---

A grin played across Quami's face as the situation slowly began to play into his hands, just as he predicted. While he hadn't expected those who jumped in to jump in as they did, he found himself on top none the less. At one point, all he had to do was sit back and watch as his 'charisma' worked its magic. As a student from the crowd spoke up, a female that he found rather good looking, the staff themselves joined in. The Headmaster made his piece, roasting her in his own ' bougie ' kind of way before the staff jumped in and exposed her.

While Quami hadn't intended for things to go as far as it did, he couldn't help but feel pity for the girl. One couldn't go on making death threats and not expect to get reprimanded rather harshly. But he felt little pity in that regard, his pity was in her loss of social standing. While he was no social expert, he was pretty sure that being a 'bitch' made you no friends whatsoever.

Despite his minor concern, Quami's mind shifted from high-gear into low-gear as the Headmaster words on Dress Code came flowing back.

"The dress code is not incredibly restrictive, but please wear at least a full set of clothes, and nothing obscene or offensive. I hope that answers your question."

A grin formed itself on his face as the Headmaster's answer came back to him. He had basically meant to say; 'wear whatever you want as long as it isn't offensive', which was fine by him. This meant that fashion diva Quami was in full swing, and he would be pulling out all the stunts this year, little to no holds barred.

Speaking of stunts, Quami needed to pull one as of now, a stunt up the social hierarchy before it was officially set in place that is; which meant that it was time to actually talk to people. Low an behold, with a little bit of scanning, he was able to find a gathering crowd, one that included another one of the females who spoke out against the 'bitch'.

Without hesitation Quami rose to meet the group, his purposeful gait masked by the incessant squeaking of his shoes.

"This unit seems cohesive, but it would prove beneficial for all if we better understood each other's functionalities and directives. Should we relocate to the gymnasium, and, as was stated, 'show how weird we are' to our fellow students?"

"A units not cohesive without a little color." Quami chimed, grinning as he looked over the shoulder of the robot.

Insert himself into the conversation; accomplished.

---

The toned woman looked over the students that lined up in front of her as they were dismissed from their seats. She saw as some of them talked to each other, and others waited for orders as to what to do and where to go next. Constance counted heads, scanning the countenance of each student that stood in line. Looking up to the stage, as well as to the side of the auditorium, she watched the staff converge together to talk. She looked down to the end of the line, spotting Tatiana. Tatiana gave a soft nod to Constance, to which Constance nodded back, standing straight and clearing her throat as she addressed the students.

"Okay, I need you all to listen and listen to me very closely." Constance said, to which some students ignored her, continuing to talk. "The sooner you all show some respect and shut your mouths, the sooner you all get to eat. But I have all morning so you can take all of the time you need." At that, however, all of the students remained quiet. "That's better." Constance said with a soft smirk.

"Alright, I'm only gonna say this once so you all better listen. I'm going to guide you to the gymnasium, and while it is pretty straightforward walk, I don't want anyone to get separated on this tour. We need to make sure we get everyone accounted for, and to make sure everyone goes through orientation and survives. So, for the love of all things mighty, please stay with the group." Constance looked over the students. "Do I make myself clear?" Her tone, and her demeanor obviously indicated authority and asskicking, and a hint of military experience.

The students all silently nodded.

"Good. Now follow me. Feel free to ask any and all questions along the way, I'll answer them the best I can." Constance then turned around towards the double-doors in front of her, before looking up and pointing up to the 'emergency exit' sign. "Keep an eye out for those." She said, pointing at the sign. "It's only a matter of time before some dumbass catches this place on fire. Know your exits." Constance emphasized, opening the doors in front of her, leading the students outside.

Outside seemed to be some concrete hall of sorts, separating the door from the hill it was dug into, making it out to be a bunker of some kind. However, beyond the concrete walls that created a walkway that split the hill in two, was a massive field surrounded by forests, a field that has two soccer goals on either end of it. Surrounding the said field was a running track, and at the left side of the field, was a massive concrete building. The building had paint on it, with the colors of green and white, and a massive unicorn painted on one side of it. There were some students that were playing soccer in the field, passing the ball to one another, as several students with superspeed ran several circles around the track, before one of them got tired and took a break on one of the many benches that rested in between the building and the field.

Constance guided the students by walking ahead of them, pointing towards the large building. "That there is the gymnasium. It's a large building that serves as a basketball court, as well as an indoor sporting arena, shooting range and abilities practice area." Constance said. "The building itself is lined with the same shit used to protect the President's Bunker, as well as power-neutralizing agents that help keep people's abilities from exiting the building. There, you can safely practice your powers, but still be mindful of others that surround you." Constance explained as she guided the students past the fields. She pointed towards the woods. "We have practice areas in the woods as well, but they are far and deep, to the point where any projectile powers would end up being absorbed by the trees. Powers with a wide area of effect are safe too, but it depends on the power, really. We do lots of wargames and stuff there for the folks who have more... active abilities, so to say." Constance explained. "It's lots of fun, but incredibly painful if you're an idiot." Constance said casually.

The students who were on the field watched as the new students walked by, some of them grinning and pointing towards the various students, taking bets and making guesses as to what powers and what type of people the new students were.

