Dun worry, the fight scene's going to come maybe about chapter four-ish. I also made it feel a little more down-to-earth; saving lives before the test even starts seems kinda unrealistic; also, Gage seemed out of character when he talks with Delphi for the first time, so I just scrapped that scene completely.
Chapter One:
He blended in quite well with his peers, dark raven hair spiking up over black almond eyes as his arms crossed over his shoulders, staring outwards, past the train tracks and the station, into whatever he imagined. Half a smile played at his lips, and the straps of a grey backpack were slung over shoulders clothed in black. On the backpack, a small tag named him as Gage A. He stood, not far from the bright patches of ground that warned one to stand behind it, or get hit by a train.
The boy, Gage, watched the side, down the rails that stood in front of him. Distantly, a horn sounded. The train was arriving. He checked his watch. Two forty-five. Half an hour there, probably fifteen minutes for security, so that’s three thirty, when they close any possible admissions to Class A. Good; I don’t think it’s going to be the best for learning, them or me.
I’ve been waiting a while for this, and I gotta do my best, I guess. I’m confident about the practical, but the written could screw me over; gotta make sure that doesn’t happen.
So many things I gotta do…
In the distance, steam shrieked out a tortured cry, and he turned to see the train whirl forward, slowing into place as it stopped right in front of his face. Doors spat out creaking sounds, and slid to the side, waiting for passengers.
Gage stepped forward quickly, fast enough to avoid being trampled by the veritable crowd of students who seemed to fall out of thin air right behind him, and glanced down at the ticket in his hand. Seat 593b… that’s directly on my right… twelve rows down.
He shuffled down the aisle, glancing down at the numbers as he went, watching for the spot he’d be sitting in. 587… 588… 589…
Someone stepped on his shoe, but he ignored it for the moment, choosing to think of it as someone clumsily tripping into his things. 590… 591…
Twice. Thrice. It was like someone was kicking deliberately at his foot, and he chose to turn around this time, to find whoever was rushing towards him.
To his surprise, someone stumbled into him, knocking him back half a step. He caught a glimpse of flashing green eyes before similarly colored emerald locks swished to the side as the girl flicked her head to the side as if embarrassed. Behind her, several others sneered slightly, though they began to turn when they saw Gage, seemingly unwilling to face someone who could stare them down without any fear or retribution.
Bullies and a victim. There’s no way they can be anything else.
The green-haired girl was only about three inches shorter than he was, but seemed at least thirty or forty pounds skinnier, to the point of being unhealthily thin. Wiry, but so wiry that it didn’t seem possible that she had a muscle on her body. A grey jacket was draped over thin shoulders and arms, and a small, sturdy-looking black bag was slung across her shoulders. Made for function over form, much like everything he owned. If he had to take a guess, he’d say she looked a little Japanese, but he was pretty bad at guessing ethnicities; for all he knew, she could be Chinese or as Korean as he himself was.
She had turned away, quickly, timidly, tossing her backpack onto a chair in row 593, labeled “D.” Two away from his own, separated by an aisle.
Huh. Interesting.
He glanced back at his seat, silently rolling around a few idle ideas in his head, before shuffling over to his own seat and sitting down.
There was no point in standing longer than he had to; his legs would be sore.
It’s a fresh new start, I guess. Can’t be worn out from the beginning.
“Where are you going?”
“Well, I’m staying right here. You, Mom, and Terry are the ones going away. I’m going to attend a big school here, so I can achieve Dad’s dream when I grow up.”
“Wow! That’s so cool!”
“Heh. That’s why you’re the best little brother in the world; you always know how to make me feel better about myself.”
“Hey! Stop tickling me!”
“Why not? It’s fun.”
“Hmph!”
By the time the train stopped, Gage had befriended the boy next to him, a tall Indian guy named Soren. He could tell by the lean, sinewy muscle that the boy had been working out, but perhaps not as much as Gage himself had. He stepped away from all other passengers, as he carefully retrieved his bag. This day was important, after all: he didn’t want to antagonize any possible future classmates.
Soren stuck behind him as they walked off the train, and Gage turned around, holding out a hand. The other boy took it, his bronze hair swishing in the breeze. A curiously shimmering purple patch around his right eye glowed, and the two shook. “Er, good luck on your exam.” Gage smiled with confidence, and he released his newfound friend’s arm. The boy nodded, and laughed. “And same to you.”
