It was hard to believe I felt so calm just a few hours ago. I found myself wondering what past me had been thinking, how he’d kept such a cool head with this ahead of him. The endless anxiety of the past few weeks seemed more appropriate.
It was coming back to me tenfold right now, like all my worries had been held back by a flimsy wall that had fallen down.
Cheater aside, the written exam had been a breeze. I was never in doubt of my ability to pass it.
The medical wasn’t a competition in the first place. Saboteur notwithstanding, I was utterly confident in my physical health.
The practical test was another matter entirely.
I was frantically running through potential revelations in my head, really digging deep for unlikely options. Some people claimed these things had dramatic timing. If there was ever a moment for one to come to me, it was now.
Nothing stuck out. Maybe my Z-rank rendered a revelation impossible after all.
“Your practical exam will take place in Zone 4. It was designed to emulate the kind of environment one might find in a European city in the wake of an evacuation, as superheroism is a global trend,” Morphosis spoke softly, but his voice projected across the room as if he was shouting. He was standing below us with the giant windows at his back, the entire group arrayed before and above him in the plush spectator seats. The undivided attention of almost a hundred teenagers didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.
Comparing myself to a grown man, let alone a distinguished superhero, was obviously ridiculous, but I still envied him a little.
He gestured, and an overlay was projected on the glass in faint blue lines. It shifted to highlight a specific part of the massive training area below.
Each zone on the 3x3 grid boasted a different type of urban environment a superhero might be required to operate in. There was a zone of towers that looked like it could have been sliced straight out of New York and transplanted down there; another had been modelled to simulate suburban sprawl; there was even a zone that sat lower than the others, so that the ‘river’ winding through it wouldn’t spill over. Half of them were already in use, ants skittering between the distant obstacles.
I focused on the area we’d be tested in, trying not to tremble in my seat.
The most noticeable thing was how crammed together a city felt when nothing stood over four stories tall. Buildings constructed from white brick and red-brown tile infringed on one another’s space with reckless abandon, jutting out like crooked teeth with bloody caps. Roads winded and twisted in seemingly random directions, oscillating in width and elevation, giving it a claustrophobic, labyrinthine feel even from this distance. Cars choked the streets, abandoned in gridlock. A blue dot appeared on the glass, which then expanded to highlight the tallest and most intact building of the lot.
“Your ultimate objective is to reach the tower in the middle of the zone. You do not need to climb it, as the finish line is on the bottom floor. The sooner you arrive, the higher your score. However, this is not solely a race. You will be given several other optional tasks to complete, ranging in difficulty depending on the level of skill we estimate you possess. Tasks are ranked from A to E, with A being most challenging, E being least. As you might imagine, the harder tasks will give you a higher score.” His eyes narrowed. “If you were dishonest about your capabilities during the application process, this is the point where you will regret it.”
Morphosis gestured, and the staff who’d been hovering at the fringes of our group started moving along the rows, passing out clear plastic bags filled with a few bits of equipment.
“You will be given an armband,” Morphosis said, holding up his own. “It contains a tracking device which will relay your position to observers of the test at all times. You will find that there are several buttons you can press. All of them do the same thing: call for help. If you find yourself in any danger, you will use it, and someone will arrive to assist you. Test it now. If it does not light up red and sound an alarm, raise your hand to receive another.”
We all did as instructed. A few signals flared up, though I couldn’t guess what anyone could be using their power for here. The band was bone white, made of a velvet-like material that seemed to constrict snugly to anything placed within it. Red dots circled it along the middle, and the entire thing turned red and whined when one was pressed.
“There is also a small tablet in your packs that will relay information to you. Scan your ID stamp on the front-facing camera, and it will give you your list of tasks. You will be expected to figure out the rest of its functionality for yourselves, and utilise it as you see fit.”
I took a moment to check the palm-sized tablet, holding it tight in my hand so the screen wasn’t shaking too much, more to gauge what kind of thing I’d be dealing with than to actually start forming any plans. Waving my wrist over the camera yielded a quiet beep after a few tries, then the device blinked to life. After a brief welcoming message, it listed my tasks in white writing on a black background.