Constance turned to the students in the (temporary) soccer field. "Hey! No distracting the first-years!" Almost immediately, Constance's irises glowed white, and as her hair lifted up somewhat, so did her hand, and with a deep bassy *BMMMMMM* she lifted her hand up and flicked it sideways, and as she did, the soccer ball in one of the student's hands was lifted up from his grasp before being promptly tossed into the goal by Constance's psychokinetic powers. At that, Constance smirked. "Go on about your business." She said before continuing on, to which the students shrugged and continued playing soccer.

Soon enough, they would end up at the double doors that led into the massive building. The double doors themselves were made with reinforced metal of sorts, each with a small window slot, making the building out to be a giant bunker of sorts. Constance raised her hand, and with the similar psychokinetic effects that displayed themselves earlier, the double doors swung open, and revealed the gymnasium to everyone who entered inside. "I'd warn you kids, the doors are quite heavy, so they might need a little oomph to get them open." Constance said as she walked inside.

The interior of the gymnasium was quite large, and the floor was quite smooth. The walls were made with nothing but concrete, and the ceiling was nothing but darkness and black support beams masked by bright commercial-grade LED lights. The floor itself was made out of some strange material, and while it wasn't wood, it was smoother than a basketball court. It allowed skin to slide harmlessly, but allowed shoes to gain friction. Up in the rafters were several basketball hoops ready to be lowered, as well as several shooting targets as well. While the walls had green and white stripes painted on them, and there was a small outlined running track that ran its course around the whole gym, there were some signs and posters up on the walls that displayed the rules, as well as advertisements for Heroes Without Capes Help Abroad and the Special Tasks Coalition Training Programs. There was another set of double doors that acted as an exit, and there was a metal door that was opened from pulling upwards.

"Welcome to the Gymnasium." Constance spread her arms, showing the students the space before them. "I want all of you to line up along the blue line here." She said, indicating the blue line along the smooth floor that resembled a basketball court of sorts. Almost immediately, all fifty of the students lined up along the line, standing next to each other, paying close attention to what was going on. Constance walked towards the door, opening it up to reveal the tons of sports and practice equipment kept inside. She walked back towards the students, walking along the line as if she were a drill sergeant inspecting the recruits. "Here, you will be introducing yourselves by stating your name, where you're from, and your ability. You will stand within this green circle behind me, and you will introduce yourselves in the manner I just mentioned. If your power is an offensive power, I will bring out a target mannequin for you to attack. If your power is defensive, you can use it on the spot. If your power is supportive, you can volunteer someone to receive the fruits of your ability. If your power is area based, feel free to accommodate yourself so you won't hurt anyone. Otherwise, show yourself off in the safest way possible." Constance then stood front and center, turning back towards the students with her hands behind her back. "Do I make myself clear?"

The students all gave an affirmative reply, nodding.

"Good." Constance gave a soft smile. "Just remember, I am the abilities instructor here at this academy. Everything I say, and all of the directions I give are for your own safety. Every single student here has at a much higher risk of getting killed than in a standard setting, so it's in all of our best interest if you stick to directions. Otherwise, if you're not killed as a result of your stupidity, you'll be disciplined." Constance explained casually. "And being in detention without your powers is no fun, and neither is being killed, so I suggest you all exercise caution."

"Now that I got all of that out of the way, who would like to go first?" Constance asked with a devious smirk.

The whole time, however, Tatiana operated and stood close to Alexis, acting as her security detail, making sure nothing happened in the course of time. She was happy to answer any and all questions Alexis had.

---

Just like a robot! Failed at idiums and slang, taking everything to its solid definition! So Light guessed he wasn't going to be as funny as the beer drinking robot, but there was still some fun to be had with this one. Though before the tentacle girl could reply to Light's gesture, the school staff shepherded out the students towards the gymnasium which looked more or less like a bomb shelter than a school building. It was strange that there were students out on the grounds already, Light figured that all the students that were attending were in the auditorium, but apparently it was only the new blood, the old blood doing their daily activities already. It was funny though that they were barked at by the main staff member who was apparently their gym teacher.

Once everyone had entered the gym, Constance the gym teacher telling the students about the gym and how it might be difficult for some of them to enter due to the weight of the door, everyone was told to line up. Constance then explained what everyone was to do, pointing out the equipment for people to use. It took Light a little bit to figure out what kind of act she'd go with to explain her powers, but no one else had volunteered right away so she decided to try it out.

Pulling out and throwing a black circle under her feet, Light popped out of a second circle right in the middle of the demonstration ring. Giving her classmates a one armed bow, she started. "Hiya! I'm Light." she said with a smile. Pointing out her odd appearance, she said. "And if you can't guess, I'm a toon! Well, sorta." To demonstrate her point, she rumaged inside her dress for a prop, and pulled out an ACME branded black cartoonish bomb with a relatively short fuse which promptly exploded in her face, throwing smoke everywhere around her and dying her black with ash. Shaking herself clean after a moment of being stunned, she gave another wide smile.

"Don't worry, I'm fun loving, but I'm not chaotic like what you see on TV. I'm up to doing slapstick though if you request it! Just nothing with ropes or handcuffs, I'm not a fan of that bondage stuff." She said, giving another animated bow. "I'm also freely open to hugs, so don't be shy! If you ever wanted to hug a toon, just go for it!" She concluded, walking back to the group. She didn't really show off her super strength or an extreme version of her toon physics, but she figured the rest of the students understood what she was and what she could do from her demonstration. She looked at the rest of the students, hoping others had some great powers to show off too.

