Touring The JHA  

The next morning, students gathered excitedly in the school parking lot beside the line of sleek green buses that would ferry them to Kingston. Devon stepped aboard the vehicle where Coach Adams was checking off names and greeted the instructor with a pound hug.

Making his way down the aisle while peering at occupied seats, Devon spotted Tanya waving eagerly for him to come join her group in the back. He smiled and continued on.

Nearer to the middle, Mei Wen sat alone at a two-person seat, hopefully holding Devon's gaze when he passed by. This was the perfect chance for them to spend time together.

Just before he could take the spot beside Mei, Devon was abruptly cut off by her friend Gabriela darting into the vacant seat first. "Saved me a spot, girl!" Gabriella said sweetly.

Mei shot Devon an apologetic look as he reluctantly kept moving towards Tanya's noisy cluster.

"Yow Devon, bout time yuh reach!" Tanya joked, playfully shoving Devon into the window seat beside her. "Ready fi gain knowledge and hopefully glimpse some top-rank heroes?"

Devon responded with a curt nod, though his gaze drifted back up the aisle to where he could just see Mei's silky black hair over the seatbacks. Tanya continued chatting animatedly beside him as the engines rumbled to life and the convoy departed the school grounds. This trip was going to be far more intriguing than he'd first envisioned.

The bus ride to Kingston from Portland took just over an hour. As they rolled into the capital, even the most sceptical students gawked out windows at the futuristic cityscape. Sleek skyscrapers with cascading gardens and solar panels glistened beside the wide bay. Slim pedestrian bridges arched between buildings. Levtrams glided smoothly down bustling streets beside compact electric cars and bikes. Convenient moving walkways made sidewalk traffic seamless. The technological innovations since the Coco Quake were awe-inspiring.

Coach Adams stood at the front, narrating facts and pointing out major landmarks through the windshield - the grand copper-domed Parliament complex, the 200-year-old Temple Gardens, the hovering sky-park overlooking the cruise ship docks. But all the students were waiting for one iconic destination - the sterile white headquarters of the Jamaica Hero Association which regulated all official Coco Power activities on the island. This would be their main stop today.

After the bus parked, everyone practically trampled each other pushing into the aisle to get off first. "Settle down ya rascals, di building not taking off!" Coach Adams shouted over the commotion. "Have some manners, remember yuh representing Seacrest High out in public now."

The students finally disembarked in an orderly fashion, marvelling up at the imposing citadel-like construct before them. Some teens mock play-fought, pantomiming exaggerated energy attacks. A few girls had even dressed up in homemade colourful costumes, roleplaying as their favourite heroes.

"We're really here!" Devon breathed. He hadn't imagined ever standing beside his humble hometown heroes at the pinnacle JHA towers today. The opportunities here seemed limitless.

Coach Adams led them through a set of glass doors into a soaring lobby with plush seats, a burbling stone fountain, and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the bustling cityscape.

A pretty receptionist greeted them behind a sleek desk. "You must be the Seacrest High group! We're so pleased to host your visit today. My name is Jessa, please let me know if you require any assistance during your stay." Jessa began checking students' IDs and distributing security badges.

As Devon waited in line, he noticed a striking woman with a regal bearing and flowing blonde hair striding through the lobby with billowing white cape.

"Oh ma gosh, is that who mi think it is? The Lightbringer?!" squealed a female student nearby. Others joined in pointing and gasping with delight as more well-known heroes passed through the space, engaging in casual conversations. This was really the inner sanctum.

Once their entire group was cleared, Coach Adams and Jessa led them across polished floors through restricted keycard gates into a sterile hallway. "This first area we will tour is our Coco Testing and Classification Centre," Jessa explained, triggering a door to slide open.

The students shuffled into a large laboratory space housing an array of high-tech equipment - MRI and CT scanners, intensive care pods, treadmills with mounted sensors. Scientists in lab coats moved efficiently about.

Jessa went on describing how this facility catalogued the origins of newfound Coco Powers and devised countermeasures against rogues.

Devon was only half listening, distracted by a hissing sound nearby. Turning, he saw a tough-looking Anti-Villain agent ushering a handcuffed teenage boy towards an isolated chamber. The prisoner sported shaggy cobalt hair and a black leather jacket with red accents.

"Move along Cain, unless yuh want another jolt," the agent ordered gruffly. The surly teen just spat on the ground near his escort's polished shoes before being shoved into the opaque cell. The heavily fortified door sealed him inside.

Devon stared after them nervously. He'd heard whispers about Coco youths who turned to the criminal path, but seeing one so close to his own age was jarring. What had led that boy to such a destructive fate?

"Mr Johnson, keep up please," Jessa called pleasantly.

The group was moving on to see more exhibits. Shaking his head, Devon tried focusing back on the tour. He didn't notice Mei Wen watching him pensively from across the room. She had seen the whole tense exchange as well.

For the next hour, the students were guided through various facilities - combat simulation chambers, a soaring greenhouse garden for plant-based heroes, workshops for crafting enchanted objects and weapons.

However, despite the incredible sights, Devon felt restless. He kept drifting back to thoughts of the imprisoned rebellious teen. Were circumstances all that separated them? What darker future might Devon have faced without his devoted mother and friends like Tanya?

"Well, that concludes the main areas of our headquarters," Jessa announced at last. "I'm sure you youths are all hungry, so we've arranged a meal in our banquet hall. Please enjoy while our team prepares for the next stage."

With that ominous hint, she and Coach Adams herded the weary students to a grand dining chamber. Devon picked at the catered dishes with a diminished appetite. Tanya gave him a questioning nudge but he just shook his head. Something was bothering him greatly.

Before long, uniformed JHA staff entered the banquet hall and asked everyone to please line up in an orderly fashion. Confused murmurs echoed as they were ushered back down the sleek corridors towards the Testing Centre.

Apprehension gnawed inside Devon as he shuffled along. Now came the surprise agenda Aisha had hinted at - identifying which students might have developed powers from the Coco Mosquito swarm attack on their school.

Devon should feel eager at this chance for real mentorship tailored to his gifts. But the prospect of exposing his secret abilities to this stark institution stirred only dread in his heart.

As the first students were called individually into testing labs, Devon hung back, thinking up a solution. Powered or not, he was not ready for this revelation. But how could he avoid the assessment without jeopardizing this whole trip? The answer eluded Devon as his turn crept closer...