Hmm. And double Hmm. The Kellar Academy was fully accredited and offered BSA-sponsored degrees. If I could get an ‘in’, and I could simulate a class 3 ability, it should be possible to finish my bachelor’s degree in a civilian application field with a BSA grant that was a hundred times more forgiving than my current loan structure.

Not to mention, they had power research facilities. I had no illusions that the BSA didn’t already know that I did a few extracurricular activities on the side since they had access to alphas with astonishing powers of observation, but completing a ‘responsible power use’ course or three would likely get me off of their radar for a while, and once my loan was paid off, the only time I’d even have to use my powers was when there was a general alert or at my own discretion.

And I even knew the perfect ability to simulate. Microkinesis evolved into pyrokinesis. For a single-power individual, low-ranked pyrokinesis is the LAST power that anyone would ever want on a superhero team. It seldom provided any defense at all, meaning you were a glass cannon, and pyrokinesis was NOT the sort of thing you wanted on a team… arresting criminals by turning them into a screaming pillar of fire was not exactly high on the list of peacekeeping options.

On the other hand, a glass cannon that could shoot fireballs was almost perfect for emergency calls, as well as civilian applications galore, as long as they were not TOO powerful. Class 5? Well, at class 5 pyrokinesis you were extremely dangerous, and could probably draw a salary just to stay the hell out of any altercations short of a kaiju or world event, and that level of heat control would probably make you damned near invulnerable.

The school was almost guaranteed to have professionals in power manipulation. It was possible that they had a better bead on how to increase either power generation or total power pool, something my own research had completely failed at.

The entire reason I had been classified as a two was because the ether, where the ‘big girls’ drew their power from, was inaccessible to me. In my opinion, someone HAD to know something about it, because powers were known to evolve occasionally, and if they didn’t, there would be an awful lot more class 2 males.

But, like all things, it was not about what you knew, but rather WHO you knew. Unsolicited applications to the academy, especially for a grant, generally wound up in the same pile that unsolicited manuscripts wound up in at a publisher.

The best part is, aside from the Strategic Special Simulations, there was no real connection between me and the ‘contractor’, since at no time did I use heat when dealing with her. As exciting and romantic as a ‘fire versus ice’ battle might sound, the reality is a steamy, dangerous, and ugly mess.

I quickly tapped out a reply.

Dear Hotcocoa37,

SSSinc. Appreciates your comment. Contractor #6628 is perfectly healthy after a short stint in our regenerative facilities and appreciates your gratitude.

No additional bonuses or payments are expected or will be accepted, although your offer is appreciated. However, contractor #6628 has expressed his appreciation that you recognized your mistake and will be taking training to address it prior to active duty. That is very responsible, and admirable, and shows great promise for your future.

However, when you mentioned a willingness to offer a favor, #6628 mentioned an acquaintance with minor control issues, a class three who could potentially benefit from an introduction to your new alma mater.

Since he understands that referrals could also enhance your standing, would this settle any feelings of debt on your part?

Sincerely, SSSinc. Administration.

As I headed to my first class, materials acquisition, I set aside my gut instinct and really thought out the plan to worm my way into the Kellar Academy. I was no genius, but I was usually pretty good at coming to a snap decision that worked, if poorly, but if I gave it some real thinking time I could almost always come up with something better.

The biggest problem, if Glacier Girl actually decided to refer me, was to have a power that was useful enough that the BSA would want to provide my education for free, as a way of keeping me on the hook, but not strong or dangerous enough that they felt the need to keep me under lock and key or keep a permanent eye on me because that would seriously cramp my future.

At first glance, Pyrokinesis would certainly get me into their hallowed halls, but pyrokinetics were a huge danger flag for turning supervillain, which almost guaranteed constant, if subtle, surveillance in the future. The same is true of cryokinesis, and possibly even electrokinesis.

In truth, just about any ‘kinesis’ I could simulate would probably put me on a watchlist or something. Not to mention, the first time I went into any kind of training, I’d probably burn through so much energy that I would be out of action for a week, and there was no way I could put up a meaningful display compared to someone with ether access. So what were my other options?

I couldn’t simulate a widgeteer, that was for sure. Don’t get me wrong, I often pretended to be a widgeteer, because they made good villains. There was a world of difference between buying a cheap remote control car and merging a bunch of fake metallic crap onto it versus making an actual widget-type drone.