TASKS TO BE COMPLETED:
E: Retrieve a token from point E marked on your map app.
D: Deliver the token to point D marked on your map app.
C: Remove the obstruction blocking passage between Eden Park Av. and Torini Rd.
B: Rescue Hostage A from Magnan Hotel, and bring it to the ending area undamaged.
A: Repair the radio tower in the east of the zone and send a signal to the central tower.
Doable. That was totally doable. Hardly easy or anything, but… that seemed, okay? Being powerless, they obviously weren’t going to give me anything super dangerous. It’d take some planning; I’d have to balance completing the tasks with reaching the tower in a relatively timely manner, but I figured I could probably get them all.
If I was the only one in the arena.
Morphosis was still speaking. “To forestall complaints, I will inform you that a lot of work has gone into ensuring this exam is as fair as can be. You will all start in the same place, and your tasks are designed to take you all over the zone. As long as you have been honest about your capabilities, this test will challenge you no more or less than it will challenge any other examinee. You have thirty minutes to prepare.”
And with that, he moved to lean against the giant window, eyes drooping shut. Just as he had during the first exam. I wondered if he had some power-granted senses to keep an eye on things, but there were no cues to give it away if he did.
Honestly, I really hoped he didn’t. Marquise’s words were echoing in my mind, and the idea that Morphosis had stood there and done nothing while someone was trying to cheat me… I didn’t know what I’d do if that was the case.
Silence fell, and it lingered like a bad smell. A few people rooted around in their packs. Some got up and moved to another part of the room, though I couldn’t guess what they were doing. One guy started jogging up and down the stairs between the rows of spectator seats.
Most stayed where they were, and tension started to bleed into the room. Paranoia ran rampant. People were hunched over their tablets, trying to read their task list without revealing it to anyone else. Peeking into their packs, throwing suspicious looks. Signals rang out, shrill and defensive.
I could see what was going to happen here, clear as day.
Other candidates had tried to screw me over even when there wasn’t even a direct competition, and I highly doubted that was an experience exclusive to me. This exam was where everyone was going to really show what they could do, and it was going to be an all-out clash. We’d be down there on our own, thrown into a free-for-all. It was obvious that things were going to descend into a ruthless battle royale, everyone not just out for themselves but out to hurt others’ scores. Even if the cheaters were a minority, that didn’t matter when one didn’t know who was dishonest.
Any alliances or friendships that might have been forming were out the window now. No one spoke a word. The only sound in the room was the shuffling of packs, tapping on tablets, the little whines of the armbands. Even Billy and Julia, on either side of me, weren’t saying a word.
I gripped the armrests of my seat until the plastic creaked.
My attention strayed to the training area far below. To the flashes of light, the clouds of dust, the muffled sound of distant thunder. It looked like a warzone down there. I supposed it was, in a way.
How many ruthless bastards were going to walk out of that test with their heads held high and their scores even higher? How many honest, honourable candidates were going to give it their best shot only to find themselves stabbed in the back?
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Julia had been right. I couldn’t stop them all on my own. Hell, it was possible I wouldn’t even be able to stop one of the examinees who’d be willing to turn on their peers. Maybe my best would yield only failure. Maybe I couldn’t even save one person.
But who the hell said I had to do it on my own?
It was time to gamble.
I took a deep breath and a futile moment to quiet my protesting nerves, then stood up. “I want to make a proposal.”
Of course, that meant everyone in the room’s attention snapped to me.
My stomach did a flip, and wasn’t content with just one.
There’d been few occasions in my life when I had so many eyes on me, and in not a single one of them was I the sole object of attention. Even with other kids on the stage, the scrutiny of over a hundred people had been enough to turn my hands clammy, my legs to jelly, my brain to soup. At those times, I’d considered myself lucky if I could remember my own name.
This scenario was a hundred times worse. All rational thought fled, my mind going utterly blank. My mouth flopped open, but no sound came out, leaving me gaping like a fish. Seconds passed, each more agonising than the last.
Pathetic, Lucas’ voice appeared in the back of my mind. Pathetic, another voice echoed, this one belonging to the USHA officer who’d found me all those years ago. Pathetic, they repeated, overlapping.