---

Jin gave Light a small nod of gratitude coupled with a small smile as she moved to let him into the group. Her blue hair was striking but he didn't stare. The same way he didn't stare at the Kraken's tentacles. He didn't think they'd appreciate it. He focused his attention to Seven when he spoke. "My name is Jin," he looked at each person in the group as he said his name so as to include everyone in his introduction. And then he turned his attention back to Seven and acknowledged its second question. He nodded. "Synthetic? Yes, it is. But it's not part of my body. I am not mechanically enhanced. It's just something I used to cover up a scar on my face."

"This unit seems cohesive, but it would prove beneficial for all if we better understood each other's functionalities and directives. Should we relocate to the gymnasium, and, as was stated, 'show how weird we are' to our fellow students?"

"A units not cohesive without a little color." the dark skinned boy that had spoken earlier in the orientation chimed in, a grin on his face.

The little group they had formed didn't look so bad. "I suppose this is where everything gets interesting, showing each other our abilities," Jin commented as he followed everyone out of the Auditorium.

---

---

---

Once on the Gymnasium, Jin obediently fell in line with his fellow students. When instructed to demonstrate their powers, the blue haired girl went first. Light. He'll make sure to remember her name. When she mentioned being a toon, Jin's brow furrowed. What exactly did she mean?

But he didn't really need to wait long for her demonstration. He watched as she pulled out a cartoonish bomb and exploded it on herself. Oh. His lips curve up into an amused smile. He was sure that her powers were not to be trifled with and if needed, she could definitely do some major damage. But nevertheless, she was amusing.

When no one stepped forward after her, he did. With his hands behind his back, he walked purposefully to the green circle behind Constance. Following the instructions, he introduced himself. "My name is Seong Jin Park. Jin, for short. Born in Korea, grew up in Los Angeles, California. I can..." He paused, trying to think of the right words to describe what he can do. "...warp reality with the illusion I create. However, I can only do it for a single person... and well, I suppose I'll be needing a volunteer." There were a few hushed whispers from the student body.

A red haired girl standing almost at the end of the line stepped forward and gave him a skeptical smile. "I'll volunteer. Can you create a flower field with butterflies and rainbows? Maybe add in a unicorn and some fairies?" she challenged. The boy beside her chuckled.

Jin looked at the girl and simply nodded.

"What? Do I need to hold your hand or somethi---" The girl blinked and looked around her. As she had requested, the gymnasium was transformed into a vast field abloom with different varieties of flowers in different shades of colors. The sky was a brilliant blue decorated by a vibrant rainbow. Butterflies fluttered by, some chased by twinkling, giggling fairies, some resting on the back of a magnificent white unicorn. The unicorn neighed and pranced towards her, sunlight glinting off its horn. "Oh my gosh, this is... so beautiful."

The boy who had chuckled looked at the girl. "Andrea, what do you see?" When she didn't respond, he grabbed her arm. "I wanna see too." As soon as he touched her, he saw a fragment of the illusion. Some butterflies, flower petals and the horn of a unicorn.

Disturbing thoughts and images began invading Jin's mind. The illusion flickered. He closed his eyes and broke visual contact with the red haired girl, effectively ending his demonstration. The girl groaned in disappointment but looked at Jin with newfound respect. "That was SO cool, Jin," she praised.

The boy looked envious. "Can you make me an illusion too?"

Jin gave him a small smile. "I don't think I'm supposed to demonstrate twice," he said and then turned to Constance. He gave her a small bow before he walked back to rejoin the other students.

Interacting with: @AbandonedIntel Constance McDowell, Staff, Students.

---

Well, if the introduction was any indication this Powerbound Academy should be an interesting adventure. Perhaps interesting wasn't the correct word for it. Naomi was really beginning to enjoy the freedom she had built up. Still this place should prove to be a much better alternative to prison. Through the beginning of the orientation the girl with the red highlights leaned her shin against her hand. She wasn't tired, bored might be a better description. And the only form of entertainment at that moment was the occasional quip or silly question of the students. A few people perked up out of nowhere like they had been given a jolt. Naomi could have been hit with the same effect, but given the amount of energy she could store it was probably more like a drop in the ocean.

Speaking of questions the only one that caught her personal attention was the one about dress code. She briefly made note of who asked the question, curious about who would ask. Naomi had intended just to dress however she wanted. Easier to ask forgiveness then permission in her mind. But it didn't appear that the rules were all that strict, though that kind of took some of the fun out of testing them. Oh well, perhaps some other time.

Other attendees didn't seems to have qualms with testing the waters though. While a troublemaker, Naomi probably wouldn't have insulted the staff like that. Just didn't seem smart. Thankfully someone responded and the game began. She didn't expect it to get that far with basically all the staff there on hand. But it was worth watching and seeing how it played out. As expected the squabble was stamped out and the original instigator was threatened with being locked up. No perhaps it would be best not to give these people a good reason to send her back. There were still other ways to have fun. Once again bored they were told that they would be moving and the mass of students exited the building.

