[ WP ] Every aspiring superhero must become a sidekick for a few years before being granted full time hero status . You are the strongest superhero in your age group , but believe you have been assigned to the weakest hero . You learn a lot more than you originally thought you would .

Oh man. Today's the day. 
 
 I've been training for years for this day. When my parents first realized I had these powers, they did n't know what to do with me. So they hushed it up. Told me not to use my powers in public, taught me to control my temper and always think things through. They taught me the value of earnest, hard work and doing things the `` old-fashioned'' way, not just rushing through with my powers. And it took a lot of work. It seemed like every other day I had some new power or talent. It started with heightened senses, even when I was a baby. I never cried too loudly, and I quieted down as soon as one of my parents said, `` I'll go,'' even from the other side of the house. My intellect was superlative, as well, at that age. I'm nowhere near Human Computer, Man-droid, or even the Cartographer, but I mastered speech pretty early and I skipped forward a few years in school. 
 
 Which was a good thing, since, at age 11, I was ready to begin training. My poor parents had suffered through strength, speed, pyrokinesis, hydrokinesis, mind reading, full-spectrum vision ( that's X-Ray, for the non-comic book readers ), flight, matter and energy manipulation, time dilation, shapeshifting, waterbreathing, and even a dash of magic -- among many, many others. You name it, I could do it -- almost as well as whatever heroes called those abilities their own. At age 11. So when representatives of the Enclave showed up to train me, my parents were understandably conflicted. Only child, going away for a long time, potentially very dangerous training, yes, but also... no more waking up wondering what, exactly, happened to the house and where, or even if, you would find your daughter. 
 
 For the next seven years, I underwent rigorous, grueling training. I made friends -- Kate, Brian, Sloan, and Carter chief among them. That made the training bearable. Even with superpowers, or maybe especially with superpowers, operating for 96 hours on 1600 calories and 2-3 hours of sleep per day is exhausting. And that was our work week, not counting all the homework on the weekends. My advanced intelligence was really handy at mastering the basic theories and practical applications of physics and chemistry, although I fell short of qualifying for Advanced Ballistics and Spaceflight: Bullet Deflection, ICBM Interception, and Extra-Atmospheric Platforms. But I really excelled at the hands-on training. Single Hostage Extraction, Neutralizing Explosive Devices ( both Pre- and Post-Detonation ), Ambush Survival, Advanced Ambush Survival: Surrounded and Outgunned, and all the rest. 
 
 And it's all led to today. Last week we `` graduated.'' No coursework for a week, freedom to roam the Enclave's grounds, relax, practice, or whatever we wanted. Yesterday was the Naming Ceremony. My friends and I got some pretty sweet names. Kate is going by Northwind, on account of her cold/wind manipulation. Carter is now Megaton, even though his real expertise is in precise, controlled explosions no bigger than a couple of nanometers across. I mean, he can still do the big stuff, but there are, like, seven other heroes who can all do that, too. Brian is The Wizard; ironic since his power is technomancy -- the ability to summon or manipulate technology. And Sloan is Bloodbeam. Mostly her beams are normal energy from a battery pack she designed herself, but if she needs to... just do n't get in her way. As for me, well, I can pretty much do all of those things myself, better even than my friends ( not that I let on ). But I decided to call myself Blackguard. The color has a negative stigma I'm trying to appropriate. Besides, cool black costume, awesome shield ( which I do n't need... I'm bulletproof, and resistant to everything that's ever been thrown at me )... what more could a girl want? 
 
 But today is probably the most important day of our careers so far. Formally, it's `` Mentorship and Learning Partner Assignment,'' but we all just call it sidekick day. The day when we discover whose sidekicks we're going to become. It's the final phase of training. You work with your mentor until he or she decides you're ready to become a full-fledged hero. Considering my immense power, I expect to be paired with a member of the Order of Right. They rarely take sidekicks -- the situations are too dangerous, the sidekicks would slow them down, and, to quote... someone, `` I work *alone*.'' Maybe Titan, Excelsior, Halcyon, or Hyperman. But all of the real top-notch heroes, the members of the Order, are multi-power heroes, like me. They would be the only people who could teach me how to manage my powers in concert during conflicts. 
 
 As we filed in, I spotted Kate and Carter. Because of the no-powers rule on campus, I could only use the slightest time slowing and speed to get to them. We picked up Brian and Sloan as we made our way to our seats. As the five most powerful heroes in the class, we would receive our assignments last, and were seated in the back of the room. 
 
