Chapter 62: Isaac Voss

Isaac Voss wiped the sweat from his brow, his body still humming with the adrenaline from the fight. He sat on the edge of the training room bench, catching his breath, muscles throbbing from the hits he’d both given and taken. The room felt hotter than usual, the sterile white walls doing little to cool down the heat that built up in him whenever he pushed his powers this far.

Jake had given him a good fight, no doubt about that. Kid had heart, even if he didn’t always know how to use his power properly. Isaac had known Jake for a while now, and each training session, he could see the improvements. He respected that. Kid was learning.

Stretching his arms, he winced slightly from a bruise forming on his left shoulder. Isaac had hit Jake with everything he had, shifting his density mid-punch to send the guy flying across the room. But Jake had taken it, and from the look on his face, he’d even been absorbing some of the energy from the hit. Isaac wasn’t sure exactly how that worked, but it was damn impressive. Not everyone could take a shot like that and still keep fighting.

As he rolled his shoulders, Isaac let his mind drift, thinking about how things had changed since Jake and Levi had been thrown into the mix. It wasn’t like the other Class 4s, who had been around the Academy for years. Jake and Levi were different. They carried the weight of something Isaac hadn’t figured out yet, something that had to do with that Galewood explosion everyone whispered about.

Didn’t matter much to Isaac. He wasn’t one to get caught up in rumors or politics. His job was to fight, to push himself, and to get stronger. And if the Academy wanted him to keep sparring with someone like Jake, who kept getting stronger, then he was all for it.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

He glanced over at Jake, who was still on the ground, catching his breath but clearly reflecting on the fight in his own way. Isaac respected him. Despite all the strange things people said about Jake and Levi, despite the looks they got from the other students, Isaac had never seen anything in Jake but a fighter. The kid had guts, and that counted for something in Isaac’s book.

Isaac wasn’t much for sitting around and thinking too deeply about things. But sometimes, when he had moments like this—when the sweat dripped off his face, and his muscles ached in a way that felt good—it was hard not to reflect a little.

The Academy had been his whole world for years now. He had been brought in young, trained to use his density-shifting abilities to become one of the strongest metahumans they had. Some days, it felt like he was more weapon than person. But that’s how it was here. You fought, you trained, and you made yourself valuable. Because if you weren’t valuable, you were replaceable.

And Isaac wasn’t about to let himself become replaceable.

He heard footsteps approaching, snapping him out of his thoughts. One of the Academy’s handlers, a tall man with a clipboard, entered the room and spoke in that same cold, detached voice they all used.

“Session’s over, Voss. You’re done for the day.”

Isaac nodded, standing up and stretching again, though he didn’t respond. He shot a glance at Jake, who had finally managed to pull himself to his feet. Kid looked rough but determined, like he always did after a hard session. Isaac gave him a short nod, a small gesture of acknowledgment. There was no need for words. They’d probably see each other again soon enough.

As Isaac headed for the door, the weight of the Academy’s control over him settled back onto his shoulders. It always did after a fight. He didn’t mind training, didn’t mind pushing himself to the limit. But the leash they kept on him—the way they always had eyes on him, always tracking every move—it made him itch sometimes.

Isaac wasn’t one to complain. He’d learned a long time ago that rebellion got you nowhere in a place like this. But that didn’t mean he liked it.

He’d simply learned a long time ago that there was no point in fighting the way things were here. The Academy had its grip on everyone, and if you pushed too far, they’d push back harder. So, Isaac focused on what he was good at—pushing himself. His strength, his abilities—that’s where his value lay, and that’s what kept him in the game.

With a grunt, Isaac shoved his way out of the training room and into the hallway. Time to cool down and get ready for the next session. There was always another fight around the corner.