---

---

---

Now the gym was interesting, it was more like a bunker than anything which made sense. From what Naomi understood there were some pretty destructive powers out there and having a way to contain them while being learned was a good idea. Her contemplation on how long it would take to eat through the walls was cut short when the mention of power negation was mentioned. Digressing they were all told that they needed to introduce themselves, where they were from, and what they could do. More or less the thing you do at every new school. At first it looked like no one wanted to go first but then an odd girl with blue hair popped out of the ground and introduced herself as Light, just Light. Was that actually a name? Hard to say, perhaps it was one in the more "proper" English speaking countries. Where she was from wasn't mentioned but that detail was quickly overlooked as a bomb was produced from nowhere and detonated. To Naomi's surprise the effect was little more than skin deep. A toon indeed. The breadth of meta abilities reached further than she could have anticipated.

Light left the stage to make way for the next student. After a brief pause the next one stepped forward and promptly introduced himself as Seong Jin Park, hailing from Korea growing up in California. Jin was one of the few other Asians in this new group of students it would seem. Not that that meant much, the various countries tended to keep their distinction and wear it like a badge. Distracted again Naomi barely caught that the person did illusions. Then again, she didn't see any of said illusions so it was somewhat easy to miss. A useful ability with the right application. Too bad it only can apply to one person at a time.

And again there is a pause. Rolling her eyes slightly Naomi pushed her way past the others. "Wah lau, this isn't that hard people." Sauntering into the green circle she motioned to Constance. "Since we are having show and tell I would like a mannequin to demonstrate, Ms. McDowell." While that was supplied she turned back to the assembly. This type of spectacle wasn't one she was accustomed to. Up until now she tried not to display her powers in front on anyone so as not to be caught. No choice in the matter now so, with a smirk and rather good English despite her accent, Naomi introduced herself. "Hello. My name is Naomi Sumiko Lim. I am from Kallang, Singapore and I convert matter to energy and back again. That means I can make all kinds of things..." The prop was brought in which was taller than Naomi herself. Ready, she waved her right hand toward the mannequin. Almost instantly a perfect copy of her current outfit appeared over the image. "...and make them go away." Placing a finger against the mannequin not only did the clothes vanish but after a few seconds the entire dummy as well.

Figuring that would suffice she surveyed the reactions. Not that it really mattered, but it was worth noting who was paying attention. Predictably not everyone appeared impressed. Either they didn't care or didn't quite understand what happened. Others were clearly curious and likely wanted more details. What all could she make, what could she destroy, could she kill me with a touch? The latter were noticeable as they gave her room when she rejoined the group of students. To say that Naomi didn't enjoy the attention would be lying. There was surprising satisfaction in being acknowledged for having power. Perhaps she would need to rethink how she applied it. Raising her hands she held them out toward the circle. "See how easy that was? Now someone else try. Go go." They'd be here all day if they didn't pick things up.

---

Natalya was thrown off-guard at the sound of her mother tongue. She would have taken the time to respond to the synthetic in her primary language, however her train of thought was lost as the crowd around her began to shuffle. Instead, she defaulted to the language she had been speaking for several years now: "Yes, that was a joke. I would much prefer to be called by my real name: Natalya." Their conversation, while potentially interesting, quickly died off as they were joined by others. The first to arrive was an extremely pale woman with blue hair. She showed a keen interest in both Seven and Natalya's... quirks... Along with the pale girl came another foreign looking boy, who had covered half of his face with some sort of eyepatch. Perhaps it had something to do with his "Metahuman-ness". Natalya could only dream of being able to cover up her hideous mutilations.

They were also joined by the young, extremely casual man who had challenged the delinquent earlier on in their introduction. His response of adding some color to their "unit" earned a chuckle out of Natalya. "That introduction gets points for uniqueness, I'll give you that," Natalya said, her accent ever-present. At this point, it would only be weird for her to try masking it.

"I suppose this is where everything gets interesting, showing each other our abilities," said the boy with the eyepatch.

Interesting was perhaps a bit too tame. Natalya would have preferred the word "disturbing" or "immoral". However, she was beginning to see a trend in these other Metahumans. From her extremely brief conversations, she had noticed that not many of them appeared to feel the same way as she did. In fact, it seemed to her that the majority of the Metahumans felt the opposite. The only logical conclusion she could come up with was that maybe they didn't all come to knowing their abilities in the same way she did. Perhaps, to some of them, the powers that they possessed truly were gifts. Unfortunately, these were the cards dealt to her, and there's no exchanging them.

---

---

---

Inside the gym, their professor, Constance had gone on about what they were supposed to do, how to behave, and pretty much every other boring topic she could think of. Natalya had tuned out for the majority of her speech, opting to just follow the lead of other, more responsible students instead. Fortunately, their professor hadn't called them up in any particular order to "demonstrate".

The extremely pale girl was the first to volunteer. She introduced herself as simply Light, stating that she was a "toon", whatever that meant. She demonstrated her rather strange ability by pulling out an active, circular bomb from inside her dress. The bomb went off with a small explosion right in the girl's face. Natalya was still stuck on the fact that she had pulled that object out of her... Dress? With a quite speech and a bow, Light left the spotlight and allowed another student to take her place. Natalya made a mental note to ask Light what exactly she could do, seeing as pulling bombs out of a dress couldn't possibly have been the extent of her powers.

Up next was the kid with the eyepatch. He introduced himself as Seong Jin Park from Korea. His powers were the ability to create illusions. After demonstrating it on a single student, Natalya was left entirely unimpressed. Perhaps it would have been more impressive if it were used on her. How could she know if his illusions even worked?