 Dean Scott stepped up to the podium and began speaking. Standard graduation-speech type of stuff. Very proud of you, you can do anything you set your mind to, great potential, blah blah blah. I shifted my focus to the conversations around the room. Whispers, muttering -- everyone just wanted to know who they would be working with. Most people figured they would get a hero with similar powers to them. If that was the case, I was set. Of course, that is a very limited view. Most of these kids would be better served by learning some humility, or else how to work with someone with a drastically different power portfolio. 
 
 A hush fell over the auditorium. Dean Scott looked down, thanked the crowd, and returned to his seat. His assistant, Mr. Bharadwaj, stepped up and adjusted the mic. `` I will now call your names, followed by your mentor assignment. Please remain in your seats and hold all applause until the end. Upon the completion of the ceremony, report to the transports to be brought to your new assignments. As a reminder, those travelling to further sites will travel via teleporter. Now, let us begin. Aaron Eskin. Power: escalated mental acuity. Mentor: Cartographer. Artificial Intelligence 18301. Power: Inherent rapid prototyping, artificial body, and reactive programming. Mentor: Man-droid.'' 
 
 It went on like this for several more kids until I felt the rumbling. I looked around cautiously. There were two, maybe three people in the room who could be causing it. And fewer still who could sense it at this level. Steven Watts was looking around, too, as was Dean Scott. Nobody showed any sign of causing the rumbling -- it was stronger now -- it was n't magic, nobody was showing the increased heat output typical of power-users, and I could n't sense anyone focusing on their powers. Well, besides Steven, whose powers included super hearing. It was coming from the east wall, to my left. *Guys, wake up. Incoming from the left, * I projected to my friends. *Sounds like they're going to breach the wall. Cart -- Megaton, can you do something about that? * He gave a quick nod. Everyone was looking around now; Mr. Bharadwaj had stopped talking. It was noticeable now. People were shifting away from the wall. *Carter NOW* I screamed in my head. The east wall ripped apart in a wide explosion, vaporizing it. The smoke cleared almost instantly, revealing... 
 
 My heart stopped. It was... everyone. All of the greatest villains still at large. Korra, Viper, Analogue, Crypto, Brute, Baron Sturm, Belle Sainte, the Tiger, Hardin the Great, Silver Swordsman, Devilkin, The Monster... any one would be more than a match for most heroes. But there were dozens of us here, all ready for action. So what was their game? Then I felt her. The Mistress, barely visible behind Devilkin and the Swordsman. I could feel her... miasma sitting over the whole room, immobilizing everyone. Starling, Black Hood, and Adam... whatever his title is... our three mentalists were all struggling against Mistress, but none were making any progress. 
 
 Clenching my eyes shut, I probed Mistress's mental net. Nothing. My body was n't responding. No energy beams, no vibrating my particles, no strength, force fields, stretching, or... no. Stop. I have my mind. I can think. My telekinesis is n't working, but my senses and mind reading still work, at least within the room. I ca n't reach the villains' minds. Ok, shit. What do I do? Shit shit shit. Shit. Ambushed, outgunned. Not surrounded, but suppressed. Are my classmates hostages? As long as Mistress stays in control, yes. They're helpless. I think I can get out. There was... something. A hole, or a weakness in her net. I shut my eyes again, block out Hardin's voice. Where was it... THERE. I feel Mistress's concentration. It's so faint, but it's something from outside the net. I grab on to it, push my mind along that thought. It's not much, but I can feel her hold on me. Apparently, she's controlling each of us individually. I slip out of the lasso she has around me, without her notice ( hopefully ). She's strained, though. Ah, freedom feels so good after being constrained like that. Still not moving. They'll notice if I move. But I can scan their brains now. Wow, really? Nothing more complicated than planning to catch us all in one place; eliminate a whole generation of heroes all at once. That feels pretty anticlimactic. 
 
 Ok, focus. There's no way I can take them on alone. I ca n't wrest everyone out of Mistress's control, though. I ca n't just take her out, either. Best case, everyone else in the room passes out, and it's me against a dozen villains. Worst case... my eyes rest briefly on Sloane. If anyone else gets out, Mistress will know. And everyone else is still a hostage. Shit. Shitfuck. 
 
 ( continued )
