Maybe it was a drill? But as the ground shook like God was playing with blocks, and we were the one which was toppling off I had a gut feeling that it wasn't. I secured my footing on the edge of a platform as I watched the doors hoping I could tell what was happening. But I pulled the short stick apparently as there wasn't anything of interest out there other than the scrambling of other people, but I had to get a closer look.

Fainty I could hear the commanding of Equinox shouting "Everyone stay calm, panic is the worst thing we can do right now."

Ignoring the wailing of the alarm and Equinox, I nimbly made my way closer to one of the doors about twenty yards to my front but walking while your feet were being jostled by an impalpable and unpredictable opponent was practically impossible. But even if something was almost impossible was still possible. After stumbling a no less than eight times I finally reached one of the three entrances to the training facilities.

I took a deep breath to brace my self for whatever came next and swung open the door. Nobody was there, While bracing my self on the door frame I stook my head through and looked left and right. The hallway was empty, I exhaled shakily as I almost laughed, I was safe for the time being. I glanced back at my friends now crowding around Equinox and the adults.

But I still couldn't shake the feeling of something was wrong, and not just the ever-growing nausea in my stomach. Even if there was an earthquake why would the alarm be going off? Due to my curiosity, I let the door hang open lest it locked when it closed and I would be stuck out here and slowly made my way to my left. Hugging the wall I snuck my way towards the hallway that cut to the right, thankfully the shaking was beginning to dim and I can kind of make my way easier.

Before I could even make it to the turn I heard the panting of a...dog? That's weird, I haven't seen a single animal in my short time in being here. But as whatever it was got closer I began to hear more details of the beast, what I assumed to be its claws clinked against the tiled floor. The musty smell of a feral mutt wafted my nose as I stood there in shock, in fear. The clinking stopped, a few tense seconds passed until a deep growl radiated from the throat of the thing now just behind the corner. My heart was in my throat, I should've been ready to fight for my life, or running, but somehow I doubted that would help.

Before I could begin to pray God for salvation or whatever you're supposed to pray for, the thing burst into view. I got a brief glimpse of the furry thing before raising my hands in front of me to create a carbon shield that extended up and down and curved slightly around me like a riot shield. A paltry defense for what I saw, from the brief glance it was a gigantic wolf, only a head shorter than me, a mighty feat since I was over six feet tall. With claws the size of my thumb and a snout as thick as my thigh.

Bracing my self for whatever came I waited, but nothing came. After a few more tense seconds I peeled my eyes open one by one and peered around my four-inch thick shield. Instead of a snarling beast, a sniffling man stood before me.

"It's okay, you can come out I won't harm you, I'm one of the guards here," The man said.

He was wearing the same silvery shifters uniform that I saw when I first arrived here, guess that explained how he was a wolf a second than a man. Unless he was a werewolf...no those don't exist.

"Sorry for the scare you can never be too sure of who's who right now and you smell...different" A boom and some faint yelling could be heard from the hallway.

I mean I don't smell the best right now because I was sweating pretty hard. I mean I'm a growing boy I'm allowed to smell, but what made the sweating worse was the anxiety now coursing through my veins as I heard the disturbance.

He quickly moved towards me in now apparent hurriedness "Quick, is the rest of adults in the training facility?" he questioned.

"Uh, I think so..." I answered unsurely.

"Okay go in there and tell them we have a code black, don't follow me, go in there and tell them okay?" He asked his dark eyes shifting frantically.

I nodded acceptably.

"Initiate lockdown protocol A3," He said as he touched his earlobe.

"GO!" He commanded after turning.

Instead of instantly jumping to obey his command I watched him as he began to shift. His body began to mold, both muscles and bones moved under his skin like tumors growing and shrinking. His shoulders narrowed, the same color hair of his head began to sprout across his body, the silver suit shrank under the growth and soon it disappeared into nothingness, or too small that I couldn't see it. his legs shortened a tail sprouted from just above his ass.

Mans best friend bounded around the corner, although he told me not to follow how could I not? After a few silent steps, I cautiously peered around the corner. Shock struck me as I stared, the hallway was in tatters. The floor was littered with rubble, presumingly from the various craters in the hallway and ceiling. There were three people and a dog running in there, two wore suits, not unlike ours but grey. One was outfitted firing two massive cannon-like firearms and strapped to various parts of his suit and ammo bags like Rambo. He was firing at a woman fighting another, but the bullets were stopping in mid-air around the women as if stuck in puddy.

The other guy had bronze skin, he was fighting against the woman on our side. Each of the man's steps caused cracks to appear beneath him, he was wildly throwing punches at the women who scrambled back. A fist thrown by the man was on a crash course towards the women's face but at the last moment it was apparently deflected by some invisible force and smashed into the wall to her right.

The wolf-shifter finally reached near Rambo, the wolves muscled grew taunt before leaping towards the man's face like a predator pouncing its prey. For Rambo, man's best friend was man's worst enemy, the furry beast's incisors sank into the man's shoulder, causing him to drop one of the firearms. The paws scratched at the chest attempting to further maim the gun-slinging madman. But as always, man beat beast, with his free arm he emptied a clip into the shifter.

Right as I was going to jump into the fight the wolf, fell to the ground with a whimper like someone stepped on his tail. At that exact moment, the woman's concentration faltered as she saw her fallen comrade, a dense fist slammed into her skull crushing it. Unable to look I way, I stared in horror at the gory mess.

"Hey!" Rambo caught me watching.