After Jin came yet another foreigner. Though, to Natalya most of these people were foreign. Naomi from Singapore, who could "convert matter to energy and back again". After watching her demonstration, Natalya was left quite dumbfounded. Perhaps it was her lack of education, but someone shouldn't be able to make something completely disappear with a simple finger touch. "See how easy that was? Now someone else try. Go go," Naomi said before leaving the center.

"Well, it's now or later, I guess. Better get this over with," Natalya said quietly as she made her way slowly to the center of the gym. "My name is Natalya... Ruslana... Ivanov," she hesitated slightly on her middle name, "and I'm from Moscow, Russia. I have these gross arm things. They kind of stretch out a little, and unsurprisingly smell like fish. Uh..." Natalya hadn't actually thought of what she was going to do in her demonstration. She looked around the gym for anything that she could use to demonstrate before settling on the ceiling above her. "Oh, I can climb pretty well with these."

Natalya quickly made her way to one side of the gym, where the walls were covered in posters and advertisements. She latched her left arm firmly onto the wall, followed by the other arm. She steadily made her way up the wall, leaving the posters covered in a slimy residue. She found the edge of the ceiling, where the weaving of rafters was now within arms reach. One arm after another, she swung through the entirety of the gym. It was quite a strain on her arms, but fortunately she would recover relatively quickly. After climbing back down the wall, she met back up with her peers.

"Oh yeah, I also have gills." Natalya pulled up the side of her shirt to reveal several thin slits along her ribcage. Natalya gave the crowd a quick, awkward bow and returned to her spot among the others.

---

"Can we get this over with?" Ezra muttered to no one, and no one seemed to here. The lady, who's name was McDowell, was shutting up soon kids right next to Ezra. Ezra brushed his hand through his hair, and was finally happy when they were lead to the gymnasium.

Ezra followed quietly as McDowell talked about not getting lost on the tour, or something, and looking out for fire doors. This caught his attention, and gave him sort of a flashback when his deceased friend Reyna had almost caught the whole hideout on fire. Ezra smiled for a brief second then remembered; deceased, dead. His smile instantly vanished back to a cold look on his face. He pulled his hand down his face, wiping the glassy chance of tears rolling down his cheeks like a boulder running down a hill.

Ezra took a quick note in his mind, he may be a little, if somewhat not rebellious, but he would still listen. Hell, his life might depend on listening to their direct instructions. He didn't understand what was truly out there, and what made all those rules. Yes, he understood normal people hated people like him, but no one normal could break and cause a murder spree inside this compound...

Right...?

Suddenly, a cold wash of fear splashed over him, but he shook it off. A little paranoid, don't you think? He thought to himself. These people could protect them easily, no need to worry himself over it Nothing was going to be able to get inside of this compound without getting pummeled by either the students or the teachers and security. Soon enough, they had made it to the gym. Which had exceeded his expectations.

It was not your normal gym. It looked bigger than the normal gym, but after all, this gym wasn't for normal people, so it wasn't meant to be normal. To Ezra, it seemed like the gym was built for 8 feet giants. He chuckled to himself, then looked around. Suddenly he heard McDowell tell them to stand on the blue line.

He did so without a word. McDowell then said they would be introducing themselves and their powers, once they stood in the green circle behind her that he had noticed. This wasn't the normal markings on the floor of a normal basketball court, but this place wasn't for anyone normal, Ezra reminded himself.

After a few very interesting people like Light, Seong, Naomi, and Natalya. Natayla's was the most freakiest ability Ezra had ever seen, he appeared to stay calm but in the inside of his mind he was freaking out with so many questions for this girl. She even had gills. Ezra swallowed, and noticed that it was his turn in the line and seemingly no one else wanted to go.

"Seriously...? No one....? Not even you, with the red hair? .... Fine." Ezra said awkwardly, and stepped into the green circle. He took a deep breath, and looked around the group of people who staring at him expectantly.

"My name's Ezra Collins.". He heard a few snickers at the name Ezra, he rolled his eyes, annoyed. "I was born in Toronto, moved to Manhattan, then walked the whole way here. My power is... err.. this." A blue light pulsed through Ezra's hand. "I guess this can be considered an offensive power." Suddenly, a blue little orb of the light was hovering inside of Ezra's hand, he then threw it at a wall, and the blue projectile dissolved on the wall, leaving black charred marks on the cement with a little bit of a singe effect on it. The projectile made a weird noise when it appeared and incinerated against the wall.

"I can do a little more than that, but it makes my head hurt." Ezra said as he walked out of the green line. Nailed it!

---

Well, things were interesting! First some guy saying he could do illusions, something Light couldn't see since he didn't do it to her so she didn't really care too much about him. The next person though! Turning things into other things, being able to create and destroy things? It was like her little item pull thing, but she could CONTROL it! Man, Light wondered what kinda food they could make. Chocolate all day sounds like a dream!

Then missy tentacle lady came up and showed off her tentacles. Light figured she could do a lot more than she let on, she knew a lot about tentacles and how... invasive... they could be. But still, being part squid looked interesting and would be neat if she was more sure of herself. Light made a note to see if she could cheer her up a bit. And the fourth person... he was out of one of those japanese cartoons! Shooting energy balls at stuff, he was someone to watch out for! Shame Mr. Robot hadn't gone yet, but Light made her way over to Kraken who looked fidgety where she stood.