Then again, my brain was going a bit crazy with ideas as I slid into the stadium seating in the teaching amphitheater. True widgeteers were usually straight-line power armor or superhero types. Their ‘gadgets’ were metaphorical representations that their power latched on to produce an effect, and wouldn’t work if they stopped providing them with energy, whether that was immediate by losing contact, or more subtle like time. The upside was that their powers were cheap, since a metal casing and a plastic army man, or whatever they used, usually didn’t have any actual expensive tech.

The downside, of course, was that they didn’t actually advance science in any reproducible way. They weren’t geniuses except in the most abstract way, and once the widgeteer was gone, so was their invention. Wizard types were pretty much the same but tended to use ingredients to cast spells instead of building wacky tech. It was the same sort of power, metaphoric representation, it was simply expressed differently, and could often be enhanced by more expensive and complicated spell components.

Now, super-geniuses were a different kettle of fish entirely. Their brains were enhanced by their superpower, and they could produce real, reproducible technology… that is if you could somehow manage to keep up with their genius. Unfortunately, though, if they kept advancing their power and technology, they almost always went completely insane, at least from a human standpoint. Their motivations, especially after you passed the 200 IQ threshold became almost utterly alien and often involved leaps of logic that were… well, bugnuts to anyone that wasn’t just as smart in exactly the same way.

I was not that smart. Not even close. I KNEW I was stupid compared to even the better tacticians who ran the BSA. Even my ‘villainous’ activities were calculated to be beneath their interest level, or else I’d get stomped.

The trick was, to make myself valuable enough to train, while not being dangerous enough to watch… and now that I thought it out, I had the perfect scheme… err… plan to make that a reality, if I had the right referral.

The best part was? If I DID have to pay back my education with public service, the smartest place to put me would be in R&D, well away from the battle line, a ‘chair guy’ in every possible way, while still doing my part to help out in alerts.

I probably should have been paying more attention in Materials Acquisition, but the class was mostly a retread of what I already knew, so I spent the class time gleefully plotting out my rise to power and how I could manipulate the BSA into covering my finances for the next several years.

***

There was a reason I was paying a premium for living so close to school. Because of my degree, my classes were spaced pretty far apart, and going home to recharge was better than spending hundreds of dollars a week hanging out in a coffee shop between widely-spaced classes as a lot of other students did.

Unfortunately, this was a football and basketball school, which meant there was little support for the sports-like activities I did enjoy, like mixed martial arts and wrestling. I wouldn’t say I was particularly good at them, but I liked to think I could have gotten a wrestling scholarship, at least, if the degree program I chose had been available at a more… flexible school.

When I came into my apartment and started heating the teapot to make myself some ramen, which was fairly edible if you doctored it up with some cooked chicken, sesame oil, half of a hard-boiled egg, and frozen vegetables, I found another personal message was active on Vilnet.

Was Glacier Girl constantly monitoring Vilnet in hopes of getting a line on an event she could thwart? Some heroes did that, but like me, most Vilnet users couched their jobs and opportunities in codes, doublespeak, and easily deniable language that made extracting any useful criminal information almost impossible. Villains were a cowardly, superstitious lot, and supervillains like me were often doubly so, since keeping ourselves under the radar until it was time to spring our big surprise was a job requirement.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Dear SSSinc,

I spoke with the Kellar Academy liaison, and apparently, it's very common for newly-inducted trainees to refer other alphas for consideration. I would be more than happy to refer #6628’s acquaintance, but they told me that some basic ground rules had to be applied.

#1. She must be assessed, which means they have to head to a BSA recruiting facility to get a new power assessment, even if she had one previously.

#2. She must have graduated High School or received a G.E.D. and be at least 18 years old. If this is not true, the Kellar Academy cannot accept them, although if their power assessment supports it, They can be referred to a juvenile program for future consideration.

#3. She cannot currently possess a Felony Warrant. Prior incarceration, especially in a juvenile facility, is NOT a disqualifying condition, since according to my counselor ‘young alphas almost always get into trouble with their powers.’

#4. I would personally prefer to meet her before she uses me as a referral. This can be either costumed or civilian, although I would personally prefer civilian since Kellar does not expect their students to maintain an identity for the entire length of their education, and most students create a protected identity after they graduate. I simply wish to ensure that the person I am referring is not going to be negatively connected to me in the future.