As Soren walked away, towards the site of the entrance exam, he stood for a second, a pillar of muscle and bone, silent and still in the middle of bustling crowds. Memories, unbidden, slashed into his mind, and he chased them away.
This isn’t the time.
No, it’s the present. It’s time to succeed, not brood in what happened, and what might happen. Because ‘if’ and ‘might’ aren’t guaranteed to be real, aren’t guaranteed to even take place.
He sighed deeply, then walked forward.
Each step was a new one towards a new future.
To follow the path Sol had once taken.
Gage stared down at his paper. The article discussed the most basic thing he’d ever seen, something any child would know, and he sighed as he realized that he finally had a breather from the written test.
Around ninety years ago, all children were born with incredible superpowers, a surprising post-apocalyptic event after the deadly Burning Trials. Everyone was shocked when their new little boy or girl suddenly belched fire and nearly burned down the hospital. At first, the world was staggering from the fact that every single little newborn Jack and Jill being able to electrocute the toaster back.
When these children grew up, they did their parents’ jobs more efficiently, and one of the most significant ones were as crime-fighters.
It didn’t take long for several kids to decide they were superheroes, not the cops they were hired to be, and that started off an entire chain reaction of ‘I’m a superhero, I save people, bow down to me.’ Why not? They had all the abilities, all the flashy features and skills to do so.
The current infrastructure depends largely on Heroes; because of the first superheroes, supervillains came into play, using their powers for evil rather than good, causing larger conflicts to erupt around the world. The players on either side pretty much rendered nuclear weapons useless, as they were far stronger and more devastating than any bomb. Because of this, today, many companies rely on Heroes to protect them from Villains.
When such companies began hiring these Heroes, a Hero became more than just a job, it became the job, the highest-paying job in the history of Earth.
But where did it go wrong?
Currently, Heroes seem more self-centered than altruistic, more willing to pose for a photo than rush into a battle, and that’s what a celebrity does. Not a Hero. As generations go by, more and more children sacrifice their livelihoods in order to become Heroes, but as they pass, it’s easy to see that none of them were heroes in the old sense. Rather, it’s a job that has become akin to celebrities of old; popularity trumps all.
At some point, Heroes must have taken the fame from fighting Villains to their head. What else could it be?
A symbol of disaster, that’s what.
Gage sighed, and leaned back towards the book, spotting the questions there. I can’t just rely on the physical alone to get me there; I gotta get at least half the problems right on this thing, right?
Right?
The room had evidently been meant to house a crowd, but it seemed the builders hadn’t expected to have over a thousand wannabe students, all at once.
Gage stood quietly amidst all the chatter, glancing around, instinctively gauging fellow competitors: height, weight, probable ability. Every now and then, he’d see someone glance at him, before they met his gaze and looked down.
Someone tapped at his shoulder, knocking him out of his focused, entranced state. He turned to see Soren grinning at his shoulder. “How’d your test go?”
The boy hesitated a little, surprised at the somewhat abrupt appearance of his former seatmate, as well as the question. It took him a moment before his face split open with a wide smile. “Garbage. Should have studied more.”
“Yeah.” Soren shrugged. “Oh well, guess I’ve never been too good at periodic table.”
Gage opened his mouth to say something, to talk with perhaps the first friend he’d ever made, when he heard a quiet ahem. He whirled around.
A tall, powerfully built man stood at the podium, the very image of the heroes the students aspired to become: golden armor glistened, shining bronze in the light. His face, though conveying a sense of power, also held something else behind it: kindness, or maybe regret. Silver bangs slashed close to his eyes, obscuring his brow, contradicting the youthfulness of one in their late twenties evident on his face.
Gage’s eyes narrowed. He had been expecting this man to show up, but not quite in this way.
Chancemaker, the number five in the country and fifty-sixth in the world. The Undoing Hero, whose ability allowed him to turn back time for a little, and all those he chose would remain aware of the entire incident. However, this put enormous strain on his body, so he couldn’t use it much.
A lesser-known, but still public fact was that he would be the homeroom teacher for this year’s class 1-B.
Chancemaker coughed a little louder, this time into a mic, and everyone turned towards him. As people took in his appearance, the room’s volume suddenly increased, and Gage did a double take as people began shrieking.
