safer she'll be. So you call your mom, but for now, there had to be some kind of supervision. I can listen in while I drive, but you have to be watched."
"Yo, Dre, no grandmother today?" Some kid teased.
"Nahhh, Gran's with Cassy." Dre said back, non the least offended. Then, to Vincent. "They think their teasing me, but I do worry about my gran. I live with her, and her mind, going. See, no shame for an odd living arrangement. And I get to drive myself, a lot. However, as you know, I can keep a secret, so naturally I wound up working for the projects, bringing a touch of normal into the lives of those who are a part of it. I'll be watching out for you, as a part of my job, so this whole friend chiz, it just makes my job easier. You need a life, and I need to make sure you get one, including covering when you slip up and use that shape shifting ability of yours. So, do the program, so I can maybe take you to a couple of parties. I meet the most interesting people, and that's outside the Meta's I deal with. Also, I'm the normal among the godlike, so I understand how intimidating everything can be. That being said, this is my ride, and you can take up that seat there." He gestured towards his car, an SUV Vinny could only admire.
"That was some segue from your grandmother." Vinny said as he reached for the door.
The door barely closed behind the boy before a small, excitable redhead, with the oddest shade of velvety red hair, leapt into the back seat. "I wanna ride." Cat said, smiling at Andre. Before either boy could react, maybe tell the popular girl this car wasn't heading anywhere near her home, she continued, addressing the new kid. "And this has to be Vinny, who I'm told is new, and doesn't know our secrets, so may be I shouldn't be telling him stuff." Another quick, and almost vacant, smile. "Anyways, I'm Cat, pleased to meet you."
"Shouldn't you be waiting for your ride?" Andre asked.
"Not if I text them and let them know I'm riding in with you?" Cat said back. She then addressed Vincent again. "I'm also on probation, cause when my powers manifest, I kinda broke a few things, and I have to work off the damage. Plus, I got to help some puppies along the way, so it's all good. Only my roommate, she hates that she has to do the heavy lifting of our underground babysitting business, not that we babysit that much, cause V wasn't to thrilled about babies being in danger, so she shifted stuff, and now I do other work. Actual work, cause no one gets anything for free, but I help out, work with kids sometimes, and I design a lot of clothing. Costumes for our people, those who don't have their own, as well as new dresses for Dahlia, cause she's fashionable, in a just went to a funeral kind of way."
Cat inhaled, and before anyone could think to interrupt, continued. "Of course, she likes to think of that as her wedding gown, all black and mournful, but what kind of woman gets married in black, other then Dahlia, who I so could see doing that, cause she uses the darkness of her heart to power her… No, that's in the story I wrote. Yes, I write fan fiction, which surprised my friends, cause they didn't think of any fiction where you don't create all the characters as real. Only it is, cause I can be hella imaginative. Sides, Dahlia told me she usually uses elemental chiz to power her magics, but likes that I claimed it was the darkness in her heart cause it was imaginative, so I have her approval, and she's a writer… Oh, right, shouldn't be telling you that, should I? So, what can you do?"
Vinny looked to Andre, who said "Seat belts. Heading to the police station, so you'd better believe they'll ticket if we're not wearing seat belts."
"Um, she…" The boy tried again.
"Yea, Cat can be like that sometimes." Andre agreed. "But she's good people, and basically everyone's friend. Not cray cray about her letting you know she's in the project, cause you're new, and could prove to be less then trustworthy. However, as I said, she's everyone's friend, and probably agreed you need one."
"Besides, I wanted to know if the rumors are true, and you're dating Trina?" Cat asked, not the least worried about who might be listening in. "Not you, new guy, cause I don't know you. I'd think you'd like Trina, cause she is pretty, just not as classically pretty as Tori, who could be a model, only shorter. But… let me show you Trina, cause Meri thinks Dre and her would make a great couple, and I don't know yet if I agree. Then again, I was against Jade and Tori, up until I saw them as a couple, and I realize how great they go together. So maybe Dre should be with Trina, cause then I wouldn't have to worry about me going all gay, cause apparently half the women Trina met have wanted to have her babies. Think she's a meta, and that's her power? Even if it's not, I'm thinking there's a story in there, one that would be so fun to write...Ah, this is Trina."
