Chapter 1

Assemble

Hector braced himself as the elevator surged downwards to the depths of the proving grounds. He closed his eyes to steady himself, feeling the tips of his fingers as his hands gave a nervous twitch. Bars of light from the elevators shaft washed over him as he checked and double checked his “Initiative Suit”. It wasn’t much, modelled after some sort of military fatigue with lightweight armor panels and colored in black, blue, and white. Hector stared at his distorted reflection in the brushed metal interior of the elevator, still feeling the lurch of the descent. Short-cut brown hair, olive complexion, and not much else to be seen in the funhouse mirror image.

What were to happen if he couldn’t make the cut? More than anything he wanted to be here, in this moment and show the Guardians what he could do. Yeah, him and hundreds of other Alphas from all over the Globe. He had to stand out, to really prove he had the grit and resolve of a hero.

He shook the thoughts away, he was distracting himself from the more pressing reality of his situation. Reflexively his hands glowed a soft blue, solid projections of force appeared on his left and right, roughly the size of a pair of car tires. He opened and closed his hands several times, the floating blue constructs mimicking the exercise with a soft hum.

["1 minute to impact"]

The glowing wristband chirped as it flashed with a white light, calling for Hector’s attention. He lifted the bleeding edge tech. The slew of candidates had been issued these bracelets, and now he realized why. No other instruction was given after he had been placed in the elevator and sent down by some gruff looking military personnel. A small opalescent humanoid appeared in a holographic display on his wrist. Its tiny pearl eyes blinked, as if assessing its surroundings before it spoke in a crisp and lucid tone.

[ Candidate, you are being transported to Guardian Facility Epsilon to test your practical decision making skills, combat abilities, and interpersonal communication. Random variables and parameters have been assigned to this practical application, please listen carefully. ]

The young would be hero swallowed hard, it was a real Guardian AI. He never would have dreamed he’d be in this time and this place, preparing for some sort of mock war game miles below the surface of the Earth. Would ten-year old Hector believe how far he had come in just six years? He focused on the AI’s words carefully as it relayed the instructions. The AI droned on as the temperature in his cramped elevator got noticeably warmer.

[Candidates will seek out their peers until groups of five are formed. Team members will be assigned based on proximity, once Five candidates are appropriately grouped further instructions will be relayed. Thank you, and good luck.]

“Hmm” Hector rubbed at the back of his head as he let the information soak in, his constructs mimicking the motion above and around him rubbing at a larger phantom head.

The Guardian Initiative trials were known to be different every year, to account for the improbability of Alpha Human abilities and the chaotic nature of heroics in the field. Even with the signing of non-disclosure agreements some details always managed to leak to the public. The rumors managed to turn many heads but The Guardians were always in line and to date no sanctions had been leveled against them. Hector had heard the rumors about the environment simulations, drone attacks, and candidates put together in live fire uses of their abilities. But a TEAM trial, that was something that had never been mentioned before.

[ Ten Seconds to Impact ]

No time to dwell on it, Hector had to roll with it and show his worth.

The elevator’s descent slowed, throwing the teen off balance as his ears popped. Shaking his head, Hector willed away his constructs as the doors in front of him began to slide open. All he had to do for this first leg was find other candidates. Warm sunlight flooded the chamber. Wait, he thought, aren’t we deep underground? Hector squinted as his eyes adjusted, allowing himself a brief beat to stare in awe.

A dense forest in shades of green and gold stretched out before him. As Hector took his first steps out soft earth met his feet and a sky stretched outwards, blue and calm. He had to remind himself that he was actually underground, but all of his senses were telling him otherwise. He could smell the loamy growth around him. Redwoods surged upwards and formed a natural canopy, while the ground below had small undergrowth and in the distance Hector could even hear birdsong. Behind him the elevator seemed to have vanished of its own accord, no indication whatsoever that there was a technological intrusion. Hector’s face cracked into a grin as he broke into a dash.

“Be better” he reminded himself.

===

Hector vaulted over a fallen log, taking a quick scan of his surroundings before resting a moment to catch his breath. He had wandered through the woods for what felt like close to an hour before the device on his wrist chimed and the AI’s electronic voice droned through the tiny speaker.

[ Hector Nunez, Daniela Ricci, assigning ….]

Hector looked around as an acknowledgment chime came through on his wrist device.

