Darcey disappeared into the upper level and I was left alone with Dipton and Fii in the cargo hold. Fii continued to stare at the ground with its camera angled down as if it were examining the floor. Dipton put his hands behind his back and regarded me with a neutral expression on his face.

"So..." I said, breaking the silence as I cleared my throat to clear the dryness in my throat. "Do you have an idea of how you want to go about this?"

"Go about what?" Dipton asked, his expression growing curious.

"This," I said, gesturing between Dipton and me. "You said you wanted to get me sorted out."

Dipton nodded. "That's right." His expression became thoughtful as he paced around in front of me and Fii. "Now, there are two main things that we need from you. Firstly, we're a bit shorthanded on manpower so if you're okay with it, we could use your help in a few tasks around the Conestoga."

Oh? Okay then...that's simple enough.

"Sure," I said with a nod. "That's easy enough."

Dipton returned my nod with one of his own before continuing. "And, the second thing is that we could use someone with your skills to help us in combat." He smiled as he gave me a sly look, his gaze taking in my tactical vest and rifle before regarding me again with an expression that was difficult to read. "Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?"

Combat huh? Well, I can't say that I wasn't expecting this at some point. But, it is what it is. I did come here to make friends and possibly build up a little scrap heap to protect myself. And I can't say I'm against the idea of using the skills I have to defend myself and my new friends.

"That sounds fine," I said, my lips curving into a small smile. "Is it alright if I ask why?"

Dipton shrugged and replied, "Well, this group's not exactly suited for fighting," he said. "Only a few of us are any good with guns." He put up a hand and started counting off his fingers with his thumb. "Darce would be top of that list but her abilities are specialized for working with tech rather than fighting." Dipton put his hand down and smiled at me again. "Honestly, our only fighter is a guy named Brice."

"Is this Brice guy good?" I asked, glancing over to see that Fii was still staring at the floor.

Dipton shrugged again and said, "He's alright." Dipton paused for a moment before continuing, "You see, we're really just a rag-tag bunch of misfits."

"Hey, man! What you do mean I'm just 'alright'?!" shouted a man's voice from upstairs as Darcey returned followed by three other people.

Dipton winced and groaned as he ran a hand down his face in annoyance. "Oh, here he goes again..." he grumbled. "Brice!" he shouted, looking up as the other man started down the staircase. "If you keep shouting like that, you're going to have aneurysm!"

"Hey!" Brice shouted back, his tone slightly indignant. "That's just mean!" He turned to the other three people as he continued down the stairs. "And they don't understand my awesomeness!"

Huh? What is his deal? I thought to myself as the man continued to descend the staircase. Brice was a dark-skinned man with a lean physique and a youthful appearance, wearing an outfit similar to my own. However, the color of his vest was different, and he had a pair of blades strapped to his side that looked like kukris.

Darcey sighed and shook her head before giving me an exasperated look and turning to shout at the ceiling again. "Brice! You're only 'alright' cause you're just a wee lad!" she said before turning her attention to me again and motioning to the staircase behind her with her thumb. "So, you might want to brace yourself."

I arched an eyebrow as Darcey spoke, wondering if she was being serious.

"Brace myself for what?" I asked, confused.

Darcey rolled her eyes again, her exasperation apparent on her face as she pointed up at Brice again. "For that," she said with a long-suffering sigh before turning around to watch the other three walk down the stairs.

Brice walked past the others and approached me with an eager grin on his face, holding out a hand and wagging it back and forth as if he was introducing himself to a toddler. "Yo!" he said, the grin on his face widening even more as he flashed a pair of white teeth at me. "Name's Brice!"

I shook his hand with a wry smile. "Connor," I replied as he squeezed my hand in his before letting go. "Pleased to meet you."

"You too, bro!" he said with an enthusiastic nod of his head, his dark curls bouncing around with the movement. "You here to join us?" he asked with a smile before turning to look at Dipton. "He clean, right? You checked?"

Clean? What's that supposed to mean?

"Yeah," Dipton replied with a smirk on his face as he nodded his head in my direction. "Connor here was just telling us all about how he's got no ill intentions for our group."

