Skill Test and Council Duties

I followed after vice president Marigold and she led me out front to a limousine. Entering the limousine reveled that the other council members that had spoken at the assembly were already in the vehicle as well. Their body language revealed different thoughts about me. Ingrid was already shy but she seemed almost terrified of me hiding her face behind her hair as much as possible. Diego was watching me with suspicion and seemed very on edge while Marin was just watching warily. Finally Jennie seemed almost excited to be present.

"Well, I see that you made it to the school. You have Captain Valor's recommendation and the Director's approval. Don't think that'll make me trust you that you have to earn." Martin said his voice contained a slight edge of warning. With that the vehicle headed out. As the vehicle drove around I gazed out the window and watched the roads keeping part of my awareness on what was going on inside. The city seemed to have much more going on in it than I expected.

It felt just like many of the larger cities across the globe. Hundreds of people wandering the streets and vehicles in opposing traffic lanes. While Diego had said that their were three important ones it seemed that there was almost seven times that number of districts. I would definitely have to take a look at the the map at some point in the near future.

"So what was it like meeting Captain Valor? I hear about him all the time but I've never seen him. It seems he doesn't like cameras." Jennie started ask, most likely to fill the awkward silence. "There's rumors that say he is a sight to behold. That his skin is silver and his hair is gold. So what is he really like Mordy."

"Why Mordy" I mumbled beneath my breath before turning to her. The look on her face wasn't expectation but mostly fascination. "He was actually a fairly normal looking guy. Almost pretty boy if your just talking about his face. But his aura, even without his powers activated, is definitely impressive. That being said why are you trying so hard to connect with me? It's obvious I'm shady. I was a hitman I have killed people. Does the Captain's word have that much weight?"

For a second she made a face like I had wounded her but as quick as it had appeared it was gone. Simultaneously It seemed my comment had made Ingrid a little more self conscious as she withdrew into herself more. She continued in her bubblegum voice "Well I figured that we're going to be working together so it would be a good idea to break the ice, get to know you so on so forth."

"If you two are done 'bonding' then let's head inside." Diego directed ice in his voice. It felt like hardly anytime had passed before we had arrived. Martin and Ingrid were the first to disembark followed by Jennie and myself and finally Diego holding up the rear. The building we were about to enter was a moderately sized high-rise that definitely had a more council type feel to it. Through the main entrance was a large foyer that had plenty of seating and a reception desk.

The council president lead us down one hallway that ended in an elevator unit through which we all entered. Ingrid reached over and pressed a button that read B3. After a few moments passed the doors closed and the elevator went down. What it opened too looked almost like an arena. I looked over at everyone else and arched my eyebrow.

"We're going to test your abilities. Some of the other individual school councils don't trust your appointment and frankly neither do I. So we'll be using this council only training room for a combat challenge for you." Martin stated curtly. "So if you'll proceed to the center we'll begin.

My shoulders slumped as I sighed. While I wasn't unskilled in combat I tried to avoid fights when ever possible. My old job was about taking someone down and leaving before anyone had even known I was there. "Am I supposed to fight all of you one at a time or just one of you?"

"The plan was to have all of us come at you at once," Diego sneered "But I can take you down all on my own if your too scared to face us all."

"It's more convenient to show off only once as I don't really enjoy fighting." I replied with very little enthusiasm to show. I made my way towards the center of the ring and reached into my pocket pulling out a pair of black half finger leather gloves and securing them in place. "Well let's get this over with."

The four head student council members spread out and got themselves situated while someone else rang a bell and just like that the fight began. Both Diego and Martin Rushed me while Ingrid and Jennie seemed to be preparing something in the back. The clothing on Martin seemed to be stretching in some places while Diego's hands were starting to turn to ice. In the split second it took me to notice this I clapped my hands together and pulled them apart revealing new orange gauntlets that attached to my forearms as I started to take a defensive stance.

As I went to step forward to intercept the charging duo I found my body stuck fast in place. fractions of a second later I felt and Icy cold fist collide with my face followed by the hot sensation of claws breaking the skin of my chest. I forced a twitch in my legs and used kinetic energy to burst me backward at breakneck speed at the same moment barely lessening the damage they did.

"Well that was unexpected." Taking in the situation I noticed that Jennie was watching me very closely at which point I looked down and noticed a faint pinkish energy beginning to gather around my legs. "So that's what it was well not this time." I snapped the fingers of the gauntlets a difficult thing to do with out super strength but that was the effect of using kinetic energy for it. The energy dispersed and her eyes widened.

Diego and Martin didn't miss a beat. Martin now had taken on the appearance of a human/cat hybrid complete with the sharp claws and lunged at me first swiping left then right. Just as he was about to do a cross slash I closed the distance with a rising knee amplifying the motion with kinetic energy catching him square in the jaw. The impact had just slightly less force than I had anticipated. I realized the reason behind that was that Diego had transformed his ice arms into cannons and had just fired off a shot and Martin was using the momentum I had provided to do a back flip.

It was too late to avoid the blast and it in the confusion I had lost sight of Ingrid which was concerning. Experience told me that she was probably the most dangerous one. In the split second remaining before the blast hit me I raised my hand and caught cold blast in the orange gauntlets. I had created these with a heat generator designed to counter the cold. The result was an explosion of steam. In the next moment the corner of my eye caught sight of a moving puddle and instinct told me to dodge.

I had moved in the nick of time as Ingrid had materialized out of the puddle and screamed. The sonic burst caught me in the side. Again I activated my energy manipulation power this time manipulating the sonic energy and redirected it at Ingrid. She didn't seem to used to feeling it herself as she gripped her head and then passed out. One down.

Cat claws passed centimeters before my eyes. I was done playing around and this time initiated a three step combo catching both of his wrists before smashing his head with mine. I put as much force as I could into it and knocked him unconscious. Seeing only two more people left I launched off the floor straight at Diego. His eyes opened wide in surprise at the speed I had approached. However rather than attack him I gripped his shoulders flipped over him and launched him into Jennie tangling the both of them up. Concentrating briefly I created a slightly electrified net as I gestured towards them that draped on them and held them down and knocked them out.

__________________________

"Thank you for indulging us Mordecai." Martin stated with a much more pleasant attitude. "We needed to make sure that you were as skilled as the recommendation said." No longer in the basement arena The council and I were seated around a table in a conference room at the top of the building.

"Yeah that was a lot more surprising. To think that your energy manipulation was so precise and that tool creation ability. Wowie it's no wonder the Captain's letter said that you were Alpha power level." Jennie was much more excited than usual.

"That was cool and also a little scary. I've never been knocked out by my own sound before." Ingrid shyly interjected.

"How did you make that steam cloud ice isn't an energy." Diego staid just a little bit salty.

"The gauntlets. Enough heat generated by the gauntlet and I can manipulate and therefore amplify it only enough to vaporize the ice. So what am I supposed to do and why am I the only one." I finally asked the curiosity bothering me.

"Yes, well your duties are basically to help keep the student and city body in check. In previous years your job would just be for the student body. However previously the city was patrolled by members of the Battalion but with the recent increase in villain activity and natural disasters they've been redeployed elsewhere. So we are asking you to try to both protect the citizens, uphold the city laws and recruit new members to help in this process." Jennie explained.

"So, what do you say, will you help us." Martin asked with his hand outstretched.

"I'll do what I can. Besides I already signed a contract." Taking the hand and shaking it I asked, "Am I gonna be going to my dorm yet."