Vinny looked at the girl, more to save himself from the mad ramblings of the hyper friendly girl and less about seeing if this girl was as hot as he'd been told. "I can see the attraction." He murmured.
"Vinny just misses his mama." Andre promised. "Lets keep the conversation light until we get to the base, cause today is a big day for our man here."
Cat seemed to get the message, and settled down to talking about things even Andre had trouble connecting with people. He suspected, sometimes, they weren't. Still, it passed the time in the short drive, allowing Vinny to relax a bit before they reached a place he was far less then thrilled to be heading, the police station.
They arrived at the base, and Dre could feel the oddness of the moment. 'Misses V said this day would happen, when out gang has to welcome in an outsider. Jade, Misses V tells me she wants to find a way to bring me in, except I've seen their world now, spoken to all of them about it, and I totally get why it's not for everyone. Plus, Meredith, she so wants me to date Trina, except Trina's way unsure, and I don't know if she's my type. I like em exotic, and pretty, and preferably not strong enough to rip me in two, and that's without shifting to Warpath. I mean, I like being the man in my relationship…'
"Dre, something wrong?" Cat asked.
"Just thinking about my dating problems." The boy replied, then smiling at Vinny. "You'll understand, once you've acclimated, it's hard sometimes being around friends in THIS environment, cause we need to try and keep it professional, but friends, kinda their business to be all up in your business."
"Yea, I totally get that." The new boy nodded, even as his face screamed he had no idea. They were walking from the car to the elevators, with Cat rushing ahead to press the button.
The elevator arrived, and Dre kept Vinny from getting in. "Wrong elevator." He whispered so the three police officers getting off wouldn't hear. Then, louder, he said "We're good, just waiting for a friend…"
The police didn't bother, having already started off towards their cars. Andre didn't buy it. "Cops are observers. They'd have noticed if I hadn't covered." He told Vinny. "See, while this IS a police program, most of them don't need to know who's involved. So, we have our own elevator, and now here it is… And we have people from the upper floors getting off. No prob, we wait… And on we go." Andre had used his hand to help keep the new boy from making any social mistakes as they waited for their turn.
"There's another one that just goes down, but it's more obvious when used, so we like to use this one. Just.. Yea." Cat nodded. "So, how're you liking Hollywood Arts. Jade tells me your an artists, while Meredith said you weren't that cute. I don't know, you're kinda cute, just not nerdy enough, cause while I love me my cute boys, I also like my cute nerds. God, I so need help. Think Lane can help me deal with this?"
Vinny shifted slightly towards Andre, who tried to control the moment. "Relax, she's hyper friendly, just, yea, kinda hard to explain. Little red here is a good friend, and a good person. Just, we're a mite protective of her, and would love it if you respected that before you tried anything."
"Relax, I have a girlfriend." Vincent insisted. "Okay, mom found me a good girl, and she is kinda pretty, back in Northridge. Just, Northridge girls, kinda, not always the most honest, and I'm trying to stay straight and narrow, so…."
Cat giggled. "I'm so happy for you. When do we get to meet her? How did your mother get her to date you, cause I wanna know. And it's not some clone of your mama, is it? I read that in a comic book, and it felt, I don't know, all icky and such. I think you need a girl who is different then your mother, but similar enough to feel comfortable with. Think he'd like Sam? Maybe she's like him? Sam can be rough around the edges, but I'm sure you'll agree, she's nice, and pretty, and has bosoms, and all those other things guys like."
"He has a girlfriend!" Andre said with authority. The doors opened, revealing the armored guards at the project. "Afternoon, gents. I brought us the new guy, and Cat here insisted on tagging along."
Cat, for her part, skipped the short distance to see who might be in the armor, stopping to give one suit a hug. "Whaty? I like this one. He's my bud. The other, we're in a more professional relationship."
Vinny just shook his head, following Andre's directions to be scanned and processed while learning the in's and outs of the projects entry protocols. "Lets get you a room, a uniform, and then get you in to meet the boss lady." Andre informed.
"Dre, relax, we'll take it from here." One of the guards, one outside the armor, said. "Why don't you check in, report, while we show the new guy around."