"Hiya. Why are you so nervous?" Light said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

---

The fight had quelled but there was still that edge to the air; like anything could happen in a blink of an eye as the staff began to shuffle the first years out from the auditorium and towards the gym. Lyrah tucked her hands into her deep pockets as she tried her best to blend back into the crowd while avoiding physical contact. Not like the other students really paid any attention attention as several knocked into her as they traveled. She could feel their emotions ping off of her. That constant buzz of electricity that would cling to every living being was now pulsing around her as the group marched. Luckily her jacket acted as a barrier. Keeping her safe from unwelcome touches and the cold.

Thankfully it wasn't long before they arrived. 'Telekinesis' she noted dryly as she watched the guard toss a soccer ball out the window. It was a great power to have. Distant but hands on. Lyrah began to mentally take notes about the woman as she had the students line up. It was show case time and the mood had changed from excitement to nervousness and fear, well almost. A rather pale female had flounced up without any hesitation. Lyrah could feel her confusion mirror around her about her as the girl introduced herself. A toon? Though she wasn't left waiting long before the girl comically blew herself up. She eyed her curiosily as she bpinded happily back into line, that certainly wasn't something she had expected.

Next up was an Asian boy who claimed to have the power of illusion. Albeit, his power seemed quite limited as he looked for a volunteer. It didn't take long beforr a girl asked for what possibly seemed like every stereotypical preteen fantasy but Jin didn't seem to question or hesitate and soon the female looked transfixed on something Lyrah couldn't quite see.

Then there was hesitation that followed, who was next? No one seemed prepared to take the stand, Lyrah included, everyone suddenly too unsure to show off. Fortunately someone else gruffly made her way to the standing circle. Like the boy before her she was of Asian decent and held herself in a simple matter of fact way. She was sharp and to the point. Matter convergence.' It was an another odd power but possibly useful, she noted.

As she filed back into rank amother student took her place. Now this was a sight to behold. The teen wasn't shy to quickly point out the two wiggling looking tentacles that attached were her arms should be. Without waiting for the crowds reaction she began to scale the wall- kinda like spiderman, you know, if he left a slime trail behind him. She popped back down and to the bewildered crowd showed off a set of gills before she shuffled back onto line.

The students muttered among themselves but no one seemed to dare question it.

Then it was food boy. Lyrah couldn't help but giggle a little at the memory as he walked up to the circle with a muddled look on his face. He awkwardly introduced himself before flinging a little blue light at a nearby wall. The students gasped audibly as they watched part of the wall melt away leaving nothing but a well charred hole. Needless to say, Lyrah was impressed. Now that was a power with some serious potential.

Food boy rejoined his classmates as she decided it was her time. Lyrah had never really done a demonstration before and frankly wasn't quite sure on how to best showcase her skill set. Instinctively she hugged her jacket ever closer as she stepped inside the circle and looked back at the curious faces before her.

"My name is Lyrah Maddox, some people call me Lye for short." she paused without bothering to explain exactly how she got that nickname. "I'm from Valparaiso, Indiana and my talent is being able to create a psychic link to other humans." She stopped again to take in the reactions which mainly seemed nonplussed at her announcement.

"To properly explain I'll need a volunteer."

Almost expecting another willful female volunteer, Lyrah was almost pleased to see a male student step up. As he moved to her side she paused to look up at the figure the dwarfed her slight frame and shrugged off her jacket. Without it she could feel the cold begin to seep into her skin and the muffled curious energy spike around her. She continued to speak to the crowd but kept her eyes firmly on the boy before her, "Every living thing has energy. From animals to plants and of course humans. Most of the time energy will just slide off each other as two living things pass one another. Some creatures are even capable of communicating with each other through it; particularly plants." Lyrah explained as she began to circle the boy who was looking less confident and more uneasy under her almost predatory gaze.

"But I am not a plant. I don't deal with creatures that aren't of the human variety and I must make initial physical contact." She stopped before him again before reaching out to touch his bare forearm. There it was; the feeling tingled up her arm and into the nape of her neck. She could feel his emotions press against her. There was confusion, curiosity and just a hint of fear. Lyrah smiled coyly before her eyes darkened. She summoned from the pit of her core her most strongest emotion; rage. To the crowd it would look like nothing as her lips pressed firm into a scowl but she could feel her emotion feed into him. The irritation that flashed and the subtle twitching in his hands.

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!"

He suddenly cried, limbs shaking in rage as he stomped angerly around the gym. The students took a step back and Lyrah looked over with a small smirk, "But that's not all folks." she chimed sweetly.

Her face softened as she changed the flow. Slowly he began to stagger as his eyes drooped. All the fury that seemed to overwhelm him a moment ago began to seeo away as his body staggered with exhaustion. He lay down on the ground as if to catch his breath before leaning back to pass out. This was always tricky. Not everyone was easy to push into slumber. Luckily for her she was dealing with teens and not trained adults. "Sleep is extremely important to humans. It helps our subconscious deal with stress and process information but it also leaves us extremely open. There's a lot you can learn from someone by stepping into their subconscious, that is- if you don't get lost in the chaos."

