A blow cracked against my projection, the bat that struck me halting where it was. My assailant drew back and swung another blow, harder than before. It made another, dull 'thunk' like the last one. The man, a PRT trooper in exercise gear, frowned and shook his head, turning to a two-way mirror embedded in the wall and shrugging.

“Thank you, corporal,” the disembodied voice of Battery. The man nodded and set the bat down, then headed out the doors of the testing chamber. “Amaranth, are you ready?”

“Yeah,” I replied, breathing slowly to slow my racing heart. Even if it was simulated, having a six-ten brick shithouse of a man swinging a baseball bat at my stomach was...harrowing. I was regretting yesterday's decision a little. “Uh, what's next?”

“Firearms.” I felt sweat prick my back as the trooper came back, a black pistol in hand. “Don't worry, it's a special round that won't even penetrate your skin...if it makes contact.” I swallowed.

“Sure,” I replied as he raised it. I saw a smug grin when I shut my eyes. “Well, fire away I guess.”

“Are you ready?”

“Didn't I just say that?” A pause. I sighed. “Yes, I'm ready.”

“G--”

My ears rang as an impact struck my chest, just below my heart. God damn, magic training rounds or not that was fucked. I heaved in a breath a moment later, hating the way it shook. I forced my eyes to open and saw the trooper still holding the pistol, but pointed at the floor now. Well...

“Amaranth?” Right, this was a test.

“I'm fine,” I answered quickly. “No damage, bullets don't hurt.” Or at least, they hadn't yet.

“Would you like to try multiple gunshots?” Battery asked, making me grimace.

“Why not,” I said flatly, hiding my trepidation. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes again, focusing on keeping my projection wrapped around me. “Go wild.”

He sure did. The moment Battery gave the okay, the trooper dumped the entire magazine right in the center of my chest. Despite the sudden feeling of being rapidly pelted with...beans or something, I remained unharmed as the smell of gunsmoke filled the room. I opened my eyes and saw the trooper quickly reload and hold the pistol at his side.

“How are you, Amaranth?” I let out a groan.

“Fine,” I replied, spreading my arms and turning towards the glass for them to see. “No damage.”

“Very good.”

Testing had been going on for two hours already, starting with paperwork, then some basic movement stuff with my power. I showed them how it moved around me, how it could sometimes lift heavy objects. When they had me walk with the five-hundred pound concrete cube, though, it slipped and fell on my toe. Fortunately it had smashed itself to pieces while my foot remained unharmed, sort of like the plate from all that time ago.

They had built up slowly when it came to testing durability. That was what most of the paperwork had been about, true to Assault's word a few lifetimes ago. It started with punches and kicks, which they noted hurt them as much as it hurt me. That is to say, it didn't even when they struck me with bare flesh as hard as they could.

A strange property, one that continued to be on display as the testing ramped up. Bats, knives, even bullets as we just found, remained totally intact when they struck me. The trooper collected a few from the floor, looking at them with a puzzled expression. A man in a short, white coat collected them in a sandwich bag before leaving the testing room once again. I had no idea what any of it meant, but that was for the scientists to determine.

“So uh,” I began as the trooper holstered the pistol and left the room. “Are we done with durability?”

“For now,” Battery said, the chamber door sliding open. “We'd like to test a hypothesis, if that's alright.” Well, I was here for testing anyway...

“Alright,” I agreed. “What's the test?” Clanking footsteps echoing on the chamber floor made me turn my head.

“The test,” Weld said, offering me a warm grin. “Is to stay put.”

“That's it?” I cocked my head.

“Weld is going to try and shift you,” Battery's voice explained as the metal Ward crossed his arms. “As you noted, despite being able to absorb damage, Leviathan was still able to manipulate you.”

“I remember.” I had been there...several times.

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“You okay with me touching you?” Weld asked gently.

“Planning on feeling me up?” He stiffened and shook his head, smile vanishing. “Then sure, it's whatever.”

“You may begin when you're both ready.”

We shared a nod and he bent his knees slightly, taking a stance like he was getting ready to fight. I just blinked and...stood there. It wasn't like I really needed to do anything, beyond keeping my projection in place. Besides, that was exactly the problem: that just standing there didn't work all the time. With any luck, this test would shine some light on that.

Weld placed his hands on my shoulders and began pushing. I felt the force, to a point, but didn't need to try and resist beyond standing still. My muscles remained mostly relaxed and I just focused on standing still, like always. He moved and tried another angle, then another. Weld grunted and, even though I couldn't feel the force, I knew he was pushing harder, trying to tip me over. I mean, that was his job and--

I let out a yelp as he suddenly swung me up in a bridal carry. He seemed just as surprised as I was, setting me down a heartbeat later. I stumbled a few steps away, my knees suddenly shaky. For a moment I couldn't breathe, trapped in the coils of Leviathan's tail as he dragged me deep below the surface of the crater lake and--

“--ranth. Amaranth!” I stirred and found Weld standing a foot away, looking concerned. “Hey, you good?”