"I designed your outfit." Cat called. "I wanted it in pink and purple, but they overruled me…." Vinny would watch the two he knew disappear into the program as he finished the exhaustive scanning needed to get access to the program. The guards were distant but professional, and a part of the young man felt like he was never gonna be allowed to leave.
A short time later, the new boy was shown to Misses V's office, where he sat for only a few minutes. "Okay, you can go in now." The secretary informed him.
"Vincent Capulet." Misses V greeted him, his file open on her desk. "First, lets hope you've cleared up that nasty feud with the Montagues." Her smile hinted at a joke. "Sorry, you probably don't know the reference..."
"No ma'am." He confirmed. "Look, I just wanna do my time and get out, okay?"
"And if that's what you want at the end, we'll respect it." Holly agreed. "But for now, we need you to know and understand your powers, to the point where there will never be an incident where your control slips and you use those powers when you shouldn't. We'll train you, help you, and expose you to loads of young heroes who are making the tough decisions you are. I've asked Dahlia to help you adjust, but think Andre has been a better choice to far. Dahlia, she's… um, well, she's something. I've had to time share her with Blue Steel, and he quiet enjoys having her around these days, but her attitude takes some getting used to. Kinda explains the tension they had back when they started, but that's another story…" Her smile faded. "We're going to be seeing the limits of your abilities, testing and the like. I hope you don't mind. But first, I wanted you to know, minor as your offenses were, we're mostly doing what we can here to protect you. So, any questions?"
"No ma'am." Vinny said.
"Okay, first problem." She deflated just a bit. "I understand, you're not crazy about this whole process. Only, this is your life for the next couple of years. Not saying you have to have questions, but it's more then okay to ask. I want you to be invested in your part of the program, and that will include asking questions from time to time. So, understand, my office, not always open, but I am accessible. Everyone here is on your side. Just, when you do ask, understand we're as invested in helping our other charges as we are you. So, unless you have some questions, we'll spend today testing you, figuring out your limits, and that should be enough. Dahlia is on patrol today, so I'll see if Andre is willing to stick around to help out. Or do you still need a friend?"
"He's your spy, right?" Vinny was shocked to hear himself say.
"Oh, please, I have dozens of spies all around Hollywood Arts. Plus, this is my world down here. Nothing that happens in my world escapes my sight." She let that hang for just a second. "No, he's my resource, and I chose to use him to be a friend to you, cause I understand how hard change can be on someone, especially someone your age. So, you don't have to trust him, but honestly, of my resources, he has the fewest problems being someone's friend. A lot less then my charges."
"Cat?" He asked.
"Should have cleared it with me before she want and jumped in that car." Holly sighed. "I suppose, if she chooses, you'll see what she can do. Until then, lets get testing." She then surprised him by personally walking the boy out to the testing range and introducing him to the techs and scientists who would be doing the testing. She left while they were going over phase one of the evaluation.
Vinny started going through the process, showing off what he could do. He originally felt he knew everything about how his powers worked, given that he'd experimented with them before, and they weren't that complicated. Only, as the scientists figured out his limits, they started trying new things, like abilities that existed in nature, and were adaptations some creatures had made to help them survive. They started simple, like wings that worked, and worked their way up to gills, and from there, more exotic abilities, like a short range burst of heat, or sonic pulses. There was a feeling of disappointment as Vinny proved he couldn't yet create many of the more exotic abilities found in nature, but always worded it as "not yet". They started figuring out just what he could do now, and what abilities they would work towards in the future.
"Okay, you have some nifty abilities." The head tech told him as they finished up. "You can shift your form, but must keep your mass consistent. Flying is hard, cause your wings, strong as they are, just aren't big enough to really fly. But gliding totally in your abilities. And you can swim, fast, with the right adaptations. The gills, wow, I almost was sure we wouldn't be able to make those work, except once you understood how they worked, you managed to pull it off. With training, you'll be the ultimate deep diver, cause you can adjust your body for depth and such as you get more skilled. Still hoping for some kind of sonar, as well as shifting your vision. But for now, we're more then happy with what we have, and can totally work with you."
"I can fly?" Vincent was shocked.
