Chapter 3

After the little revelation they gave me, Whitaker and Kelly continued giving me a tour of headquarters. They showed me the training room where I would be receiving my advanced combat training as well as the weapons storage that housed various different weapons specifically designed to counter certain abilities. I took special interest in a three section staff and a collapsible bo staff that could absorb energy and disperse it back at the target. I was also introduced to several other agents who were on the Sentinels.

"Josiah, this is Kyoko Nakamura, our close combat specialist. She'll be your instructor for your time here," Kelly said, gesturing to the young woman wiping her face with a towel.

The woman I was looking at seemed to be in her early twenties with shoulder length black hair and several tattoos lining her arms and shoulders. Her eyes were hazel green with a scar underneath her left one. She was slim but also well built with toned muscles in her arms from years of training. Her slightly slanted eyed hinted at her Japanese heritage but when she spoke her English was perfect.

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking my hand.

Her voice was soft but had a melodic tone to it almost like Yasmine's. The sudden thought of my girlfriend sent a small pang through my heart but I ignored and returned Kyoko's handshake. Her grip was firm and she made sure to make eye contact with me. Looking closer at her face, she was fairly attractive, with delicate but sharp features. She shot a smile that Kelly and Whitaker didn't notice then fixed her expression back into a neutral one.

"You got any experience?" Kyoko asked.

I nodded. "I have a black belt in taekwondo and my dad taught me boxing and wrestling as well as kickboxing."

"Not a bad foundation to have but we'll expand on it in the following days," Kyoko said, winking at me before taking her leave.

I watched after her as she walked away and then slipped into a wall, seemingly melting into the shadows.

"Shadow manipulation, huh?" I muttered to myself. "Interesting."

"Keep up, kiddo!" Kelly called at me, already halfway down the hall.

I jogged after her and Whitaker to continue the rest of the tour. We turned down another hall and entered into a large meeting area with a large round wooden table in the center with six chairs sat around it. The room itself reminded me of the rooms I used to see on the true crime shows that my grandpa used to watch. There was a large bulletin board with several sheets of paper pinned or taped to it, each one containing a list of names or locations with several of them circled with words scribbled hastily next to them. Two of the seats at the table were filled already with who I assumed were the remainder of the Sentinels. At the head of the table was Mr Knight who was dressed in a steel blue three piece suit with the top two buttons of his dress shirt undone as he stared at the ceiling in exasperation. He glanced over when he caught a glimpse of me and offered me a kind smile though it seemed strained and tired and I soon understood why when I turned my attention to the rest two figures sat at the table. There was a heated discussion going on as the three of us entered the room and I could hear a bit of what the shouting was about but it all ceased the minute Whitaker cleared his throat. All three faces turned towards us and I immediately felt like I was under a microscope in a lab. The two individuals at the table were a young woman and a man. The woman in particular caught my attention due to the look of clinical interest on her face as she studied me up and down. She had cocoa brown skin and a pair of mischievous brown eyes with flecks of gold in them that seemed to move and sparkle. Her hair was light brown and styled in medium length locs that she had pulled into a ponytail. She smirked at me playfully before looking away as Mr Knight stood up from his seat at the head of the table.

"You're late," he said, his deep voice sounding like he was chiding two children.

Kelly glanced at me before speaking. "The Director asked to see him before we brought him here. She's taken an interest in him."

Mr Knight sighed and shook his head. "That's never a good sign."

I frowned, a sense of worry creeping into the back of my mind. The way they were talking made it sound like I should watch my back around the Director but I didn't know why and it left a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach but I tried to ignore it. Instead, I focused my attention on the people in the room who were all watching me like I was some sort of science project that they thought was gonna explode at any given moment.

"Josiah, you've already met Whitaker and Kelly," Mr Knight said, nodding at my two chaperones. "Now it's time to meet the rest of the team that'll be helping you on this operation. The young woman who keeps stealing glances at you is my second in command, Ayleanna Joyner."

The girl with locs smiled at me and winked. "You can call me Anna. Nice to meet you."

I felt myself blush but returned her smile shakily, earning myself a chiding glance from Mr Knight before he introduced me to the person sitting to the left of Ayleanna. He was a middle aged Caucasian man with dark brown hair cut low and a scar over his right eye. His eyes were emerald green and glowed with quiet power as he looked me over with a calm and calculated expression on his face. Like Whitaker and Kelly he wore a suit but it was charcoal grey in color with a pocket square that had pinstripes. On his left hand was a silver wedding band.

"Name's Derek Holland, I'm the field leader for the team," He said, his voice gruff but welcoming. "Try not to die, kid."

I nodded though his words were a bit disturbing. Something about him was making the hair on my arms stand up, almost like his aura was bearing down on me and making me feel like I was in danger. He wasn't necessarily intimidating but he definitely had a vibe that let me know he wasn't the type to take things lightly and could probably crush me before I could even put up a fight.

"You'll be working with Derek during your reconnaissance mission so you'll be in good hands," Whitaker said, nodding to Derek respectfully.

Derek returned the gesture then turned his attention back to me. His emerald eyes were scanning me from head to toe, taking in every detail about me like he was trying to etch me into his memory. He then pushed his chair back from the table and stood up to his full height (a whopping 6'3) and approached me.