Among all the words in the English language, it was tough to think of one I hated more than that. Pathetic. Contemptibly inadequate. Worthy of nothing but pity or disdain, or even both. Disdain, I could handle.
Pity? I didn’t deserve it.
Pathetic, Valiant said long ago, watching as I struggled back to my feet.
Pathetic, I agreed in the present. I’d acted without thinking, and now I looked like a total imbecile.
Why was it that the attention of a villain had made me feel alive, but a hundred peers filled me with dread?
All eyes were still on me, and with every second that felt like hours, I could see the scorn building in their eyes. Even Billy and Julia looked confused. What did the scene look like to them? A guy who spoke up, sounding all confident and assured, only to freeze in place when everyone turned to face him. It was probably confusing, if anything.
What kind of hero shied away from mass attention? How could someone afraid of a crowd ever hope to save one?
“I want to make a proposal,” I said again, and I’d forever be thankful to whatever higher power was out there that my voice didn’t crack and I didn’t stutter. I sounded so much more confident than I felt as I continued. “Let’s work together.”
My thinking was simple: I was going to put faith in the people around me. I wanted to believe that the kind of people who’d sabotage fellow candidates were in the minority, so I was going to go ahead and fucking believe it.
The people here were competitive, of that I had no doubt. Every single one of them was determined to win a spot in Aegis’ next freshman year. They would’ve trained their asses off. Studied like mad. For most people here, this test was everything.
But, ultimately, they wanted to be superheroes.
And there were very, very few superheroes who worked alone.
Tension filled the room like a physical force, bearing down on me with the weight of a hundred stares.
Morphosis’ eyes opened, fixing a sharp gaze on me.
I stared back, daring him to have a problem with this. Cheating was apparently let slide in order to test people’s moral character, but when had anyone ever said cooperating wasn’t allowed here?
After a few moments, Morphosis closed his eyes and relaxed once more.
I didn’t know how to take that, so I just kept going.
“We’ll cooperate to make sure we all finish our tasks,” I said, trying my best to project my voice without it cracking. “That should make up for taking longer to get to the goal. Hell, I bet our scores would be much better off for completing all our higher-ranked tasks than getting to the goal a little faster.” I paused. “And if you don’t want to do even that, how about we at least agree to a truce? No more sabotage. No more infighting. No more messing with each other for petty advantages.”
Glances were exchanged. A few people shifted.
I drew in a deep breath, slowly blew it out. “I’ve wanted to attend Aegis Academy since I was a little kid. My old man used to teach here, and he’d bring me along to visit the campus whenever he could. This place defined my childhood. It was my second home. In some ways, it’s the strongest connection I have to my father’s memory. And yet.” My jaw clenched. I scanned the group, and I dearly hoped my expression matched my feelings. “And yet, I wouldn’t even think of screwing someone else over to get myself a spot. Because what the fuck would be the point of attending a hero school if I’m not going to be a hero?”
There were some offended looks at that. I tried to commit the faces to memory.
“So I propose we work together, because I believe that’s the right way to do this. The heroic way to do this.”
The ensuing silence was broken by a soft laugh. A few rows down, a girl stood, turning to face me with a sneer. It took me a moment to recognise her with her milky white eyes replaced by a dark brown. I hadn’t been so close to her until now, so I hadn’t had the chance to envy how flawless her appearance was. Poreless, smooth skin. Silky black hair that was too perfectly straight. Shadowed eyelids, cherry-red lips, a rosy tint to her cheeks. She looked like she’d just left a photo shoot, not an arduous medical test.
Instead of being impressed or intimidated by her beauty, I found myself wondering who she’d imposed her imperfections on.
“I hope nobody’s buying this kid’s bullshit,” she said.
“Sooyoung,” another boy hissed from nearby, though I couldn’t see who.
“I hope,” Sooyoung continued with a pointed edge to her voice, “that nobody is naive enough to go through this truce, just to let this asshole do as he pleases.”
“Emmett,” I said.
