by Drew Hayes
He headed through the north door, leading into a small area populated only by himself. Gerard got up and followed suit, with Quentin a few steps behind. The women were a bit slower, so everyone else was out of earshot when Joan asked her question.
“Why does he call you Shims?”
Shims took a moment to answer, pulling herself from her chair and smoothing out the linen pants encircling her legs. “It’s short for my codename. He’s always had a penchant for nicknames.”
“No, that part I knew,” Joan said. “I mean why are you the only one he still calls by any form of their Hero name? He doesn’t call Persephone Mood Swing, or George Relentless Steel, or Gerard Raze. You’re the only one he doesn’t address by their real name.”
“It’s because she hasn’t left that life,” Persephone said, fielding the question before the other woman had a chance. “The rest of us aren’t Heroes anymore. She still is.”
“Still seems odd,” Joan remarked. She didn’t press the issue, thankfully, instead heading off to the section of the warehouse that constituted her room.
“Thanks,” Shims said once Joan was gone.
“Don’t worry about it,” Persephone reassured her. “Try not to fault her for asking. For someone who wasn’t in the HCP, it seems like an innocent question.”
“I’m not the one who should be offended. She makes a good point, you know. I’m sure he would call you by your old name if you asked him.”
“I know he would. I just don’t want him to. That’s part of my past life. Besides, despite everything that happened, I still have a lot of respect for the program. It feels wrong to use a name given to me for the sake of maintaining the law while we’re conspiring to break it.”
“I must admit, I didn’t see this coming when I graduated,” Shims said, a memory from a faraway life glimmering in her eyes.
“None of us did. Hell, I don’t think a single one of my expectations panned out,” Persephone said. “Sort of makes you wish you could go back and do it all over, but this time get things right.”
“I don’t know. If I could change the past, I’m not sure I would. It might make things better, but then again, there are worse possible realities than this one.”
“Hard to imagine how things could be much worse.”
“No, it isn’t,” Shims disputed. “Just imagine a world without him in it.” With that she walked out of the makeshift living room, leaving Persephone alone with the mismatched furniture.
“Yeah,” Persephone said to no one. “I guess that would be pretty bad.”
149.
“That’s all for today’s class,” Professor Pendleton said, dismissing his charges. “If I could have Alice, Nick, Will, Britney, and Tiffani stay after for a few minutes; the rest of you are free to leave.”
His announcement was followed by the weary shuffle of papers and feet that accompanied the end of every particularly draining class. Much as the year before, the nearer the end drew, the harder the instructors seemed to be driving their students. It was crunch time, though whether the thing being crunched was their days or their brains no student could have readily told you.
The five Professor Pendleton had named stayed behind, clustering around his desk while the remaining students exited. He waited until the last one was gone, and then a few minutes further, before revealing the purpose in their after-class meeting.
“You five are the ones who qualified for the extra credit tailing assignment,” Professor Pendleton informed them. “Given your marks in my class, I’m sure most of you already figured that out.” His eyes might have flicked to Alice at the word “most.” If so, no one was crass enough to make note of it. “I apologize for the delay in organizing this; it has taken me a bit longer than anticipated to get my plan approved.”
He reached into his desk and produced a series of five white envelopes, laying them in a row in front of him. They bore no names or any other distinctive marks, nothing at all to distinguish one from the other.
“These will be your starting locations. Pick one, and be there Friday at seven in the evening. If you are late, you forfeit. You’ll all have different spots, and they will each have a vantage point that allows you to see me. I am the target of the assignment. You’ll have to tail me for one hour. Once I reach my endpoint I’ll sit down. Anyone who comes up to me while I’m sitting is considered to have passed. I’ll give you all until eight fifteen to reach me, in case some of you employ more long-ranged techniques. Questions so far?”
“Yeah, why start us at a distance? We could just run up to you and stay close for the entire hour,” Alice pointed out.
“Ah yes, thank you for leading me to my next rule. Since the essence of tailing lies in not being seen, we’re going to impose a catching disqualification. Now, I obviously know you’re all following me, so the rule is a little more simplified. If I lay a hand on you, you are out. I’m starting you at a distance for the sake of fairness. Me getting close enough to touch one of you means you’ve not only lost me, but been circled back on by me. If that isn’t the essence of failure while tailing someone then I would struggle to think of a better definition.”
“So you’re going to chase us?” Britney asked.
“Not overtly. This is a public area and I have no intention of making a scene. Consider this: if you are able to stay well enough concealed while tracking me then I will never have the opportunity to catch you.”
“You make it sound easy, but you’re a specialist at this stuff,” Alice said.
“Of course it’s not easy,” Professor Pendleton said, stifling an exasperated sigh. “This is a trial that takes the place of your final exam, should you pass. It should be goddamned near impossible given your levels of skill. Admittedly, so should achieving the point totals that got you here. Maybe one or two of you will pull it off; however, please don’t be under the impression that I’m expecting any of you to succeed.”
“There’s one thing you haven’t covered yet,” Nick said, shifting slightly toward the front of the group.
“Do tell.”