Just as he raised his firearm to spray death at me his friend leaped with a boom at me leaving a crater where he left. Just as I was turning to avoid anything a bullet clipped my left trap muscle, out of desperation I created a wall of carbon right at the corner just as the strongman was about to arrive. A hole crashed through the center of the wall but it held, I then began to fill in the hallway with carbon from top to bottom. Anything to slow them down, as I scrambled back and filled the room with the coal-colored rock I noticed a slamming sound behind me.

A metallic wall slid into place just in front of the door as if it was never there, thankfully started on the opposite side of the facility, I quickly added a bit more carbon to the now half filled hallway and scrambled into the training center right before the last wall slid into place locking them out and us in. I slid down the wall while letting out a long breath counting my lucky stars that I was alive. I touched my trap muscle just next to my left, there was a small gash there but it looked like the bullet just went straight through, I took my hand away looking at the blood that stained my hands.

I started laughing quietly to myself, I was alive and even though I got shot I didn't even feel it! After a bit more self-chuckling I stood up and got serious, I had a job to do, right? I wasn't going to not honor the last words the shifter spoke. The shaking of the ground has dimmed to almost nothing but as I walked every once and a while I would feel a shudder beneath me. The alarms stopped blaring and apparently Equinox got everyone to calm down.

As quickly as I could and as quietly I made my way to the center where everyone stood talking amongst themselves, ignorance is bliss. I doubt if they saw the horrors outside they wouldn't be so calm. I walked past my friends who like the others were talking in a circle. Ashley's eyes went wide when she saw me and pointed at me and said something to the group.

I mouthed for them to wait before heading over to the group of adults in the center, there stood Equinox, the two men I saw sparring, and some other adults I didn't recognize. After standing there a second pondering how I would approach this I went with the good ole excuse me.

"Uh, Excuse me?"

They all turned around with annoyance flittering there faces, just another kid interrupting an adult conversation they probably thought.

"Yes?" Equinox said.

I quickly told them what just happened outside with as much detail as possible, from the shifter, to the fight that I heroically fended them off and putting a massive barrier to shield us for a little while. There was no need not to embellish a little.

"He also said for me to tell you it was a code black" I finished.

Throughout the story, their eyes widened a bit with each detail and they all exchanged somber looks when I explained their deaths but this elicited the biggest reaction out of the entire story. They stared at each other before turning their backs on me whispering furiously amongst themselves all the while leaving me standing around like a dumbass.

"What does code black mean?" I asked them.

One of the adults (a woman)turned around to face me "Don't worry about it, thank you for telling us and don't worry everything is going to be fine" she said before again turning around.

Of course, they wouldn't tell me in their eyes I'm just a mere child, probably scared as shit and just as useful too. I left them to go to my friends, people who actually care. I sauntered toward them slightly frustrated at the adults and the stares I've been getting.

"Where were you Chase? We thought you left during the earthquake, and why were you talking to Equinox? And your bleeding!" Ashley said worryingly.

"Look there was no earthquake, or at least not a natural one, and don't worry about it, it's just clipped me," I said, and honestly I was fine.

At least I thought so, before I could start my story she continued "What clipped you?"

I sighed "The bullet"

"What bullet?" She went on.

"From Rambo"

"What?" She said exasperatedly at the name of the movie character.

"Let me explain," I said with a smile, it was sweet that she was so worried about me.

My heart now warmed by the display of friendship, I started my story beginning with the shaking. After ending with my ever heroic stalling of the defiant enemies, Ana spoke up.

"What if...you died?" She said.

I subconsciously grabbed my bleeding trap as if even if my body couldn't feel the would it still perceive the damage. No false bravado this time, I mean what if I died? How many other people would mourn my death, other than my family? Would I just be a speck in the history of the world? Meaningless after achieving my dream after so many years?

"I mean that's the point right? Of being a Super I mean, what's the point of having all these powers and do nothing with it? If I didn't do anything I might as well be the bullet that kills someone due to my doing nothing to try and stop the person from pulling the trigger" I said with complete honesty.

"Well he's right about it not being an earthquake, the shaking was too inconsistent. It was probably a Super making the shaking, or making explosions." Jayden chimed in after being silent the entire conversation.

"Are we going to be safe?" Julian said voicing all of our thoughts in a sentence with a slight tremor in his voice.

They all looked at me as if I knew the answer, well with the exception of Jayden who was staring at the locked doors in thought. I looked back at them, their eyes wide with worry, for themselves and others.

Might as well repeat what the lady said even if I didn't believe it, "One of the women said we're going to be safe and with Equinox here we should be protected from harm"

Relief seemed to flood into their faces as they glanced back at Equinox and the adults who were still talking rapidly.

"And we have Ashley here to protect us with her kung fu moves!" I said jokingly trying to make light of the situation.

She glanced embarrassed at the ground before speaking "I never fought anyone before in my life, I don't think I would be that useful against Supers"

"Aw come on you train in martial arts and you've never been in a fight with someone? I retorted.

She shook her head, at this Jayden spoke up "But you trained in karate, they require spars in their learning regime."

"Not at the one I went too, the only reason I took karate was because I hated other sports, I mean I hated to get dirty and it took me years to be even comfortable sweating this much. I also joined because my dad wanted me to learn some self-defense in case...you know In case I ever had to defend myself against anyone" She said seemingly.

That made sense, most fathers feared their daughters would be attacked at night and...defiled, I never had the fear of walking at night or outside by myself due to my confidence in my skills but I could understand where she was coming from.

Before anyone could respond a resounding boom radiated from the walls where the entrances were.