"I wanna spar with him and see if he's truly an omega like you said, Raheem," he said, glancing at Mr Knight. "I need to know that if worst case scenario, he can handle himself if neither of us can get to him."

Mr Knight looked at me, seemingly ask if I was okay with this, and I nodded. This sparring match would give me the opportunity to see just how much further I had to climb in order to become stronger than I currently was. I needed to know how much more strength I needed to have in order to be capable of not only stopping Alexis but to protect the ones I loved.

"It's settled then," Derek said, his tone steely. "Show me what you can do, kid."

•••

"Are we sure they should be doing this?" Whitaker asked, looking at me with slight concern.

We had moved to the same training room where I had met Kyoko earlier and I could finally get a good look at things. The room was reminiscent of an old school karate dojo with padded floors and Japanese kanji on the wall as well as weapons. Both Derek and I were barefoot dressed in training gear that looked like typical athletic compression gear and I was able to get a good look at his physique and I felt slightly unsure that this sparring match was going to go in my favor. His arms were huge but toned with broad shoulders that made him appear larger than he even was. He was definitely an intimidating guy but there was no way that I was gonna back down from this, even if I didn't win in the end.

"The match will go until one of concedes. Use this as a learning opportunity, Josiah," Mr Knight said.

I nodded then took up my stance, Derek following suit. The room went quiet as Derek and I circled each other, looking for any slight opening within the other's defense. Suddenly, he dashed forward with way too much speed for someone of his side and fired a jab directly at my face. I blocked with both my forearms but the force of the blow knocked me flat on my back and sent me tumbling. I rolled and came up crouching, my arms stinging slightly from the punch. He was strong, very strong. Activating my powers, I charged up to five percent and charged at him, swinging my right leg in a roundhouse kick directed at his ribs. Derek blocked and deflected my kick then lunged forward with a jab-cross combination that I barely dodged, the second punch slightly grazing my cheek. I gritted my teeth and slammed my right fist into his ribs but he barely seemed fazed by the blow and struck me square in the chest with a palm strike that drove the air from my lungs. I staggered back and tried to catch my breath, my chest feeling like I had just gotten tackled by an elephant. Taking a deep breath, I increased my output to ten percent, slightly enhancing my strength and speed even more and dashed forward and sidestepped to Derek's left side. I ducked under his punch then hit him with a full strength straight right to his solar plexus that caused him to grunt in pain then I followed up with a jumping roundhouse that knocked him sideways. Derek stumbled and fell to his knee to steady himself but I continued my assault, throwing punches, kicks and combinations, landing several attacks on Derek but my body felt strange. I was moving faster and faster with each strike, my punches were generating more force and impact as they landed but I wasn't gonna stop until he conceded. As my last punch caught him in the jaw, Derek lost his footing from the force of it and I took my opportunity and closed the distance between us in one swift motion.

"Haaaaa!" I roared, swinging my fist at him as he fell to the ground.

The momentum of my punch was suddenly stopped by Mr Knight who had stepped in between us and caught my punch in his hand, a black and white aura surrounding his body as his eyes glowed purple. As my adrenaline died down, I was able to refocus and take in my surroundings a bit more and felt a sense of dread as I looked at Derek on the ground. He was conscious but his face was bruised and there was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, his expression one of shock and apprehension as he stared at me like I was some sort of monster. To my left and right respectively, stood Whitaker and Kelly, their powers activated and I was also faintly aware of Ayleanna standing behind me.

"That's enough, son," Mr Knight said, narrowing his eyes to let me know he was serious.

I exhaled and deactivated my powers, feeling the familiar slight exhaustion that usually followed when I did. Mr Knight released my hand and powered down but didn't take his eyes off me as the other three agents moved to stand beside him, all their expressions wary and shocked. I was very confused at what had happened but I was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion.

"You lack fine control," Derek said, getting to his feet. "But your overall skill as a martial artist is commendable."

"Fine control?" I asked.

Mr Knight nodded. "Your power spikes in response to your emotional situation which can be used against in a dangerous situation. Your enemy could say something triggering that could cause your emotions to flux and your power to go out of control."

I pondered for a moment. "So I have to learn to control my emotions."

"Precisely," Ayleanna said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You let your frustration during the match get the best of you. Is something bothering you?"

I grimaced as my mind immediately flashed to Yasmine. Our last conversation still had me feeling a bit miffed at how she had acted and I'd be lying if I said that my feelings weren't a bit hurt. My frustration was more so directed at how nonchalant she had been, like she didn't care that I was going to be risking my life to save people.

"I…. I had a fight with someone before I came here," I said quietly. "Guess my feelings are still a bit hurt."

Ayleanna gave me a sympathetic smile and squeezed my shoulder comfortingly. I smiled back then turned my attention to Mr Knight who gave me a look that said 'we'll talk later'.

"We'll spend the next few days working on your control and getting you up fo speed on the operation," He said. "For now, get some rest, Josiah."

"Hope you're ready, kid" Derek said.

"For what?" I asked, dumbfounded.

Derek smiled slightly. "Because the real training, starts tomorrow."