June 2028

For the day's testing, a young child, aged ten, is called. Lack of sensorial pain is her ability. And for that reason, the Institute considers it ethical to test the bracelet on her.

Aminu would amplify the girl's ability for the rest of the analysts to understand which adjustments needed to be made.

I'm more than my ability. I can do the science too. Aminu fakes a smile.

The bracelet on her wrist is turned on and she's connected to several wires. A colleague pinches her for the ability to block the pain. On the current level, she can't use it. The shocks from the bracelet prevent her and she can feel the pinch.

"Ouch..." the girl tears a bit.

The analysts ask Aminu to amplify her a bit. With the new level, she can use her ability, so they turn up the level of the bracelet, and once again, she experiences the pitch and the shock.

The analysts see in her brain what the shocks do, and a mind controller writes down her ability's level. It's nowhere near Emily's, and their work has to continue.

"Ikubor, let's take it to a higher level, please," an analyst asks.

"Can we stop for a second?" the girl asks.

The analysts on the room begin to protest.

"Let's take five," Padma orders and invites Aminu and the girl to the cafeteria.

"You're so brave, you know? I wish I was as strong as you!" Padma hands her a package of cookies and a juice from the vending machine.

"I'm scared," her voice breaks.

"We won't hurt you. Whenever you want, we can stop. Just tell me and we're done. Okay? The world will be a better place thanks to you! You're a superhero!"

"Aminu," she wipes her tears, "what's my superhero name?"

"Superhero name? Deviants can't be superheroes!" Never were.

Her tears keep falling.

"What Aminu means is that until now there aren't any deviants superheroes. Maybe you'll be the first! What do you say... Miss Unstoppable? Because with your ability, no one can stop you."

The girl smiles.

After finishing their snacks and coffee, they return. Everyone is impatient to resume the testing. Saif enters the room, greets everyone individually and asks Padma to meet him in private.

"How's it going?" he closes the door behind him.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"There was a setback, but we'll go around it. Ikubor has amplified the specimen's powers all the way to Roberts' levels. But no matter how high the voltage, the bracelet doesn't prevent the girl from using it right away. It takes several seconds for the shocks to reach the brain."

"Jahan chah, wahan raah." Where there's a will, there's a way. I know you are working hard, Padma... But it isn't enough.

"Sir, we are taking the right steps here."

"That's magnificent work, Padma!" Small steps will get us nowhere.

***

Megan sits on her motorcycle waiting on a busy street, watching people chat, complaining about the hot weather.

The woman with the red shoes leaves a kung fu studio. The people from her class talk for a while together outside. She ignores them and goes to her car. An old one, not a vintage. One that someone owns because they need to. Megan follows her to a park outside the capital.

Megan is watching the girl write in a small notebook while sitting alone in a café, wondering what she's writing. Perhaps poetry, or something technical for college, random thoughts that she will later turn into a book. Megan daydreams the possibilities and sketches the scenery on her tablet.

***

Every summer since 2020, the Institute chooses a continent and visits their institutes. This year, they planned a 15-country-tour starting in South Africa.

After the first tour, Madeleine Clark realized that bringing the highest-ranking deviants in the world was a plus. Emily and Jade always came along. The third member depended on the destination. This time, because of Jade's roots, her grandparents are from Kenya, Madeleine decided there wasn't a need for a third person.

The children loved to know their institute was chosen to be part of the tour. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the girls. They were asked to take several photos throughout the day and even signed autographs. The students would light up whenever they showed their abilities.

Later on that first day, Madeleine flew back to the United States of America, leaving her vice president to an important, but rather boring, dinner party with the presidents of the institutes.

Realizing they were unsupervised for the evening, Jade and Emily decide to go partying until late hours. In the next morning, Jade is getting dressed on Emily's room when she wakes up.

"Just sleep in, it's still 10. No need to rush," Jade whispers.

"Where are you going?"

"To my room."

"Stay a little longer."

"See you at noon."

Their first day in Madagascar is spent hiking their stunning parks with the nation's most powerful deviant, he's on the top 350 in the world. The deviant asks them if they want to go out.

Emily spends the entire day trying to be closer to Jade, but she distances herself every time. When they get to the club, Jade gets a bit too friendly with a group of people and disappears. Emily looks for her, only to find her kissing another girl. She tries to leave but some deviants recognize her and ask her to dance with them, to accept their drinks, and to spend some time getting to know them.

You'll be criticized if you say no. I can imagine already the posts on social media... just go for a bit and smile.

***

Aminu sees on Emily's profile her posts. Right away he closes the app and puts the headphones with ambience noise to calm himself.

He's thankful for everything that the Institute has done for him, but these demonstrations of power are insulting. Without funding, the institutes in Africa cannot do much more. Their talent never makes it to the top 100. And when it does, it's someone from there who moved to the States. Like him, who is the 27th most powerful.

Aminu wishes his home institute could be given the right conditions. If things were different, he would move back in a heartbeat. Only a silly thought, he realizes.

There's no time for that. The bracelet is his sole priority. It's far from perfect and he hasn't received a new contract yet. One thing is returning to Nigeria with his head high, as a choice. Another is if he's invited to leave the country because he has no job left at the Institute.

Before going to bed, he confirms on an app that the monthly transfer to his parents happened already. He never missed it before, it's automatic, but better safe than sorry.