However, I don’t consider a mutually beneficial referral to be an adequate return for #6628’s assistance, but it’s a start.

With Gratitude,

Hotcocoa37.

P.S.: Recognition of Contractor #6628’s contribution does not express or imply any legal or tort liability in any way, shape, or form. In addition, in the event of an unprotected identity, all identity protection laws are still in full effect for all parties. This note is not legally admissible evidence for free information release. (Post Script added by Anthony Blake, empowered consulting representative.)

Heh. That was good. I bet Glacier Girl herself didn’t even have any contact with Vilnet, either through ignorance or simply to keep her distance from a known criminal marketplace. Her PR guy was at least reasonably smart, although since it was her agent himself rather than some kind of corporate legal group, it was likely that he was just getting started in the gig, and GG might be his only contract.

A boyfriend or school chum, maybe? Well, an in-person meeting was not a problem. I mean, Technotron had enemies, Diabolus and Camshaft sort of had a nemesis, Crankweld had a lot of bad publicity, Mashmaster, and Negative Zero USED to have enemies before they were declared deceased, but BSA had a file on Blueprint and it was a known identity for Jacob Allister Doyle, not protected, a class two with zero enemies. I didn't have many friends either, but class twos don’t make nemesis or go out in tights fighting bad guys.

I knew Glacier was local, and now I suspected I knew her real identity, but hey, that’s why I picked up the job. Occasionally SSSinc. attracted interest from out-of-towners, but traveling halfway across the country wasn’t really cost-effective, and newbie supers tended to try and build a rep where they were going to work rather than flying someplace where their exploits would probably not even show up in a local paper.

Then again, Empire City had a LOT of supers, with a population behind the sea wall of nearly ten million. That meant it was both a great place for a criminal to make a statement or a profit, and a huge source of edible life for East Coast Kaiju to attack. Tokyo liked to brag about the nasty aquatic monsters that came ashore to wreak havoc, but in terms of sheer monster mass few cities outside of China could boast a combined inland and shoreline attack volume higher than Empire City.

Not that it was really something to boast about, since either a monster wave or a single powerful kaiju could lead to untold destruction and loss of life, but hey, that was why alphas were so important. Academies like Kellar also provided the kind of training that attracted worldwide attention, and students were known to come from as far away as Osaka or Dubai to attend.

I was really amused that she assumed I was female, but since it was a class three going to the academy, well, most class threes had to have two mutually complementary affinities to even risk being considered for superhero work. I quickly replied with an unused secondary account:

Dear Hotcocoa37,

I am an acquaintance of contractor #6628. If you would be so kind as to meet me at the Student Union at three, assuming you do not have a prior engagement? I will be the one wearing the button-down shirt with the dog on the pocket and back.

I meet your concessions with the exception of the updated assessment, but due to the fee involved, I would prefer not to worry about it until you have confirmed that I would be an acceptable referral. Does this meet your needs? Feel free to contact me for a change if necessary.

Thanks for your time,

-Prospective Referral Blue.

Okay, call me cruel if you want, but I wasn’t going to change her expectations before I showed up. She resoundingly beat my ass, so I was going to get at least a little fun out of startling her, I hoped.

A few minutes later she replied that she’d be there, and I got to work getting a kit in order. This was going to be a balancing act, so I had to make sure I was ready to impress both her and, if that worked the BSA assessment. Academy recruiting worked quickly, so I’d have to be ready to head directly to the BSA facility after my… interview. I might be mailing my lease cancellation in if things went according to plan.

***

I had my clothes, my laptop, my books, and my few belongings packed up in a big canvas knapsack. It was kind of sad that once I pulled everything important and stashed my armor, I could fit all my belongings into a single bag. The apartment was furnished, one of the reasons I rented it, and once you excluded that, the belongings were sadly limited.

I was actually confident enough that I went to the school store and sold my books back. Any useful information that was in them was on the ‘net anyway, but a lot of the tenured types insisted that you blow your hard-earned money on their fantastically overpriced published crap, especially the ones in ‘soft’ sciences, where the book was nothing more than their collected political maunderings and heavily-biased opinions.