“Asshole,” Sooyoung said, smiling sweetly. “I’ve seen your type before. Plotters. Manipulators. The only reason you want everyone singing kumbaya and holding hands is so it’s easier for you to stab them in the back.”
“I would never.”
“And why should anyone here believe that? Why should anyone here put their entire future on the line just on your word? Sorry to break it to you, but not everyone has the luxury of treating this like some whimsical dream. For some of us, defeat is not an option.” She lifted an arm and swept it across the crowd, staring into my eyes all the while. “We’re all strangers here. You don’t know anyone else’s story. Success and failure could be life and death for some of these people, for all you know. And yet here you are, telling them they should carry you to victory.”
“That’s not what this is about. I want everyone here to succeed. Not just me.”
“Oh? Seems to me you’re getting a lot more out of this than they are, though? If they hold back, it makes things so much easier for you.”
“I’m not telling anyone to hold back,” I said. “I’m telling them not to fuck anyone else over for their own gain. Big difference.”
“And aren’t you fucking people over for your own gain right now?”
“No!”
“No?” She gave me a smile that almost looked sincere, betrayed only by the anger in her eyes. “Who would benefit more from a pact of non-aggression than one who can’t be aggressive?”
I sighed. So that was her angle.
“For the sake of transparency, you should know I’m an F-rank,” I said, raising my voice to be sure everyone heard. It was a mild deception, but I didn’t want to stand here and explain that there was actually a lower rank made just for me. As expected, the shock in the room was a near-palpable force. Even Sooyoung’s eyes widened. “My body emits a signal. I can be measured on the Shimada Scale. It’s just so weak I haven’t been able to establish my foundation yet. Like a child, I guess. In theory, anyone here could absolutely screw me over with little effort, so it’s in my best interests to try and ensure no one attempts to.
“But I’ve been living and breathing superpowers for as long as I can remember. I’ve kept up with all the news, read every magazine and journal I could get my hands on, and spent countless hours watching videos of superpowers in action. My parents were superheroes. My uncles, aunts, cousins, and my older sister; all superheroes. Even if I’m powerless myself, I like to think I’ve got a quasi-power of my own: I know powers. I know the theories, I know the studies. I know how people tend to use them, and I have some ideas on how to deal with them.
“In fact,” I continued with a smile. “I already dealt with two people trying to mess with me today. I bet a few of you saw that kid yelling his heart out back in the medical test? He was one.” I looked at Sooyoung. “And he was much more of a challenge than what I faced on the written exam.”
Her eyes narrowed, and milky white started bleeding into her irises.
I matched her gaze. “I have no intention of trying to sabotage another student, and I have even less interest in using people to do my tasks for me. I’ll prove it to you all with this: we’ll leave my tasks until last. I’ll do everything in my power to help complete everyone else’s from A to E, and then I’ll go and see about doing my tasks on my own. If anyone wants to help me at that point, they’re welcome to. But I don’t demand it.”
“Bullshit,” Sooyoung snarled.
Before I could reply, Julia stood. “Sounds good to me. Let’s work together.”
Billy was half a step behind her. “Count me in. You helped me out earlier, so I gotta repay the favour.”
Whether it was my words sinking in or the confidence of two other students, something gave the crowd the push they needed. Three more stood up at almost the same time. Those three inspired a few more. And like that, it became a cascade, more and more joining our group by the second. Soon, there were over forty people standing, ready to cooperate. An eclectic mix, tall and short, boys and girls of all races. It was less than half a class, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel disappointed.
Obviously, I was aware that at least some of them were doing this for selfish reasons, thinking that joining the group would get them more points than if they were on their own. That was fine. If they got all their tasks done then left, no problem. As long as they didn’t try to sabotage the rest of us. But I wanted to believe that most of them were here because they wanted to help others.
These were good people, I told myself.
Naturally, these good people were all looking at me. For guidance. For instruction.
The Z-rank. The guy who still didn’t have any powers at sixteen. It was utterly ridiculous. Unimaginable.
My heart was hammering in my chest. My hands were tensing up. It was a miracle my legs weren’t wobbling.
And yet, my voice came out steady.
“We have about twenty minutes left. Let’s go make a plan,” I said.