The hero did as well. “Hey, everyone! Please quiet down!”
It was a good five minutes before the room was silent. Chancemaker sighed, then smiled widely. “Hey, candidates! I hope you’re all ready for what’s coming next, because if not, well, you won’t have much of a chance to get in.”
Someone giggled nervously at that, and Chancemaker smiled a little ruefully. “Yeah, it’s a little harsh, but the system works like that.
“Anyways, here’s what’s going to happen.” His voice grew serious, and his back seemed to straighten more. For perhaps the first time, Gage realized just how dead silent the room was.
“There are targets scattered around the area, and your job is to destroy them. This part shouldn’t be too hard. They’re really fragile, and a punch should break one. Each one will give you one point.”
Chancemaker grimaced. “Now, here’s the hard part.”
The little chatter that had risen up found itself deceased at that. Several hundred pairs of eyes stared at the hero, who shifted slightly. “In the beginning, you will all be given special gloves to wear, and special uniforms with sensors on certain places. After a fifteen minute period where you will be able to freely compete with fellow candidates for who breaks the most targets, a leaderboard will be created. The higher up you are on the leaderboard–” and here Chancemaker sighed– “the more heroes will target you.”
Pandemonium.
It took a good five minutes of yelling and Gage quietly covering his ears for the crowd to calm down. Next to him, Soren seemed to standing still, staring in shock. Gage, on the other hand, had expected something like this.
And had prepared for it as such.
Chancemaker was silently standing at the podium as the noise dissipated. “The heroes will also be outfitted in these same suits, and will have the same gloves. However, what they’ll have that you won’t, are tracking devices. They’ll use it to hunt you down. Their goal is to tap one of your sensors with the gloves, and you’re supposed to do it to them first. Each one you get will give you ten points.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Gage blinked, then nodded. Going up against some of the top fighters in the world. Definitely sounds like an average Saturday.
Due to the large amount of students, the large arena was used for the physical portion, spread out on the outskirts of the arena, near the entrances. Gage took a look around, and winced. The arena was large enough to house a small city, but its circumference was still crowded. Considering this was only one of fifteen groups, he wondered how many people had tried to enter the school total. About a thousand in this group, so… fifteen thousand tryouts?
Dang.
He didn’t notice the rumbling until he glanced up, and saw the gates begin to open. Crap, it’s starting!
All one thousand candidates raced forward, some hesitantly, some viciously. The boy was caught slightly off guard, but ran with the crowd, catching up quickly.
He spotted a building, and tore away from the crowd, running for it, expecting a target. For the first time, he truly appreciated the suit.
The black and blue that were Destiny’s signature shades combined for a tracksuit that somehow made one look fiercer than before. The school’s emblem of two crossed swords over a clock glistened right below the collar, shining brightly in the midday sun. The sensors were a lot more lightweight than he’d have thought they would have been, and it overall freed his movement more than his usual outfit of a t-shirt and shorts.
A quick scan of the arena showed him… destruction.
There was a small city in the arena, which didn’t really surprise him. Even from the outside, the arena had towered over nearby cities, to the point where locals joked about Destiny housing an entire country in that very building.
What did surprise him, though, was how… crushed everything was.
Asphalt and cement alike was crumbling, barely managing to support the halves of snapped lampposts and signposts. Walls seemed to fall into pieces before his very eyes, and bricks lay on the floor. Roofs no longer sheltered those below, but instead their remains tapped at his feet as he walked.
He shivered. The scene, the entire thing, reminded him of another time, another place, that he’d never wanted to think of once more. At least I still have Mom and Allie left, even if Mom has to roam around in a wheelchair to do anything and depend on other parents for Allie’s schedules.
God, I wonder if Allie’s learning how to use her ability?
He shook his head. Reliving the past was a habit he’d rather forget, and he had a job to do.
The building in question he was heading for was a squat, low one-story, close to the entrance. Three walls were cracked but otherwise in perfect condition. The fourth and the roof were nonexistent.
So was the door.
Gage shrugged mentally as he ran, turning to the left to swerve through the opening created by the wall — or lack thereof.
A translucent blue cube lay on a brick which had probably been torn from the roof. A target.
He picked it up in one hand. Two by two by two inches. Tiny. He sighed, then clenched his fist.
When the cube shattered, he didn’t feel any pain in his hand. Just to be expected.