Lyrah sat down inside the circle and placed her hands on her legs. Closing her eyes she looked like she was simply just sitting there but there was much more going on. Lyrah slowed her breathing as the crowds energy melted away from her. All that flowed came from the resting boy. It was like stepping into a whirlpool. The warmth and the feeling of bubbles rushing against your skin. It was soothing in a way. While in her minds eye darkness exploded with colors and sounds that didn't belong to her. He was dreaming. A simple thing, hero's fighting against villains in a black and white take on good and evil. Of course he was the star of the scene, as are many with their bloated egos. Lyrah stepped carefully. She sifted through the dream sequence. Pulling out darker villains. Stronger enemies. She pushed for his subconscious to change the scene to something more memorableband she was rewarded quickly for her efforts as his heroic dream self openly weeped for a fallen comrade.

She pressed on the emotion and felt her visual change. Suddenly she wasn't the little dark haired girl who sat on the gym floor but a plucky blonde toddler in a house who's walls had begun to peel with age. Her target was before her but much, much, younger. She let the dream sequence play as soon a small horror unfolded. An attempted robbery that ended in murder.

There was no telling how much time had passed in the real world but as Lyrah began to peel herself out of his subconscious she could hear his weeping echo off the gyms walls. Blinking as she came back to reality she watched nonchalantly as the poor boy sobbed on the floor, wracked by the pain and torment of watching his little sister die over and over. Lyrah stood up without a sound and wrapped herself back in her protective coat. "Dreams are where you are most vulnerable." she muttered. His sorrow battered against her and her body rocked from the fatigue of pushing herself so far so quickly. Stepping over to him and kicked his legs lightly to wake him up.

Sorrow was quickly replaced with confusion and a lingering taste of bitterness as his dream melted to the back of his mind. "What happened?" He inquired.

Lyrah didn't bother to answer as she moved back to her place in line. A sour expression etched into her face. Unfortunately she'd be tied to him for the rest of the day. Feeling his bewilderment. His lingering anger and loss. It was irritating.

---

File Created: Light Smith

• Location of Origin: Unknown
• Meta-ability: Toon? Requires further analysis...
• Threat Level: High
• Status: Erratic

File Created: Seong Jin Park

• Location of Origin: Korea/Los Angles, California
• Meta-ability: Reality Warping Illusion? Requires further analysis...
• Threat Level: Moderate
• Status: Potential Ally

File Created: Naomi Sumiko Lim

• Location of Origin: Kallang, Singapore
• Meta-ability: Matter Conversion
• Threat Level: High
• Status: Unknown

File Created: Natalya Ruslana Ivanov

• Location of Origin: Moscow, Russia
• Meta-ability: Cephalopod Physiology
• Threat Level: Minimal
• Status: Potential Ally

File Created: Ezra Collins

• Location of Origin: Toronto, Canada
• Meta-ability: Plasma Generation
• Threat Level: Moderate
• Status: Unknown...most likely still hungry.

File Created: Lyrah Maddox

• Location of Origin:Valparaiso, Indiana
• Meta-ability: Psychic Link Generation
• Threat Level: Moderate to Organics, Minimal to Synthetics
• Status: Unknown

At the sight of the sobbing organic on the floor, Seven ceased his file generation. The synthetic was unsure of how it was supposed to respond in such a scenario. Physically, the organic appeared fine according to the unit's knowledge of human physiology. Yet it was emitting sounds related to high levels of distress. Perhaps the reaction was to the under-investigated stimulus of Lyrah Maddox's meta-ability? This, Seven decided, required further analysis...

Seven turned to Natalya, currently the most stable and open of the organics that the synthetic had interacted with, and began the tell-tale *whirrr* of its vocal modulators before it was interrupted.

"I think the metal guy wants to go next!" came a voice from nearby the android. The robot stepped forward, rapidly scanning the room for the origin of the sound. It was confused as to the purpose of the statement, as Seven had no preference to the order in which it presented its ability. It wished to make itself clear, to address the speaker directly and inform them of its actually intent, to observe the metas and their interactions with each other so that it may better learn organic integration, but the room was now looking expectantly at Seven. Waiting for the synthetic to demonstrate an ability or a talent. The android saw a few of the staff members nearby motion him to continue with their hands, and Seven accepted the finality of its current situation.

Stepping forward towards the center ring, Seven stated the required preface to its demonstration."Greetings. My designation is 'Soldier Seven,' but have been called 'Seven' or 'Sev' prior to this encounter. Either is an acceptable outcome. My place of manufacture was Moscow, Russia 1986. I have been operational for 3 months, 6 days, 22 minutes, and 7.5 seconds. Besides my synthetic exterior, and the benefits which come from that, I contain the unique ability to incorporate both software and hardware into my chassis." Seven's electronic voice tapered off for a moment. The android turned to Constance, engaging in direct conversation. "A mannequin and a piece of technology would aid with further demonstration, yes?"

Upon its request, a mannequin was placed next to the unit and an old, hand-held speaker given to it. Seven took a moment to look at the out-dated hardware, wondering where it was manufactured and if it was used well, before activating its assimilation protocols. Energy surged along Seven's circuit-paths, emitting an orange-yellow light as small nanites began to cannibalize the speaker. Unnecessary hardware, wires and casings, fell to the floor as Seven incorporated all that was required in order to replicate the speakers function. A moment later, and the process was complete. In the center of its palm lay the metal mesh of a speaker, as much a part of its being now as any other part of its body.