Brice turned back to me, his eyes peering into mine with a look that was almost unnerving in its intensity. "Good, 'cause that would've been bad," he said as his brow furrowed in what seemed like honest concern. "I woulda given you beatdown, know what I'm sayin'?"

"Brice!" Darcey said, her tone somewhere between annoyance and exasperation as she put his hands on her hips and let out an irritated sigh. "Stop talking like an ass."

"Fine." Brice rolled his eyes and turned to Darcey before putting up his hands in surrender. "Just lettin' him know the facts!" he said, pointing at me and then himself before putting up both hands in mock surrender again, his fingers curled in the shape of a pistol as he pretended to shoot himself in the head.

Oh boy, this is going to be interesting, I thought as I shook my head, unable to contain a snicker.

Darcey rolled her eyes again and let out a sigh. "How about you stop trying to intimidate him?" she said in a tone that made it obvious she was tired of Brice's antics. "You're just gonna make him nervous."

"Nah," Brice said, shaking his head and smiling as he walked away from us again and sat on one of the cargo boxes. "He gotta know the pecking order around here."

Pecking order? Is he serious with this stuff?

Darcey shook her head again and then turned to me with an apologetic expression on her face. "Sorry about that," she said, rubbing her arm as she glanced over at Brice with a look of resignation on her face. "He just gets excited."

Brice shrugged and waved her off, not even sparing a glance in her direction as he waved to Dipton, saying, "Yo, Dip! Let's start this shit."

The other two new faces approached and Dipton took this opportunity to introduce me to them. "All right," Dipton said as he clapped his hands together and strode over to the group. "Let's do introductions." He motioned to the two people standing next to Darcey with his hand. "This here is Vera," he said, nodding at the woman on the right.

"Hi," I said, feeling awkward as I gave her a small wave and an awkward smile.

"Vera Ortiz," she said, her accent carrying a Spanish lilt to it. "Just call me Vera," she added as she gave me a short nod of greeting and turned back to Dipton.

Okay then...Vera doesn't seem like much of a talker. I made a note of that as I gave Vera a quick once-over.

Vera was a tall woman with olive-brown skin and thick dark hair that was tied into a braid that fell down to her waist. She was dressed in a simple outfit, like Brice's; a gray shirt with dark pants that had a tactical vest draped over them. Her almond-shaped eyes regarded me with a look of uncertainty but her expression was stoic as she held herself at parade rest.

"Next, we have Ludvig," Dipton said, turning to the other new arrival. "Also known as 'Big o' Softie'," he added as he gestured to the large man on the left.

Oh boy, this is gonna be good... I thought to myself, chuckling slightly to myself and trying to hide it by clearing my throat.

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Dipton wasn't kidding when he mentioned the guy as 'big'. Ludvig was a bear of a man with a tall, imposing frame that stood at 6'6" or 6'7", I wasn't sure which. His shirt was tight around his massive frame, his muscles straining against the fabric, and his hands were the biggest I've seen yet. The guy must have been at least three hundred pounds of muscle and brawn. I mean, just look at those arms! They're fucking swole!

He had thick blond hair that was pulled back into a tight braid and a thick beard that was a match to his hair, both braided down his chest. I noticed a scar running down from his left shoulder to his chest, and a pair of icy blue eyes that pierced through me as he regarded me with a stoic gaze. He wore a tactical vest that was bulkier than mine and had a large assortment of pouches on it that were stuffed with god knows what.

Ludvig reached out to me, his massive hand engulfing mine as he shook it firmly with a grip that was almost painful. "Ludvig Engstrom," he said, his deep voice carrying an accent that I couldn't quite place.

I nodded at Ludvig and said, "Connor Gallagher." I hesitated for a moment before adding, "Nice to meet you."

Ludvig nodded and gave me a terse smile that was barely visible behind the thick beard before letting go and stepping back. He spared Brice a glance before turning to Dipton again with a look that seemed like an unspoken 'he has potential' in his eyes.

Hoo boy, I'm starting to see a pattern here. Dipton did mention that they were just a bunch of 'misfits' but these people are a little too intimidating, even for that term. I didn't feel threatened in any way, but the looks they gave off seemed to be ones of superiority and I couldn't help but wonder if I was gonna get hazed or go through some sort of initiation just to become part of this group.

