Starting Work!

(A/N: I intended to publish 3 chapters, but ended up writing 2 much longer ones instead, I hope you all enjoy!)

$3,000 gone just like that, it was for a worthwhile cause at least. He was now officially an apprentice at The Front Line. He realised that he didn't know what the dress code for work was. They would probably provide that for all employees, right? Dan still couldn't quite believe it, yesterday, or even the day before, he couldn't even have imagined receiving an opportunity like this.

He lost track of time for a while until he heard the doorbell ring. It was probably Andrei or one of the others. He checked the time, it was 12:30 PM, time for lunch. He walked over to the door, and opened it, it was Andrei alright, he was struggling with a large box which had the label, Work Uniforms + Equipment, printed on the side of it. Well that answers my question. "Oi, don't just stand there as*hole, help me out here!"

Andrei sounded more than a little irate at being forced to carry a large box. Dan quickly took hold of the other end, and the two of them set it down in the middle of the small living room. The box itself was quite heavy, but not heavy enough to bother Andrei. It was just VERY BIG! "I was starting to wonder about the dress code, I guess that this solves that issue. Did you have to carry this thing all the way upstairs? I can't see it fitting in the elevator somehow."

Andrei laughed, he still sounded annoyed. "Yes, all 9 floors, just what kind of equipment weighs that much?"

Dan grinned at Andrei, "that would probably be the basic camera equipment."

Andrei sighed out loud when he heard that. "It all makes sense now, it was so heavy! You know me, I pride myself in being a little strong at least, this box felt light at first, but that changed pretty quickly. We'd better be having something delicious tonight, you owe me that much at least. The delivery man just asked if you lived here. I told him that you lived here, and he just handed the box to me as if it was a feather!"

Dan laughed out loud, so even their delivery team has powered people or mutants in it. Either that or they're just quite strong. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Oh, it's just that The Front Line's security team is comprised of Mutants and Powered people only. I can't help but wonder if that goes for other members of their workforce too."

Andrei looked ecstatic at this possibility, he was an even bigger fan of powered people than Dan was. After he calmed down a little, he responded. "Ah, that would make a lot of sense, a lot of delivery workers are pretty strong. But, they don't give you considerably heavy boxes as if they LITERALLY weigh as much as air does."

Dan nodded, Andrei's reasoning did make sense, he would have to ask his mentor later. I wonder who my mentor will be, I guess I'll find out. The two of them started to put the work uniforms in Dan's chest of drawers. He didn't have a lot of clothes to start with so the work uniforms did fill some space. After that, the two of them ate lunch together, Andrei made it again of course.

He made Borscht as the main dish, Draniki as a side, and poured them both some Kefir as a drink. At Dan's request, Andrei refrained from making a dessert, and he gave Dan an odd look after lunch. "It's not like you to turn down dessert Dan, what's going on?"

Dan sighed, he was clearing away the plates, and thought about how he could answer. He'd have to tell Andrei about his new abilities at some point. He decided to tell a half-truth for now. "I just became an apprentice at a newspaper agency. Said agency also takes a much more active role in the world of heroes. I need to have a well-balanced diet, and I'll need to get in shape pretty quickly too!"

Andrei looked stunned, for as long as he'd known Dan, he'd never seen his friend so serious before. He then laughed it off before returning to his normal, humorous self. "Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend Dan?"

Dan rolled his eyes at his friend's response. "Jokes aside, I'm now officially an apprentice at a prestigious news agency. I have to take my life a lot more seriously now, I'm no longer a couch potato, freelance blog editor. I can't slouch around as much as I've been doing until now."

Andrei once again was stunned by his friend's serious response. This time he didn't make a joke, a sad smile slowly formed. "It seems like you're finally becoming a man, I'm jealous. I still feel like I'm still a kid most of the time."

It was Dan's turn to be surprised now, Andrei was never serious like he was now. "Wow... thanks, I guess! I really didn't expect something like this from you. Don't worry, it's alright to channel your inner child from time to time. It really makes the usual boring day into an exciting one!"

Andrei looked a little embarrassed at first, but then that turned to genuine gratitude. "Thanks Dan, that means a lot to me, I'm glad I can make your days more interesting!"

Just then, Dan's phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Hey Dan, Carlson here, I'll be there to take you to work at 1:45 PM."

Dan was pleasantly surprised to hear from the taxi driver again, and was glad that Carlson had dropped the honorifics. "Carlson! It's great to hear from you again, by the sounds of it, they must've assigned you to me. I'm just getting ready now!"

"That's about right Dan, they usually send me to do this kind of thing anyways. Don't worry about it, there isn't really as much traffic at this time anyways."

It's really nice that they're sending a taxi over to pick me up before I move into my new flat. I really must get my driving license sorted, it should be really easy to learn how to drive now. I failed my initial driving test and was very discouraged about trying again, my instructor wasn't very encouraging after all.

"Well, I'll be down as soon as I can, see you soon!"

"See you soon Dan!"

Dan quickly got changed into his new work uniform which was worn at the main office for The Front Line. After that, he said his goodbyes to Andrei before rushing to the elevator once more. Sure enough, the same taxi that had taken him to his interview was parked outside by the curb. Him and Carlson exchanged greetings and Dan quickly took a seat before closing the car door. The two of them made small talk along the way until they arrived.

Dan got out the taxi, once again thanking Carlson for the ride. Jessica and Luke greeted him, before opening the door for him, and he quickly thanked them. He didn't need an escort this time since they'd determined that he wasn't a threat the first time he came. He looked at the labels on the elevator. There were 15 floors in total, and he saw that he was going up to the 3rd floor, it was just labelled News Reporting. 

