The Wayward Trainee: Part 1

Ermis considered her statement, "It is time for you to decide what you want to be, Kid."

He wanted to consider the implication, but all he could focus on was her voice, so he asked, "Hey, didn't you have an accent? Or am I misremembering?" He could have sworn he remembered her speaking with a country accent.

Amanda blanked at the sudden topic shift.

Then she got it, "Oh, at the Medbay? Yeah, my brain was pretty scrambled, but that is what happens when a monster drops a bridge on you."

For some reason, Ermis considered all of the small moments around him. His mother's posture was wrong, for one. He knew it was evidence of a misalignment in her lower lumbar. Then, with a light touch, he cleared up her back pain. "There you go; your back should feel much better in the morning.

Sandy tried to crack the knot in her back. The thing had formed right after Ermis' birth and had stuck around ever since.

Sandy looked surprised and told Ermis, "Your healing must be at least A-class because it can heal "already healed" damage!" Something that Amanda had already experienced firsthand.

Ermis knew what she was referring to, as it would be indispensable in circumventing Healing Sickness.

Amanda brought her question back to the forefront of the conversation, "Kid, you have to focus. Your Power is growing and expanding, so what do you want to do with it? Are you a physical fighter? A mentalist? What do you want to be?"

She was planning on forging him into a Pillar of Humanity, but there was no reason he couldn't also be a Titan. He could be the Pen and the Sword of humanity.

Ermis knew it was vital to have a focus when a Power was malleable. He spoke without hesitation, "Stronger."

Ermis looked at his mother for approval, and then she briefly looked at her phone, getting confirmation from her husband.

Amanda nodded, "It is a good focus. Strengthening your pool of abilities is extremely useful, but you know the cost, right?"

He smiled grimly, "It is nearly impossible without life and death pressure."

A curt nod from her let him know that his new teacher meant business. She added, "You will have to skip the Trainee classes. We are going to drop you right into the fire."

Sandy's phone buzzed, and she relayed the message, "Your father says he has a team selected for you."

Ermis thought, 'Of course, Dad has a team picked out for me already. He has been sifting through them since the moment I left his building.'

He let the Emerald cloak rest on his back as they made their way to the front room, where he saw his father's face on the TV.

The second Jorge saw him enter the room, he barked, "You let your phone die again, didn't you!?" He shook his head because he instantly saw confirmation twitch all over Ermis' face.

He waved it off, "Not important, Amanda, did you review the team I sent you?" She confirmed, "Yes. I think they would make an excellent team for him." They both looked suspiciously ecstatic about their choice.

Ermis felt things were moving way too fast, so he spoke up. "Dad, Mom, are you sure I shouldn't go through a program or at least learn the laws?" He was worried about being a liability in the field.

Jorge smiled and considered his son's skill set, "Good on you, Son, you are right. Love, grab him my Laws and Regulations of York, 2165 Edition." Then he moved on, "Amanda, take him through a crash course while he reads our city's codes."

She nodded, "Come on, Kid, it is time to learn the basics."

With a gesture, they were off to the elevator, Sandy quickly following behind. She shoved the book into Ermis' hands, gesturing for him to open it as Amanda explained, "Leave your Power active; it will want to take in all the sights and sounds."

Manifestation-based Powers were quirky in their pseudo-personalities. She hoped it would take the gesture of goodwill as she meant it.

After walking down the block, they dipped into the subway system. Ermis seemed like a zombie as he distractedly walked down the sidewalk, the book demanding absolute concentration. Page after page was turning, and dozens of new bylaws burned into his mind. He now knew the Standard Operating Structure of Private Cape Organizations.

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The group halted in front of what seemed to be a glass-constructed gymnasium, a structure that soared to a height greater than 10-stories. The walls consisted of enormous glass panels, giving the people walking by a view of airborne Capes engaged in practice.

Purple and Red beams flashed and collided in the air, with sparks of energy drifting to the floor below.

The doors opened wide, and the smell of iron was thick as if blood had recently spilled on the marble floor.

Men and Women looked towards the entrance as the commotion died down.

Ermis closed his book and handed it to his mother because he had read it twice already. A feat that would have to shock him later because their group was the center of attention.

Ermis watched the admiration worm its way into the faces of those present, for they were in the presence of a real Hero.

Amanda smacked Ermis slightly too hard, pushing him forward, and then she followed as they walked in tandem. The Capes in battle eventually slowed down, and some began to float slowly to the ground.

Ermis obviously knew she was a Titan. He knew "of" her, but these people were Capes. They were people trying to become "like" her.

He walked next to a Titan of Humanity and thought, 'I guess I am just like them now, maybe I will admire her for her deeds to the world.'

It was a new concept that formed hastily, but he could grasp it in the abstract.

They pushed on, finding the main desk, then got signed in by a pretty-looking receptionist, "Hello, how may I assist you today?" Stars were clearly in the woman's eyes as she performed the best customer service of her life. Then Sandy butted in, "We are looking to sign up my Son, Ermis Jones. And get his Temporary Cape-in-Training card. He will be joining Team ID: 3876-YC-04-0420."

The woman made bureaucracy move with her fingers until she hit a snag.

"Ma'am, I am going to need-" She was cut off by Sandy's phone suddenly speaking, "Hello, this is Deputy Director Jones of the 4th Borough. I am sending you an Electronic Signature. Please vet it through your Psionic Department and get back to me if you need anything else."

The Director hung up the call from his side as Ermis giggled. He just loved it when other people had to deal with his dad for once.

Ermis noticed that people were closing in around them. Whether they were doing it subconsciously or not, it was starting to draw Amanda's ire.

The boy in front of them had to be the child of the Director. The kid's name was Jones, but mostly, it was the wife of the Director glued to his side like a concerned mother.