Dipton looked around the gathered members and furrowed his brow. "Where's Sullivan?" he asked, turning to Darcey and giving her an expectant look.

Darcey shrugged and sighed again, leaning against one of the tool cabinets as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "He's in the middle of that deep meditation he does every few days. You know, the one where he's usually gone for hours."

Dipton nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he chewed on his lip in contemplation. "Right," he said, turning back to the rest of us. "So then," he began as he clapped his hands together again, "now that most of the intro is out of the way, let's get to explainin' to Connor 'bout how we do things around here."

Brice waved a hand at Dipton and said, "Oh yeah!" he said with an enthusiastic nod of his head. "We wanna know what our new bro is all about."

Oh boy... this is gonna be interesting, I thought again, inwardly smiling as I tried to conceal it with a smile that was part grimace. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Dipton sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose before continuing with what looked like an exasperated expression on his face. "Brice," he said, letting the name roll off his tongue, "you mean to say that you just want to know what his power is?"

Brice shrugged and spread his arms out in a 'what did you expect?' gesture. "Yeah," he said as he turned to me. "What's your power?"

Dipton sighed again before turning to me, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave me an expectant look, clearly anticipating what was about to happen.

Well, I guess I've been waiting for this moment for a while now... I thought as I gave Dipton a wry smile, trying to project an air of confidence before turning to Brice, my gaze boring into his as I spoke.

"It's called Umbrakinesis," I said, letting the words flow out of my mouth easily and slowly. "It's the ability to manipulate shadows or darkness."

Brice's expression turned curious and he cocked his head to the side, leaning forward slightly as he regarded me with a look that seemed to be brimming with questions. "So," he said, raising an eyebrow in thought, "you can just control shadows? Like make 'em do what you want?"

Never had to explain my power to somebody else before but here we are... I wasn't sure how in-depth I wanted to be or how to even properly explain it so I figured it was best to just do a proper demonstration. Something that really makes a strong first impression, and I knew just the power—'Umbral Echo'.

I closed my eyes and focused my will as I raised my hand. I saw the darkness behind my eyelids, the familiar cold that emanated from it as I willed it to take on a more physical form. The darkness swirled and stretched out before me, taking the shape of two shadowy figures that stood behind me. They were identical to me, looking exactly like myself except that they were completely dark, made of nothing but the shadows I had manifested and projected.

Everyone watched with bated breath, their eyes wide with a look of surprise on their faces. Their expressions were filled with a mix of awe and wonder, and I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at the reaction I got.

My shadow duplicates posed on either side of me, one raising his arms and crossing them over his chest while the other punched the air. I couldn't help but chuckle as I made a show of them doing a few more stunts, twirling on the spot or doing backflips before they vanished, their silhouettes disappearing into the shadows behind me again.

"Holy shit!" Brice exclaimed, breaking the silence as he stared at me with his jaw hanging open in shock. "That was fucking badass!" he added, jumping up from his seat on the cargo box to approach me. "Yo, that was dope, dog!" he said as he rubbed his hands together with an eager look in his eyes. "What else can you do?"

Huh? Wait... he liked it? That was unexpected. Well, alright then! I guess that means I did a good job showing off my power. I shook my head and let out an amused chuckle. "Well, I've got some other tricks up my sleeve but I'd rather save them for a later date," I said as I shrugged my shoulders in a display of nonchalance, not wanting to ruin my cool image just yet. "You'll find out when the time comes."

Brice grinned and let out a bark of laughter as he slapped his thigh and leaned back against the box, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over at the others. "Yo, we got a guy that can do 'Shadow clone no jutsu up in here."

Wait, what? Shadow clone no jutsu? What is that? Was there another Umbrakinesis user running around that they've met before?

Dipton whistled as he walked over to me. "Never seen a psionic power quite like that before," he said as he scratched the stubble on his jaw. "So, can you make things with shadows or what?" he asked, turning to me again with an inquisitive look.

"Well," I replied as I folded my arms over my chest and leaned against the workbench to my left. "I've mostly been using my powers in combat, but if need be, I can at least help move stuff around using shadows."