+1 point!
Ten cubes in as many minutes. He had three minutes left before the heroes began their hunt. A quick glance up at the giant screen in the sky showing the leaderboard confirmed a place within the top ten. Number one had twelve. Number two had eleven, not far behind.
And I’m third.
He had seen others around him swatting at ethereal blue cubes with fire and lightning dancing off their fingers, thunder screeching from their mouths, and all kinds of other abilities. Gage sighed. In a world filled with superhumans, that was only to be expected, especially in such a competitive atmosphere as the test.
He thought of himself, and exhaled sharply again. He didn’t have any advantage over anyone else in powers, but in experience, skill, training, powers, and even overall effectiveness, he was confident not a single student would be able to match him.
Except maybe himself.
He glanced around. Finding the cubes was a side quest for him now. All he needed was a place to set up a plan.
He darted into yet another abandoned building. Perfect. Should do well enough for my purposes.
Gage grinned. All that remained now was to figure out how to get rid of the GPS.
A bit of blue shimmered up at him from the corner of his eye, and he reached over to smash another target. Take that, second place.
The Silent Heroine, Assassin, the number fifteen hero in the country, sighed. Her target had been stationary for the last minute and a half. She glanced down at her normal night-black gauntlets, now with a small, glowing orange circle in the middle. Doesn’t seem like it should be too hard. Makes me feel a little bad for this kid, obviously has no idea what he’s doing.
She moved forward, watching the building. Something clanked inside, followed by swearing. The hero winced, thought about calling out a warning about profanity, then decided against it. She wasn’t the Silent Heroine for no reason. Even now, she used her sound warping ability to keep her footsteps unnoticed.
The walls were half gone, and the doorway had no real reason to exist with the holes in the crumbling sides. Assassin watched carefully, then slid in through a side hole. He was in a corner, and the GPS told him he should be facing her--
She stopped.
No one was there.
What? Even if he had an invisibility ability, the gloves should be visible! Heck, even if it’s an illusion ability, I should be able to see them!
Something caught the corner of her eye. A slight flash of orange. Nervousness flooded her body, and she ran forward.
It had been concealed in the shadows, so she hadn’t seen it at first, but the outline was barely visible. Four long raven black lines and a stubbier one on the side. In the palm of the glove, a sensor whirred.
This kid figured out where the GPS is? Wha--
Something slammed into her side, and she barely managed to right herself midair, shakily landing on her feet. As she began to glance up, something smacked into her chin, and she flipped over completely. What the heck? This kid…is he even a kid? Way too fast--
Something tapped the orange pad on her shoulder and she heard something zap with the contact.
Assassin, you have been eliminated.
On a computer not far away, the leaderboard shifted. Elimination marks had been beginning to appear in the form of x’s on the faces of students. So far, only two of the volunteering heroes had been taken down, neither of which had been predicted to be strong contenders.
A man sat, staring lethargically at the screen. Orange hair flared up aggressively, at odds with kind, golden eyes. He was well muscled, yet his enormous height gave off the impression of a towering redwood. A cape fluttered behind him, Romanesque in its golden appearance, complementing the armor which adorned his arms, legs, and chest. His face was scarred, though it was only slightly, and somehow added to, instead of detracting from, a paternal, timeless face. It was impossible to tell his age, somewhere between twenty and fifty, not helped at all by the fact that he seemed youthful and mature at the same time.
Chancemaker stood behind him, watching with the same casual laziness. “So, Mister Number One Hero, do you think you’ll have to go out yourself? ‘S not every year the great Peacemaker himself has to fight a couple students in the entrance exam.”
The man, Peacemaker, sighed. “No, I don’t think so. That hasn’t happened for about, what, ten years now? Has it been that long since Psyshock tried out?” He laughed quietly. “He was an incredible guy. ‘S too bad he ran into that demon villain. That reminds me, I need to check up on his widow; heard she wasn’t feeling too well. It isn’t a good thing that she has a kid weighing her down as well.”
Chancemaker shook his head. “Yeah, well, this group seems pretty str--”
A beep, and both of them looked over at the computer screen, eyebrows raised. The screen glowed slightly, and the rankings began to shift.
A spiky-haired boy, sharp brown eyes staring out from the screen, glared at the two heroes. Peacemaker raised an eyebrow. “No last name? What--”
Their attention was drawn to the hero side as angry scarlet slashes clashed across the leaderboard.