“Abilities. You haven’t said whether we can use our powers in the course of your trial.”
Professor Pendleton greeted his protégé’s questions with a curiously over-sized smile. “This is the Hero Certification Program, is it not? Of course you can use your abilities; learning to apply them to various tasks is the entire point of you all being here.”
A small wave of optimism seemed to wash across the group; several of them had been wondering how they would have a hope of success. Adding back in the option of their powers made it seem like they had a shot. Nick was, strangely, the only one who seemed unhappy with this news.
“So, we’re learning to tail people, incorporating our abilities as Supers?”
“I believe I just said that, yes.”
“And if it so happens that our target is a Super as well?”
“Then of course you could expect him to utilize his powers too,” Professor Pendleton tossed back.
The cautious optimism that had permeated the students came crashing down. In all his lessons, in all their classes, Professor Pendleton had still not shown them what his ability was. Very few of the instructors had, actually. Aside from Professor Fletcher, Professor Stone, and Professor Hill, the rest of the Lander educating staff had not used a single ability as far as the students could tell. In most cases it led a sense of curiosity. In this situation it meant they had likely already failed his test before even taking it.
“It seems like you could at least tell us what your power is,” Alice said. “You know all of ours, and you can take steps to defend against them. Shouldn’t we get equal ground?”
“Miss Adair, is it your understanding that Heroes are generally low-profile individuals?” Professor Pendleton asked.
“Not particularly.”
“So you see how my being forearmed with knowledge is quite appropriate. Were I to spot you, I would have a full suite of information about your skills than
ks to media’s love affair with our occupation.”
“But obviously we’d have at least some advanced information on a target we were tailing.”
This time it was Will, not the instructor, who corrected her.
“From who? This is the Subtlety major. We’re the ones who do the scouting and information gathering. We’re the ones who find out what a person can do so we can warn the other Heroes. Professor Pendleton is right: if we graduate with our major in Subtlety then this is a real world situation we can expect to see a lot of.”
“Well said, Mr. Murray. Very well said, in fact. With that, we have covered all the ground rules and I am done with questions. Be at your starting points promptly at seven.”
The students gathered their things and began to leave. As they reached the exit, Professor Pendleton called after them with one last snippet.
“Oh, and I nearly forgot. Good luck to you all. You’ll need it.”
150.
The knock on Nick’s door came around eight that evening. He glanced up from his computer and looked over. Her self-control was impressive; he’d expected her to arrive hours earlier. Instead of getting out of his chair Nick yelled over his shoulder.
“We both know you can open the door yourself.”
There was a pause, then a soft buzz as his door opened to reveal Alice, clad in sweats and clearly stressed, at least judging from the state of her tangled hair and the nervous fidgeting she was unconsciously doing.
“I guess that’s my fault for letting you find out,” she said, walking in and shutting the door.
“And for copying my work in the first place,” Nick added. “Which, in retrospect, was a pretty impressive piece of misdirection.”
“I aim to please.” She hopped on the bed without any sense of self-consciousness. Nick wondered if he’d ever had people in his life less aware of social implications than his dorm-mates. Where he was from, coming to a man’s room and getting on his bed carried certain intentions, ones he was relatively certain Alice wasn’t intentionally communicating. Not yet, anyway.
“I’d say you’re probably wondering why I’m here, but since it’s you, I bet you already know.”
“Sexual ravishing?”
“You always swing for the fences, I’ll give you that,” Alice replied.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying. Anyway, yes, I know you’re here because you think I know what Professor Pendleton’s ability is.”
“Wrongo. I’m here because I know that you know his power. Hell, you probably know all of our professors’ abilities. I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew everything down to their birthplaces and favorite colors.”
“You seem to think quite highly of my investigative abilities.”
“Am I wrong?”
“I didn’t say that,” Nick shot back. He reached around and turned off his computer screen. The current research didn’t involve Alice directly, but nevertheless, he was learning more and more that discretion around this girl could save him quite a few headaches.
“So, what can he do?”
“From what I’ve gathered he can teach a class fairly well, he can certainly see through people’s bullshit, and he probably is a reasonably proficient gymnast.”
Alice cocked her head in perplexity.
“He won a tournament when he was a teen. Plus he has excellent balance.”
“Ooooookay. Interesting, and we will absolutely circle back to that last part, but not what I was talking about.”
“I know what you were talking about. Let me ask you something first: you know next year we drop down to two majors, right? Are you planning on keeping Subtlety?”
Alice glanced down at the bed sheets. “I haven’t really decided yet. I mean, given the whole gravity manipulation thing, I’ve got to keep Control, but Ranged Combat isn’t all that productive for me.”
“Ranged Combat isn’t productive for a girl whose abilities are perfect for staying at a distance and making objects fly all over the place?”
“We learn a lot of that in Control. Besides, I didn’t say I was dropping it, just that I’m not sure. I know I’m not the best at Subtlety, I just kind of hate to give it up. It’s always interesting, and really, it’s different from almost every other aspect of Hero duties. Once I let it go, I can’t get it back, so I’m making up my mind slowly.”