When I got to the student union, I wandered to the machines, pretending not to notice that Mindy was there and looking at me in shock as I bought myself a bag of pretzels and fruit juice. After a few moments, I heard the word, “Jacob?” coming from her direction in the almost-empty building, and I turned, dropping my bag and the snacks on the round table she sat at, before turning my chair around and sitting on it with my arms crossed across the back.

“I am surprised you recognized me, Mindy,” I said, carefully tearing the bag of pretzels open. “Want one?”

She looked at the stencil on the front of my shirt and then back at my face, her delicate blonde hair a little flyaway in the powerful air conditioning of the wood-paneled atrium. “I thought you would be a girl. I haven’t seen you for a while.”

I glanced at her, crunching on one of the sticks. “So did my parents. So did you just want to meet me to make sure I am not a complete monster, or did you want a demonstration? You see me every day, but we haven’t had classes together for more than a year, since Intro to Advanced Atomic Science.”

She sighed and tapped her teeth. She was wearing a very different costume this time, ‘young professional’ with a finely-made suit-style jacket, a pale blue ruffled ankle-length skirt, and decent strappy sandals. “I just wanted to meet you, but I hoped we could go someplace for a demo… but the fact that you are male kind of complicates things. If you’d like I could take you for assessment?”

I smiled a little, “I was assessed a couple of years ago, but a friend has been training me, and I think I can qualify for class three now. Currently, I have a public ID, but obviously, no one cares about a class two. I do have to warn you, though, I know who you are… domino masks really suck, but per the nasty gram your publicist sent, I am well aware that it’s protected information.”

“Wait… are you…?”

I shook my head, “Naww, he has cool elemental controls. Me, I’m just a low-grade widgeteer. A few repairs, and some light trauma assistance. I patched the D-man up after he showed up with a few scratches, but as you can tell, he knows more than a few of us. My record is clean, though, so he told me that we could trade favors if you were so inclined.”

“Do you want to be a hero?”

“Not even slightly, but I wouldn’t mind playing support. If you go to the big show after school, he mentioned you might need backup, especially if you decide to spearhead a solo career.”

She looked thoughtful. “He… might be right. Is he usually a matchmaker like that?”

I shrugged, “The company he works for is. They have a lot of respect for heroes, and while SSS itself is the showtime division, the parent company handles publicity, and logistics, and tries to build winning teams.”

She smirked a little, “So basically they are an agent company, and he hopes to headhunt me after I finish at the academy and get licensed?”

I shook my head, “Naww. They are more like a consultancy firm. They might hope that you hire them as your back end, or put in a good word if you go to work for TFI, Marma, or a state BSA team, but they don’t directly employ heroes.”

“Do you work for them?”

“No Ma’am, I am trying to get my degree, although working for them is definitely on the table once I get through the educational minefield if I can’t work directly for one of the biggies.”

Considering the kind of bounties heroes could earn for bringing in bad guys and fighting against waves and Kaiju, more than a few of them supported their own backup team, even if they worked professionally with a larger team. Thus, companies that specialized in helping a super set up their team, and took care of the legal and back-end issues like supplies, insurance, and liability had their place, even though they didn’t get the spotlight very often.

“What’s your major?”

I grinned, “Logistics and supply, Ma’am. That’s why the D-Man suggested I talk to you.”

She nodded slowly, “That makes a lot of sense. It’s also a darned good reason to refer you. Are you hoping to get a scholarship? You seem to know more about this than I do.”

I nodded, “Yep. If I go in as a class 2 or even a class 3 without a referral, I’ll either be stuck with a grant that will require BSA service… or I get a scholarship with a BSA service price tag attached. That means, when I am out, I will most likely get stuck wherever they want me to be, or even a floater.”

“So why me?” she asked curiously.

I smiled, “Because you already made it clear you want to be local, and I don’t want to be shuffled all over the country. Also, it would be returning a favor.”

“Why is that important?”

I raised an eyebrow, “Because I am male?”

“Huh?” she asked.

I sighed and looked at her, “If I asked for a referral from someone else, I would owe them a favor, a big one. Do I really have to explain this?”

She blushed, which, with her light complexion, involved turning an interesting shade of vermillion. She really was a stunner, which, considering she’d already been very attractive before her awakening, was not too unexpected, since it tended to enhance what you already had. “I… see. Maybe we should head to the BSA facility to get you reclassified?”

I nodded, “Good Idea. Are you paying?”