“What the--huh?” Chancemaker stared in shock as the name of one of the strongest heroes in the country was crossed out. “But…what…how? Assassin’s never been taken out!”
Peacemaker glanced at the younger man, a spark finally blazing in his eyes as he pushed the chair back and stood. “Well, it looks like I’m going in today.”
Gage thought back to the past few minutes. Assassin, the Silent Heroine, had been the first. He’d managed to take out one or two more after her, but he knew there was more to come; neither of his pursuers were anywhere near the level of power Assassin was at.
He glanced down at his glove. After beating the first hero, he’d realized the gauntlet could show him the leaderboard, and also tell him which heroes were coming to hunt him down. Arguably the most important feature, though, there was a timer that displayed how many minutes left to gain points. Right now, he had around twenty minutes left. Nodding in satisfaction, he glanced at the hero leaderboard.
Eyes widened slightly, and he stared at the names of heroes currently hunting potential students. Didn’t think those heroes would come in so early on.
He stood. Frick, Draco and Stunner are heading for me. This isn’t good; Draco can probably just knock down the entire building with his dragons, and Stunner’s speed means he would then easily finish me off. I have to get to the open. It might give them an advantage, but I know their fighting styles, and by extension, their weaknesses. So I just have to put in the bait at just the right moment, which should be hard considering they’re both top ten heroes.
Well, it helps a lot that they’re worth double points because they’re part of Wave Two.
His eyes scanned the building, and he sighed. There’s no way to use this to my advantage; if he just runs me over, I’m screwed. The only way I can win is either with a distraction, or maybe even if he underestimates me; I’m trying to become a student, after all.
Gage dropped towards the door and ran. His best bet would be an alley, where neither hero would be able to use their powers effectively, and there was one nearby, about a block from the house. But if it was a dead end…
A roar sounded in the distance, and Gage gritted his teeth. If the Dragon Hero, Draco, had summoned and used one of his dragons for transportation, he had a lot less time than he had thought before. Not to mention Stunner would moving incredibly quickly with his speed ability. I have to choose the arena, not them. I…
Gage cursed and dove to the side as a gauntlet swatted the place he had been seconds ago. Unlike his, sky-blue scales covered this one, claws extending out of the fingers. The owner of the gauntlet turned the corner, and Gage found himself staring at the number seven hero in the country. Tall, slim, with scaled arm guards and shin guards, a blue visor covering his lower face and giving the impression of a reptilian lower jaw, as well as a chestplate which was scaled and violet. Piercing green eyes stared out from behind the mask, swishing under night-black hair.
He dodged back far enough to be a safe distance away from another swat, as Draco laughed. “Try not to swear in a school environment, kid.”
The boy glanced around wildly. Stunner’s nearby somewhere, not to mention Draco’s dragon. This isn’t good; I won’t be able to fight two high-ranking heroes and a dragon at the same time.
He turned to run, when the earth shattered with a roar and a shriek.
Both Draco and Gage whipped around and stared. Something made the hero’s eyes go wide, the blood draining out of his face.
Normally, Gage would have taken advantage of the situation, but there was something in the man’s face that made him pause, and turn to look at whatever it was. What the hell?
For once, it wasn’t a cold calculation that he had running in his head, but instead a surprised, albeit unscared flash.
What the hell’s that?
Peacemaker bounded over a building, feeling his enhanced strength flowing through his legs as he jumped, and grinned slightly as he leapt over another structure. It’s the most freeing when you’re yourself, free to be the you that you always wanted to be…
Not that it matters without any friends…
His smile faded slightly. My student is gone, and get it over with. He died honorably, and there's no reason for me not to be happy for him, struck down doing the thing he loved, even to the end.
So why does it make me feel empty, like a father who lost his son?
Something shrieked, and he skidded to a stop, eyes widening as he turned to stare at what had made the sound. Behind him, the slightly slower Chancemaker choked back a shocked gasp, opting instead to whisper a prayer. “That…that’s not part of the test, is it?”
“No, it’s not.” The number one hero held out his hand, feeling the comforting weight of a blade press into it out of thin air. “But I can take a guess, that what it’s a part of, is hell. Because there’s no way something like that was created by anything less than the devil.”