[Complete]

“H-Hello?” Hector called out, looking around for his first teammate. He turned his head as a figure came into view, cresting over a small hill and sliding down it using young saplings for support.

She was tall for their age, since most candidates for the program had to be between 16 and 18. Daniela

As the other candidate neared, Hector could see it was a young girl who must have been this "Daniela" the AI had announced. She was uncommonly tall for a girl their age, since most candidates for the program had to be between 16 and 18, with caramel colored skin and a sturdy build. Underneath her standard issue Initiative Suit a muscular frame carried her and she walked with a confident strut to her step. Her dark hair was shaved close on either side of her head, from the top it poured downward into a large braid that swing past her hips. She already had a smile in her eyes as she extended a hand and spoke to Hector.

“Hector, yeah?” she confirmed while giving him the up and down. "I'm Daniela."

Hector gripped Daniela’s hand. It was like shaking hands with a stone.

“Yeah” was all Hector could exclaim quickly as he suppressed his surprise at Daniela’s grip, she must have been at least seven on the Laghari scale of Alpha abilities.

Daniela took a quick scan of their surroundings before leaning against the nearest Redwood.

“So, we’re in this together now. Have you seen or heard any signs of other Candidates?”

Hector Shook his head “No, you’re the first. Plus I think these wristbands know a bit more than we do.” he said holding his up.

“True enough, dude” Daniela clicked her tongue in thought. “Which direction did you come from?”

Hector turned and indicated the direction to his back “That way, not much back there really.”

“Let’s take stock of what we have then, what exactly are your powers?” She asked with an intrigued tone.

Hector gave a wry grin as he flexed his hands, already glowing constructs floated at shoulder length on either side of him. Twisting his wrists, the constructed fists split in two, and split again, repeating the process until a small cluster of fists floated around him like a swarm of insects.

“I can form these energy constructs that mimic my hands, can’t really have them form too far away from me but they pack a punch. With the larger ones I can usually lift a decent amount too, plus I can use them to shield myself like this” Hector closed his fists and two giant hands formed a domed shield around his body before dissipating.

Daniela watched with interest as Hector put on his display “Nice, thats crazy awesome!” she said genuinely. “Me, I can take on the properties of any material I can touch. Only problem is I’m stuck that way for about an hour or so, I don’t want to waste it”

Hector nodded in understanding “Makes sense, wow we’re both a pair of Bruisers huh?”

Daniela shrugged “Hell yeah we are, can’t wait to see you in action.” she said as she started a brisk pace, away from the direction she and Hecto had come from originally.

Hector followed catching up to her “ You’ll see, I can hold my own.”

“Im counting on it” she said with a nod and a cheeky smile.

Hector affirmed with a nod of his own as the two continued wandering through the forest. It wasn’t a few moments later before their bracelets chirped again in unison. In way it was a relief they wouldn’t have to slog too much further to find their new teammates.

[Hector Nunez, Daniela Ricco, Tyson Jolie, Jack Kelly, Caitlin McGrath, assigning…]

“Oh snap, we got three others already!” Hector glanced around. Daniela slapped his shoulder and pointed ahead of them. Hector squinted and could see three figures running towards them, two boys and a girl. The lead boy hooted excitedly and threw what appeared to be a stick. The wooden projectile landed in the dirt ahead of them and in a streaming beam of purple light the boy disappeared, re forming around the stick as the purple light beam coalesced again.

“HEY, HEY NEW FRIENDS!” he shouted, holding out his arms wide to his sides.

Hector and Daniela smiled as they acknowledged the energetic newcomer, the others still making their way towards the group. The teleporter stuck out his hand, an impish smile on his face. His blue eyes sparkled sparkled behind dusky brown hair and the boy had a twitch to him , a jolly bounce about him that made him seem on the verge of doing a backflip.

“Jack, Jack Kelly” he said without pause.

Daniela and Hector greeted him in turn as Jack thumbed to the other two Candidates brought the rear. The first, the other boy had an athletic build to his frame and an intense look to his eyes, which burned an unnatural orange hue. His blonde hair had naturally curve upward in the front and he had what appeared to be black snake like scales crawling up his arms and on his neck, his Initative suit sleeves already torn at the shoulder. The girl moved with an ethereal grace in her step, gliding along the forest floor as easily as someone were to skate on ice. Her skin was hued a shade of green and her hair was platinum white braid, with two tiny tree branches coming out and adorned with a flower crown. She had a far away look and a faint smile that gave off a bit of an eerie vibe as Hector studied his new teammates.