“I can understand that,” Nick said. “So, to answer your question: no. I’m not going to tell you what Professor Pendleton’s power is.”
“Damn it, Nick, this is not the time to go into dickhead mode.”
“Believe it or not, this is me in good friend mode,” Nick countered. He plucked a pen from his desk and began twirling it between his fingers effortlessly. “If you’d told me you were going to drop Subtlety and just wanted to ace the test so the final exam wouldn’t screw up your stats overall then I would have happily given you the dirt. On the other hand, if you really do want to consider Subtlety as an option for your career as a Hero, then I’d be doing you a disservice.”
“How? You can’t say knowing invalidates the test, because you already know.”
“I know because I found out. I did the work. You can, too, and if you do then you’ll get the information. My point is that I’d help you cheat if you were just getting by, but if you want to learn then I have to say no. Professor Pendleton really did put together a great sample of a real world exercise. Yeah, you probably won’t pass, but in the act of failing you’ll learn some things not to do. That’s all success is: screwing up over and over until you’ve learned the right way to do things.”
“Geez, you didn’t complain this much when I copied your tailing work.”
“Because you earned that one. You tricked me. If you can get the information from me without my help then you deserve it. That’s exactly what we’re supposed to be learning to do in the first place.”
“All right, I take your point. You won’t help me. I’m guessing that means you won’t give me any assistance in the actual trial, either.”
“Not intentionally. Then again, you used some surprising levels of cunning to get here in the first place. See if you can dip into that well again, and maybe you’ll find a way to outfox us all.”
“Please, you don’t remotely believe that,” Alice said. Her posture had relaxed during their conversation. She was clearly still worried about the test, however she seemed to have reached the point of resolving herself to whatever fate had in store. It was a skill everyone in the HCP possessed, because those who couldn’t turn off their frantic nerves had washed out within the first few weeks.
“No, I don’t. I think you got lucky on the first one. Generally speaking, this class isn’t really suited to your talents.”
“Hey, I’m not an idiot. I’m just not as good at this as some of the rest of you.”
“Precisely. Remember, HCP isn’t looking for those who are good, they are looking for those who are the best. You have an ability that is flat-out spectacular, one that allows you to neutralize Supers with all manner of powers. I have no doubt you’ll be a serious contender for a graduation spot if you keep plugging away at the Control course.”
“I guess so,” Alice agreed, pulling herself off Nick’s bed. “For what it’s worth, I have no doubt you’ll get one of the Hero spots, too. No one in our class even comes close to you in lying, cheating, or manipulating.”
“You sure know how to sweet talk a fella, but only time will tell. Most graduates, even those who majored in Subtlety, have other talents they bring to the table. Punchy kinds of talents.”
“Then get good at that,” Alice said. “I will not accept any excuses for failure. The five of us are going all the way in this thing. We’ll show everyone that Powereds can be viable candidates for Heroes after the procedure. All of us, together.”
“That is a very pleasant thought,” Nick concurred. “In the meantime, let’s just focus on getting to next year.”
“Deal,” Alice said, giving him a warm smile and letting herse
lf out.
151.
In her nearly two years at Lander, Alice had faced a myriad of trials: some personal, some academic, and some heroic in nature. She was far from the head-up-her-ass-princess that had rolled into Melbrook on the first day and made snap decisions about everyone around her. She’d grown in terms of capabilities, too. Her power had evolved, as well as her willingness to use it. Alice was not quite a first-class warrior, but she no longer wasted time fretting that she was a hindrance to her team. These challenges had caused her to grow, and they had taken place in all manner of locations. So it was with some surprise that she found the one that had worried her most, Professor Pendleton’s tailing exam, was taking place on something of a home-turf for her.
She was standing on the third floor of a massive outdoor mall, looking down at a healthy crowd of people milling about a food court. Healthy, in this case, refers only to the size of the crowd, not their overall physical wellness. A small distinction, but given the quality of the food they were cramming down, an important one. Her green eyes darted through the people, rapidly scanning for any sign of her target. The location in her envelope had put her in front of a designer boutique on the third floor. She’d spotted Will arriving in front of a Radio Shack and Nick looking bored in front of a kiosk selling sunglasses. It seemed Professor Pendleton had decided to have a little fun with doling out their starting positions. She couldn’t see Britney or Tiffani, which didn’t really mean much given their respective talents. Nevertheless, it was clear that all three of the starting positions of which she was aware had only one thing in common: their view of the food court below, which was curiously still absent of Professor Pendleton.
Alice’s nerves manifested in constant fidgeting with the brim of her pink and black baseball cap, an attempt to make herself less recognizable that would have fooled no one. Even with her mane of blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and stuffed into a hat, she hadn’t thought to cover her striking facial features or dress in a way that concealed her distinctive figure. None of which might be of concern if she failed to even locate her tailing target. If only she knew what his damned ability was. He might be able to change his looks, or even shift size entirely. What if he was masquerading as a child? Or a woman? Alice took a deep breath to try and calm down. If he could do those things, then she was screwed. Nothing would change that. She needed to focus on the scenarios where she had a fighting shot. Like if he was just wearing a mundane disguise.