Dipton nodded. "Fair enough," he said after a moment before turning to the others again. "You got anything else to add?" he asked as he regarded Brice and Ludvig.

Ludvig shrugged, shaking his head before turning to Vera who was staring at Fii.

"What's with the SCAV?" Vera asked, turning to Dipton with a look that seemed more confused than anything else.

Dipton turned to look at Fii and waved a hand as he explained, "Oh, this thing?" he said, looking at Fii before turning back to Vera. "That's Connor's."

Vera's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she gave me a surprised look. "You got a SCAV to follow you?" she asked incredulously. "How?" She looked over at Darcey as if expecting her to answer for me.

Darcey shrugged and shook her head, saying, "Apparently he got it from doing a quest. I dunno." Darcey turned to Fii and waved at it before adding, "Fii, say hi."

Fii swiveled its camera to face Vera before saying in its usual monotone voice, "Hello."

Vera jumped in shock, her eyes widening in surprise as she regarded Darcey again. "Qué diablos?" she exclaimed as she raised her hands in disbelief. "Did this robot just talk?"

Darcey laughed and replied, "Yeah, it's like a buddy that follows Connor around."

Ludvig approached Fii and regarded the SCAV with a look that seemed like it was tinged with wonder and respect. "Is it an autonomous, combat-capable unit?" he asked, reaching out to touch it as his fingers hovered over Fii's metallic shell.

Fii swiveled its camera to face Ludvig, focusing on him as it replied, "Affirmative. However, Fii is classified as a mobile fabrication unit."

Dipton chuckled and said, "Sounds like it's a factory on four legs."

Darcey's eyes lit up and she was about to say something before Dipton cut her off with a wave of his hand and added, "Darling, no. There'll be plenty of that later down the road."

"What?" Darcey asked, looking between Fii and Ludvig with a hopeful expression on her face. "Oh come on!" she whined, dropping her shoulders and slapping her forehead with the heel of her palm in annoyance. "It could be useful!"

Dipton shook his head and rolled his eyes before turning to me again, his expression taking on a more serious tone. "Anyway," he said as he shifted his gaze to Vera, "back to what you were saying, Vera?" he asked. "Did you have anything else to ask?"

Vera nodded as she turned back to Fii again with a look of fascination. "Yes," she said, nodding again as she approached Fii and reached out to touch it, running her fingers along its shell with a look of wonder on her face. "Can it move independently of its owner?" she asked, glancing over to me again. "Like not just follow Connor around?"

Oh boy, so she's just as fascinated as Darcey is about Fii? I scratched my beard and nodded before responding. "Yes," I said, turning to look at Fii again with a smile on my face, "Fii can move on its own."

It was Brice's turn to let out an excited yell. "Yo! We got a fuckin' SCAV bot that talks too?!" He joined the others around Fii as he reached out to pat its shell with his hand. "Bruh, we got a stacked team now."

As the others chattered around Fii, I turned to Dipton and asked, "So what now?"

Dipton turned to me with a smile on his face. "Well, I suppose you passed the 'let's see what you've got' part of the audition," he said with a chuckle as he turned to regard Fii and the others. "Looks like you're in."

Wait, was that it? Just like that? I felt relieved as I let out an amused chuckle, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to be casual but I couldn't hide the grin on my face. "Awesome," I replied, my voice betraying my excitement. "I mean, I appreciate it."

Dipton shrugged and patted me on the shoulder with a smile. "Don't mention it," he said, letting out another chuckle before turning to the others. "You'll get to meet Sullivan later. I'll explain the rules and expectations for workin' with us a little later, but for now, I'll get you set up. We got a spare room for you to bunk up in."

Huh, okay then... This was certainly more straightforward than I was expecting. But I wasn't gonna complain about it. In fact, I'd prefer it this way. Less antagonizing and hazing and more just 'on the fly' group dynamics. This group seems like it has a good vibe to it and I'm sure it's going to be fun working with these people. I mean, what's not to love about being in a group with a bunch of nerds, geeks, and technophiles?

"Cool," I said with a nod as I followed Dipton up the stairs to the upper level of the Conestoga. "Can't wait."