“That would be my boy TJ, and the girl is Caitlin” Jack said.

“Your boy?” Hector asked

“Oh, yeah me and TJ went to Fortuna High together. He’s cool, don’t worry” Jack said through a smile.

TJ crossed his arms with a low huff “I can speak for myself Jack”

“Must be nice to have been paired with someone you know” Daniela commented

“For the first few minutes it was” TJ replied curtly.

Caitlin waved her arm in greeting and moved to sit down, a tree stump forming from the ground below to meet her. “Riiiiiiight then, so hello I’m Caitlin and it’s nice to meet you all. Hector and Daniela right?” she said with a breathy voice.

Daniela gave a thumbs up and Hector nodded.

There was a small beat of silence as the assembled teen superhumans adjusted to each other’s company. It was Daniela who interrupted the quiet moment.

“Alright, well we’re all here now. I already got the deal on Hector, I don’t mean to take the wheel but we should take stock of our abilities and-”

Before she could finish the wrist devices blinked once and chirped again, causing the gathered teens to inspect their own. The same Guardian AI hologram displayed itself, a neutral expression on its face as it spoke.

[Congratulations on completing your first test parameters Candidates. Phase 2 of your exam is now beginning. A map function has been added to your wristcom as well as a waypoint. Proceed to this waypoint. Only one hundred Candidates will be eligible to move to the next phase. There will be obstacles to impede your progress, and all teams are encouraged to hinder the other Candidates. Good Luck.]

“Wait, what” Jack blurted out with as the AI finished its message.

“The AI said only the first one hundred will make it…” Caitlin murmured, index tapping her bottom lip in thought.

“We should move then.” Daniela said, taking charge as she referenced her wristcom. Her eye’s jumped between the small map layout and the groups relevant orientation. “ Looks like we’re heading this way.” she indicated with her finger.

“Let’s do it guys, come on! This is The Show ain't it?” Hector said, hopping on the balls of his feet like a boxer briefly before walking with the others.

“The Show?” TJ asked with a confused arch of his eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know like this is where we sorta begin our lives as superheroes right? That make or break chance”

“This isn’t exactly the ONLY shot we’re going to have, right?” Caitlin asked.

“I mean, there’s always the Freelancers” Jack said with a shrug.

“That’s almost like starting your career as a criminal” Daniela chided. She turned to face the rest of the group, walking backwards so she could see their faces appropriately. “Besides, I don’t plan on blowing this opportunity, and I don’t think any of you do either”

Hector shook his head “No. Hell no, I’m giving this everything I got.” unconsciously Hector summoned a pair of balled up fists that caused Jack, TJ, and Caitlin to do a double take.

“Woaaah, can you make other things? Like swords and hedge clippers?” Jack asked intrigued.

“Hedge clippers? No man, just hands. Either these two big ones or I can do a lot of smaller ones.” Hector blinked the constructs out of existence with a small rush of air to take up the empty space. “Your teleporting is way more hype than my fists are”

“Oh stop,.. but go on” Jack said with feigned humility, he flourished his branch from earlier and gave it a toss, disappearing in stream of purple light before holding the branch a few feet away moment later, rematerializing before it could hit the ground. “Just remember I’m more than a pretty face!”

Daniela watched with an interested expression “Can you take other people with you?”

“Can I? Yes. Do I? Usually not, it’s really difficult for me to account for the extra person when it comes to the landings. Mistakes were made…” Jack said, his gaze lowering as TJ gave an affirming nod.

Hector caught the exchange between the two teens. “Oh there’s a story there”

“No there isn’t, nothing happened and TJ’s family dog is just fine” Jack said with an impish smile as TJ shot his friend an icy look. Before he could counter Jack continued “I know man, I know…I miss Sprinkles too, we all do.”

“DUDE!” TJ shot back, throwing his hands up in the air.

“He’s so sensitive” Jack said shaking his head in sarcastic dismay.

“What kind of people have I stuck myself with?” Caitlin groaned exasperated.

“No one’s perfect.” Hector added, shrugging his shoulders.

