1.09

Michael had called for Hunter, Jimena and Silas to all meet him in the hideout at the school. Hunter had asked about the Trash Queen and he called an emergency meeting.

“What can you tell us?” Hunter asked. He noted Michael hadn’t offered his usual milkshakes or snacks. Things must’ve been serious.

“The Trash Queen has been around for a while. Your father clashed with her before he formed The Victories.” Michael informed them.

“I’ve got her trading card. Nasty piece of work,” said Silas.

“Villains get trading cards?” Hunter asked.

“Of course.”

“They’re popular?” Michael asked.

“Yeah, they do just as well as most heroes.” Silas grabbed his phone and showed the others a picture of the Trash Queen card.

The card showed a gaunt lady with sickly pale skin. She had a full head of untidy, knee-length grey hair and her soulless black eyes were piercing even from the card art. She wore rags for clothes and a trash bag cape. To many she would look goofy, but the art on the card made her look terrifying.

“Little off topic. What can you tell us Michael?” asked Jimena.

“Oh, right. She’s a dangerous being that sporadically re-emerges. Her namesake gives hint to her main power. She can animate trash, organic or otherwise, into little golems. They can be dangerous in numbers, but if that isn’t enough, she can go giant size. If that’s not enough, she has a sonic scream.”

“Trash?” asked Silas.

“Yep. That’s just how her power works. We don’t always understand powers, they just are,” Michael answered.

“What’s her range with these things? Those ones at Greasy Pit, would she have been nearby?” asked Hunter

“It depends. The longer she’s been building up, working on it, the longer her range. The longest range we’ve recorded is thirty kilometres.”

“So what do we do?” Jimena asked.

“I don’t know. She means serious business, and you three aren’t even technically qualified heroes yet. She may be way out of your league.” Michael’s voice had taken the most serious tone Hunter had ever heard.

“But?” Silas asked.

“No buts. I’ll have to seriously think about this before I give you an answer. Please, give me some time.” Michael motioned for them to leave but the three stood firm.

“Michael, this may be the thing we need for training. We need to be the best we can for The Academy.” Jimena’s tone was serious.

“I get it, but you three are just kids. I can’t bring myself to approve of something like this. You’ve got a long way to go in just becoming a team.” Michael’s tone was pleading.

“Michael.” Hunter approached the computer and played around with the visual display for something to do. “Can’t you put us with some other heroes, like understudies?” Hunter brought Brickla’s profile up on the screen.

“Why are you three so determined to prove yourselves so quickly? You’ve been a team for a month, start small time.” Michael’s firm tone had returned.

“We have our reasons,” Jimena replied.

“I wouldn’t normally accelerate such a new group, but the three of you really stand out as candidates. But there will be a lot of tough training in a compressed amount of time. It’ll be hard.” Michael joined Hunter at the computer and brought up another profile.

On the screen was a woman in a light body armour suit, grey and black in colour. She had a bob-style haircut and a pair of sunglasses on her head. Held across her shoulders, with a hand hung over near the tips was a black and purple staff. It looked more like a natural branch then a crafted staff.

“Who’s that Silas?” Hunter asked.

“That’s Stick,” Jimena replied.

“Yeah. She’s been a heavy hitter for the last three years. Rumours are she was meant to join The Victories before…well, you know.” Silas trailed off.

“Before Blockade was murdered. Yeah.” Hunter was certain Jimena didn’t know his connection to the legend, and Hunter wanted to keep it that way for now. He wasn’t ready to reveal that to her.

“So what’s the angle Michael?” Jimena asked.

“She’s going to train the three of you. Like I said, its going to be tough if you want to be ready in time to help with the Trash Queen threat. She’s had a few young aspirants like yourselves give up.”

“You’d make us train with her?” asked Silas.

“That’s my offer. You three want to help so badly, you train under her. If you quit, or she says you aren’t ready, you won’t get to help with Trash Queen. I may even remove my recommendation for you as a candidate.” Michael went about preparing milkshakes for everyone.

“You’d do that to us?” Silas asked.

“You’re doing this to me. Milkshake?” He offered and everyone took one.

After a little light conversation, Jimena and Silas left. Hunter stayed behind to talk to Michael.

“I’m sorry we pushed you so hard Michael. We just want to prove we’re ready,” said Hunter.

“I understand, but what good is it rushing to your deaths?”

“Do you really think we’re not ready?”

“I’m giving the three of you the opportunity to prove me wrong.” There was a sombre tone in Michael’s voice.

“That serious huh?”

“That serious. Actually, I have something extra I want from you.” Michael approached the large computer screen once again and typed in a few things.

Up on the screen, a burly man was shown. He looked like he had once been formidable in his heyday but was now getting on a little in his age. He had a buzzcut and a faded tattoo of something on his left forearm.

“Isn’t that Bulldog?” Hunter asked.

“Yep. I want you to do extra training with him. We don’t have enough of a grasp on your powers, you need to learn how to fight.”

“Yeah, I don’t know about that.”

“I know about your connection with him. This will help.”

Hunter left the school and a figure watched him from the shadows.