“Sorry I...” I swallowed and scratched my head, covered by a balaclava. “I zoned out. I'm fine.”

“You sure?” He cocked his head and I nodded.

“Really, I'm good.” Don't worry dude, I was just reliving one of my worst deaths. “Um, how'd I do?”

“You moved,” Battery spoke simply from the observation room. “Do you need a break before we continue?” I shook my head, swallowing back the panic threatening to grip my heart.

“I'm good,” I said, fighting to keep the trepidation from my voice. “Let's keep going.”

“Very good.”

The testing lasted another hour, and I wound up on my ass more than I had in the last three weeks of three days. It seemed, for all my ability to take damage, staying standing was far more difficult than I expected. Weld tried grapples, judo throws, and more to see what actually worked. The answer, as it turned out, was most of it.

Most grabs and sudden throws found me on the floor within seconds. Even when I tried to resist, it just wound up with me being oddly stiff when I hit the ground. It didn't hurt, it never did, but I found myself soaked in sweat and panting for breath by the end of it. I rested with my hands on my knees, hanging my head as I tried to settle down.

“Thank you, Amaranth,” Battery said. She'd joined me in the testing chamber after Weld left for a patrol. “You did pretty well today.”

“Thanks,” I huffed, managing to push myself upright. I leaned heavily against the wall, resting my head against the concrete. I wanted to take my balaclava off and breathe but...bad idea. “It was...something.” Battery nodded, giving me a small smile.

“First round is always the toughest.” You have no idea... “There's still a lot more to do, we didn't even touch on what you mentioned about 'displacing'.” Oh, great. “Don't worry,” Battery said kindly. Something must have shown. “Details like that will come with time. Right now...well, it's up to the director but I'd be more than willing to work with you on patrol.” Despite my still-hammering heart, I returned her smile.

“Okay.” I didn't want to go out right now but...well, getting approval was nice. “I appreciate it, really.”

“Of course,” Battery replied, gently patting my shoulder. “And please, don't rush. It'd be more dangerous for you in the field before you're ready.”

“Makes sense.” I still intended to be out there sooner rather than later.

“Is there anything else you'd like to try?” She asked. “We have another ten minutes before I have to leave.” I shook my head and she nodded. “Great. I'll have Constable Burroughs escort you back to your room, if that's alright.”

I agreed and was ushered through the musty, concrete corridors of the PRT headquarters. The ones we traveled through were empty, no one was using the Testing Gym with the city in such a state. Once we got back into the main building, I saw a couple other PRT troopers, some armoured some not, and a few run-ragged office workers. It felt like far too few people to run the operations of a city like Brockton Bay.

It was only a few days after Leviathan, their reinforcements probably hadn't arrived yet. Or at least, not the sort that didn't wear capes. Maybe that was why they were so eager and facilitating: having another hero on the line, especially one that could take a hit, was just that valuable. Well, gang bangers weren't nearly as scary as Endbringers...

I sighed as I unlocked my room and pushed inside, waving goodbye to the escorting trooper. I tore off my balaclava and breathed a deep gasp of cool air. I headed straight to the shower, ignoring the shiver as I stripped and turned on the water. I needed to get clean and it had been five days. Too long as it was.

I made it quick and far, far too hot to be healthy. It didn't feel like water though, and that was enough to quickly soap and rinse. I stumbled out and wrapped myself in a towel, rubbing my skin raw until I felt dry enough. I practically fell into bed; even though it was just six, I felt utterly wiped. Testing hadn't even been that much, just standing there and getting hit for a few hours! God I needed to hit the gym soon...

Well, as soon as the next crisis was resolved. I knew the Slaughterhouse Nine were coming, I just wasn't sure when. Like with Leviathan, if I told people then they simply wouldn't believe me til it was too late. I wasn't even a real rogue outside their control where I could say something cliché like 'I hear rumours...'. Not that they would pay that much mind either.

I could lie and say I was a precog. I mean, I was literally the opposite, but now technically not. Problem was, the Protectorate would want to test that. I knew roughly how the pieces fell, but not with the detail they'd demand. Plus, it didn't fit my powers at all. I thought I was a Master but Battery talked about a Brute or Shaker, which didn't make a lot of sense when I had to constantly think twice to move right, and it definitely didn't make me a fucking Brute.

Well whatever, how they classed me was up to them. I was the one that had to figure out how to make these powers useful. A tank was always useful, to be fair, the problem was flinching. Like I'd said to Amy, it was a bad habit that I needed to train out of me. It was vital in fact. Testing had helped in that regard, I managed to keep control the entire time and my leotard was perfectly intact.

I could do this, I could survive. I rolled over and shut my eyes, looking forward to tomorrow and fearing it would never come.