"Any requests before I move onto the next aspect of my demonstration? Seven inquired, hoping to prove educational to its new classmates.

"Freebird!" came the immediate response.

The synthetic accessed the cellphone unit it had acquired previous to today, and began streaming the requested song. Nanites shifted the speaker's mesh from its hand to its back, to allow for better sound quality before it moved onto the mannequin. It stepped about 15 meters away from its target before assuming a sprinter's position. As sound blared out of Seven's back, a meaningless series of beats and rhythms to it but entertaining to the rest of the class, the synthetic sprang into motion.

It covered 15 meters in about 1.5 seconds, exerting roughly 1 ton of force onto the mannequin's chest. Its hand pierced the soft center of the object with military precision, tearing straight through to the other side. As it decelerated to prevent collision with its classmates, Seven forced the mannequin down onto the ground with a heavy *thud*. It tore its hand out of the humanoid shaped object, sending a few of its innards flying into the air. The song still played in the background, but its classmates had quieted down at the rapid evisceration of the mannequin. Seven was confused. Had it done something wrong?

"Apologies. Those are all of my current programmed capabilities. Thank you." Seven stated flatly, moving back to its previous place besides Natalya. Some of its new peers gave the synthetic a rather wide berth after seeing what it could do to a human shaped object.

Organics were so confusing to Seven. Integration was going to prove more of a challenge than initially calculated.

---

Natalya shuffled her feet in the silence following her "demonstration". It could have been worse. Now, everyone at least knows exactly what she is. That was the point of their little exercise, right? Sure, she couldn't make things disappear, but could she even handle such a dangerous power? As others stepped up to show off their ridiculously dangerous abilities, Natalya felt a sudden wave of relief. She would never have to worry about accidentally blowing up someone she loved. Or, in the case of their token robot, not even know what it feels like to love someone.

Perhaps her and Seven shared more than just a birthplace. It had been so long since Natalya felt love for another individual. When there are stronger emotions than love, they can often overpower an individual. Anger. Regret. Sadness. Shame. She wouldn't ever stop loving her brothers and her sister, but surely that love has been replaced over time. Her Dmitri and his beaming smile was no longer an image she recognized. Instead, it was replaced with a face of fear, of desperation. She couldn't help but imagine the questions that he was asking himself: Why did she leave me? Why isn't she here to protect me?

Because she ran.

Natalya felt a tear roll down her cheek. The mere thought of what she had done sent her emotions spiraling. In an attempt to control her emotions, she began to fidget with her arms. She needed a distraction. If her mind were to wander much more, she would end up in a ball on the ground.

"Hiya. Why are you so nervous?"

Natalya jumped as she felt someone touch her shoulder. She quickly wiped off her face and turned to greet the pale-faced girl, Light.

"Oh, I'm not nervous... Deep in thought, I guess you would say," she said. Her voice had broken slightly, even though Natalya had tried to conceal her emotions. Hopefully the girl didn't push the subject. All it would take is a second, and her voice would recover. This interaction was just what she needed. Someone who was genuinely happy.

"Light, yes? That is a pretty name. I meant to ask: In your dress, you have only bombs? Did the explosion not harm your face? Is a "toon" some form of alien?" She hadn't purposefully bombarded her with questions, but they had just sort of slipped out in a desperate attempt to distract the girl from her emotions that slowly faded from her face.

---

Next up was some lady who said she could manipulate emotions, messing around with one of the students to demonstrate that power. Man that was a terrifying power, Light'd have to look out for her. Making people feel sad, especially her, wasn't very fun! Then Mr. robot who showed off robot things. Yay robot things! But no giant laser of death or flamethrower which made Light sad. Though Light had something else to pay attention to as tapping Tentacle girl really made her jump and try to clean her face.

Apparently the girl was thinking some sad things but tried to hide it from Light. Though she did a pretty good job at distracting Light and Light figured she could try to cheer her up with some cartoon slapstick as she wanted more of a demonstration. "Well, uh... I'm a toon. It pretty self explanatory if you've seen a cartoon before. Light said at Natalya's confusion as to what a Toon was. At her blank stare Light sighed and thought up a skit and a better explination.

Hoping a few other students who were curious were looking, Light said "Well, uh... In order of your questions. No, I can pull anything from my dress and sorta store most things, but things I pull randomly can be anything. They tend to be mostly explosives though, Apparently this 'ACME' corporation is fond of explosives." pulling out a bowling ball pin and tossing it behind her into a corner, the pin exploding into black smoke.

Light then pondered how to explain the second option. And while she was keen on doing some neat dismemberment gags, she figured doing them in this area was a bad idea as people here didn't really know her too well. "As for the second thing, yeah it hurts. Everything does, I'm just really durable and have amazing regeneration." Light said. Sitting down on the ground, Light continued, trying to be a bit more animated looking as she wasn't doing a good job of being very funny. "If you want more of an example, go watch some cartoons on the internet. Just not the ones with blood, I can't bleed after all. Just think of me like a living thing of taffy or rubber or something." she continued.

"What about you? Why were you so 'deep in thought'?" Light said, getting into a relaxed position as she watched the last few students do their demonstrations.