"Glide." The researcher corrected. "Flying will require some kind of adjustment, but gliding, you can so do that, and we're thinking we might be able to find some way of helping you cheat, fly, later on."
Vincent nodded, and focused on the next part of his training, using his shifting body to form hardened plates on his fists to help improve the force of his blows, as well as the smaller frame with the improved density, improving his strength.
"Not one of our powerhouses, but you'll be useful against the small time types." Andre told him as he was finishing up.
"So, what are the others like?" Vincent hated asking, but felt, if he was going to be there anyways, why not make friends.
"Standoffish, at first, but once they know they can trust you, solid." Dre explained.
"And Cat, what can she do?" The boy pushed. He wasn't so much curious as desperate to know anything.
"Later, right…" Andre tried, only to find Cat, near the door, in her altered form, helping move some new kitchen appliances in.
"Look, Dre, we got a new, larger refrigerator, cause there are so many of us now, and apparently, several are teenage boys!" Cat squealed, moving the major appliance with as much effort as one would use to shift a light but off balance backpack. "Next, I'm gonna help move some palate of stuff down here, then catch a ride with Dahlia. You just go ahead….. Oh, hi Vincey. How was your first day?"
"Cat?" The boy stammered. "Bastion? She's Bastion….?"
"Yea, she's Bastion." Andre reluctantly agreed. "And in this form, sure, she's hella stronger then you are. But that field of hers gives her at most ten minutes of oxygen, while you can last for hours under water, so it's balanced, of sorts."
"Bastion goes to Hollywood Arts!" Vincent said again, ignoring how Cat just gave him her own version of his name. "My god, she's…."
"Way inexperienced, despite her power." Andre cut in. "Yea, she beat Grendel, and yea, she's a powerhouse, but that fight was totally in her wheelhouse. Trust me, she'd have a harder time with some of the others out there. Now, Dahlia, she's out true powerhouse, and you've met her. Just a warning, she also goes to Hollywood Arts. We try to put as many of our metahuman students there as possible, just because it's so safe. Plus, police training facilities, hidden on campus. So, yea, just, lets keep those secrets, cause our best defense is secrecy, kay?"
"Andre, got a moment?" Beck asked as he rushed up to where the boy was speaking with Vincent. "Oh, hi new guy, fancy meeting you here. I'm with, er…"
"Police armor unit training program." One of the man in the Policetech armor said.
"Yea, and I was down here on business, helping Achilles learn how to use the jet cycle, when I found out we may have an opening for someone like Dre here. So…" Beck smiled a big, welcoming smile.
"Not interested." Andre surprised his friend. "Dude, I get how cool some of that tech is. But look at you, still in training, cause it can take a year to learn how to use the police tech armor, and then, they're looking to see if maybe they can put you in one of the experimental suits. No, I like being on the sidelines, helping out. Doing my part to make things happen. I'll play support, have me my music career, and know I made a difference, cause the one's like Vinny here, they're gonna need a friend when they get here, and it's my job to both be that friend, and look to recruit us a freshman with the potential to take my place once I graduate. So, no thanks."
Beck looked disappointed, but accepted his friends answer. Andre, for his part, used the short ride up in the elevator to explain. "I see this world, and understand what it takes to be a hero, even a police backed hero. Beck, he's dreaming of being that guy, in the shiny powered armor, a hero for the people. But me, I'm just happy being this guy, in the background. When I wanna be the center of attention, I'll act, or make music, or whatever. I have my talents. But I also might just make it as a songwriter, and that's about as support as it gets, even if the pay can be so much better. So no, nothing against those who wanna be heroes. Just, understand, if you want that, like Beck, or The Velvet Phantom, then do it. But if not, then be happy with the choices you've made." He exhaled, gathering his thoughts. "But still know how to use your powers, just in case."
Vinny smiled at the honesty from the musician. "Okay, we can be friends." He finally understood this one person, and through him, the whole of the program. Inside, he was starting to relax about this new experience. 'I'm gonna be okay here.'
:}
So, winding this story down, and only have about two to three chapters left. Next, the last of my random Acts of heroics stuff, then a chapter to finish off, and then something to wrap it all up. So, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time.