Caitlin waved her hand dismissively. “Psh, I’d like to think I’m pretty close. Just a like a rose I’m beautiful, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have thorns.” she arched her eyebrows brazenly as tiny brown thorns began to grow through her exposed skin.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side. You must be a chlorokinetic right?” Hector said intrigued.

Caitlin nodded,her flower crown bobbing up and down between her twisted wooden horns. Hector caught himself staring before averting his gaze, it wasn’t uncommon to see physical changes to people when powers manifested. That didn’t stop his mind from trying to process the uncanny look to Caitlin’s green skin and strangely colored hair. If Caitlin noticed him gawking, she didn’t let on.

Daniela spoke up “ We should still plan for-”

Daniela’s words were cut off by a the cracking of a large tree behind the group that sent a cluster of dirt and other forest detritus skyward in a spray. Hector and the others shielded their eyes from the debris as a second tree fell, and shining metallic figures began crashing through the tree line.

“What the hell IS that?!” TJ shouted over the growing din. Clearly now the group could see mechanical automatons smashing trees to the ground. The machines were built with a humanoid form, one brilliant orange lens affixed to their heads that glowed with an unknown power. The mechanical march of their feet becoming deafening as they drew closer.

“Those are Rescue Drones, I remember them from that-that big Tsunami that hit Thailand a few years back!” Jack said as he began to backpedal. “We should run!”

“Run? But they’re Rescue Drones right? I don’t think Doc Spectre would want anything he builds to be abused” Daniela stated as she took a defensive stance.

“Who cares?!” Caitlin counterd, following after Jack.

Hector stood firm with Daniela, conjuring a large pair of glowing fists that he smacked together with an reverberating crash. TJ shoved past the pair of them, his mouth growing and distorting to a fanged and toothy maw. Fire crackling beind the newly protruding fangs as TJ shouted back to his new teammates.

“I got this!”

Inhaling deeply, TJ spewed a large gout of red and orange flame that sent waves of heat washing over the others. The forest floor succumbed to his blazing salvo, and the young Alpha arced his neck in a semi circle building a wall of flame that slowed the Rescue Drones advance. Hector and Daniela shared a glance as TJ wiped at his mouth, globules of some sort of liquid splattered to the earth as it reverted to a normal human shape.

“What?” he said while Hector and Daniela stared at him “It did the job didn’t it?”

“You just lit the forest on FIRE!” Hector shouted, gesturing behind him as the flames spread.

One of the Rescue Drones reached TJ’s fire-wall , turning its neck as if studying the hazard. With a series of clicks and whirs it raised an arm, a small barrel extending from one of its digits. A cream colored spray began surging forth from the Drones nozzle, immediately quelling the roaring fire where it hit the ground and expanding into balls of doughy foam where it hit the ground.

TJ’s eyes went wide as several more drones began doing the same, his defensive wall turning to smoke before him. “..Welp”

“Regroup!” Hector said said tugging at TJ’s shoulder. Daniela, Hector and TJ took off at a run as the Drones behind them began to advance, their singular eyes focused on the fleeing candidates. Pumping their oiled limbs they picked up speed, metallic footsteps booming behind the Trio.

“BOLT BOLT BOLT!” Daniela was yelling as she furiously pumped her arms and legs ahead of Hector and TJ.

Up ahead the treeline broke and gave way to sparse rock, as well as Jack and Caitlin staring at the sheer drop of a large ravine. Hector skidded to a stop behind the others as he looked at the wide expanse, the other side more than a football field across.

“You have got to be KIDDING me!” He said throwing his hands up in frustration.

“Nope, we’re screwed dude” Jack replied

“You can’t teleport across?” Daniela asked as she looked behind her, watching the eyes of the Drones approaching through the shaded treeline.

“I can only teleport as far as I can throw an object to anchor too, you think I can seriously clear THAT!” Jack said throwing his hand outward to the divide.

“What do we do?” Caitlin asked, nervously looking down to the sheer drop below.

Daniela kneeled down and placed her hand on the stone beneath the Candidates feet. At her touch the texture and color of the cool grey rock lanced up her arm, overtaking her body and transmuting it from flesh to stone. She rose and stood resolute between the other Candidates and the coming drones, as still as the solid cliff she had acquired her new form from.

“We fight.”