He quietly opened the door, and was overwhelmed for a moment by all the bustling activity. He nervously walked in, nobody really paid much attention to him. He caught sight of Alejandro talking to a strikingly attractive young woman, it looked like she had claw marks on her face. I've definitely seen her somewhere before... wait... Is that White Tiger? Of course she works here too.

Alejandro caught sight of Dan, and quickly waved him over. Wait, no way... SHE'S MY MENTOR? He was even more nervous now, as he headed over, he quickly looked at her information window.

___________

Code Name: White Tiger

Real Name: Angela del Toro

Abilities: Enhanced physical abilities, martial arts expertise, and the mystical amulets of the White Tiger

Physical Appearance: Angela del Toro, known as White Tiger, is a 26-year-old woman of Puerto Rican descent. She is of average height with an athletic build, often seen in her hero costume. Her costume consists of a white bodysuit with black stripes and a stylised tiger mask that covers the top half of her face. Angela has a distinctive, confident presence.

Personality: Angela is known for her strong sense of justice and unwavering determination. She is courageous, confident, and deeply committed to protecting the innocent. Angela is also a mentor, guiding and inspiring young heroes to follow in her footsteps. Her work ethic and dedication to heroism set an example for all.

Affiliation:

The Front Line (as a senior news reporter)

Heroic community (as White Tiger)

Occupation:

Senior News Reporter at The Front Line

Heroic vigilante as White Tiger

Special Note: Angela del Toro is eager to meet her new mentee, Dan Montgomery!

___________

By the time he'd finished reading her information, he was already in front of the two of them. "Hello Dan, it's great to see you here! As I'm sure you've gathered already, Angela here is going to be your mentor for the year."

Dan walked towards, already trying to stay professional. He admired every hero, and White Tiger was no exception. "It's nice to meet you Angela, I didn't expect that you'd be my mentor."

A flash of surprise broke through her professional smile mask for just an instant. "Hello Dan, likewise! I guess the claw marks gave it away. I'm looking forward to mentoring you this year! I'll just be helping you to get setup on the system today, as well as going through health and safety regulations. You know, the usual stuff."

Dan nodded, his fast adaption speed allowing him to quickly calm down and accept the situation. Angela turned to Alejandro, "you're right, he really does adapt fast, I can already tell that we're going to get along, Dan!"

Dan quirked an eyebrow at her before answering. "What makes you say that?"

Angela laughed a little before speaking. "You're respectful, you're polite, and I've heard that you're an extremely fast learner! Of course, you don't have to be a fast learner, the other two are enough on their own, but that's definitely a welcome bonus!"

Dan understood now, Alejandro had been very excited about him joining the apprenticeship program. He must have told Angela all about him, it made sense, she was Dan's mentor after all. "I see, and thank you!"

"No problem, if you'll come right this way!"

Dan followed Angela towards one of the vacant computers and they sat down next to each other. Dan quickly turned it on, and a login screen appeared almost instantly. That's Stark Industries tech for you! Angela discreetly took a small piece of paper and slid it towards him. He looked at it, Ah, my login details, Dan quickly memorised them before tearing it to pieces. Angela seemed to catch on pretty quickly, and gave him a nod of approval.

Dan then entered his login details, and pressed Enter. The front page loaded almost instantly too, I really should get myself one of these, it would probably cost 10x my entire lifetime earnings though. "Impressive right, Tony Stark truly is a genius, just like his father was. That aside, let's get you set up on the website."

They spent a couple of hours getting Dan all sorted on the website. They went through the essential modules that would introduce him to the various aspects of The Front Line. Dan managed to get through all of it incredibly quickly. He ignored the dings from the system, focusing only on the task at hand. He'd read the notifications on his way home.

"Well, that's you done for the day! It normally takes new employees much longer to complete this part. I look forward to officially starting work with you tomorrow morning! Could you possibly stay a little longer, or do you have something planned?"

Dan smiled gratefully at Angela, "Thank you for all your help today Angela! I look forward to a more hands-on experience tomorrow. As for your question, I have plans to celebrate with my friends. Working here is something I never could have imagined working here in the past honestly. We'll be eating out, do you want to come? it would be good to get to know each other a bit more too."

Angela smirked at him, "Are you asking me out on a date already?"

She giggled once she saw Dan's flabbergasted expression. "Relax, I'm only teasing you, of course I'll come. Let it be my treat, I'll take you and your friends somewhere nice!"

Dan looked stunned, "you really don't have to, it's just a celebration between friends!"

"Nonsense, besides, you should get used to eating better. You'll be joining our company dinners sometimes, as well as high-end events!" 

Dan sighed, but then he smiled. "That would be amazing, Angela! We were planning to eat out at 7:30 PM anyways. Seriously, thank you!"

Angela beamed at him, and he had to fight back a tingling sensation, as well as the erection that had begun to form. He was able to keep it under control quite easily luckily, Thank you, ultra-fast adaption! "I'll make a reservation for 7:30 PM then, I'll send someone over to pick you all up! Oh, and before I forget!"

She rummaged around in her backpack and pulled 2 boxes out of it, one one was medium in size, and the other was smaller. She handed them to Dan, "These are supplied to all company employees!"

Dan started to carefully open, and once he saw what was inside the smaller box, he almost swore out loud!

First chapter done! This first chapter will be the only longer one.