Chapter Text
[Hero Factory, Makuhero City]
Another morning arrived at Hero Factory, a very productive one at that. The Mission Managers were already at their stations, directing the Heroes who flew to all possible corners of the galaxy. The technicians, electricians and other specialists maintained the tower to its peak condition. Archivists and dispatchers were working tirelessly, monitoring the galaxy and keeping peace. For them, it was another day as usual, but for some, it was a whole different story.
The Hero Factory's Training Centre was already occupied. Inside, the five newest recruits were warming up. Running, stretching, practicing their moves, all of them were busy. They all jumped when the automatic doors swirled open. They expected some very important guests, but relaxed once they realised it was just the missing member of their group.
Furno ran up the stairs, panting, and joined Surge and Breez on the ground of the training zone. She was doing push-ups while he sat next to her.
“Please tell me they’re not here yet!” The red recruit asked, catching his breath.
“You’re lucky this time.” Surge said. “Seriously, man, you need to learn to organise your time better.”
“I think I know what took him so long.” Breez sat down. She eyed Furno with a knowing smirk on her face. The red rookie’s armor, for the lack of better words, looked absolutely dazzling. Its surface was meticulously polished, with yellow highlights freshly painted and bronze Hero core reflecting the chamber’s lights.
“You do remember that we get dirty during training, right?” She reminded him.
“As long as I make a good second impression on the Alpha Team...” Furno justified. Suddenly, his gaze wandered behind his two friends. He noticed the other rookie team also warming-up. The thing that got his attention the most, however, was that Rocka’s armor was suspiciously just as sparkly.
“What the-?!” Furno’s jaw dropped. To make things worse, his golden armor looked way better with all the polish than his red one. ”That copycat! Look at him, he stole my idea!”
“Or you started stooping to his level.” Breez chuckled as she stood up.
“Yeah, at least Rocka was on time.” Surge jabbed with a grin.
“Wow. Thanks, guys. Nothing like getting support from your own team.” The red recruit deadpanned.
Suddenly, the doors opened again and the rookies jolted once more. This time, they were sure of the arrival of their anticipated company. Right at the doors appeared two out of the three members of the Alpha Team: Stringer and Bulk.
As soon as the rookies realised they were out of time, they dropped everything they were doing and rushed to get in a row. In their hurry, Furno and Rocka accidentally found places right next to each other. Neither could resist giving the other’s polished paintjob a judgmental glare.
The two veterans entered the training grounds the same way Furno had done. Since there was no need to go on a mission that day, Bulk was wearing a short metallic cape which ran through his entire left shoulder. The recruits imagined that he was hiding his meteor swords somewhere under it.
“Morning, Alpha recruits!” Stringer greeted. “Who’s excited to be here?”
“Sir, yes, sir! We are!” They all saluted in unison. Bulk saluted back, as a form of his own greeting.
Then, finally, the doors swirled open for the last time along with the arrival of the last guest. A large shadow entered the Training Centre and began stomping towards them. The atmosphere seemed to drop all of the sudden, so much so that Furno considered turning up his heating protocol.
The recruits all held their breath as heavy metal footsteps began climbing up the stairs. They all still seemed to be in disbelief that, yes, this was in fact happening. Finally, the last guest joined them in the arena.
Unlike his teammates, Stormer didn’t have the fanfare to his appearance. In fact, he looked like he had woken up just a couple minutes ago. He was barely standing straight and was holding a promotional Hero Factory coffee mug in his hand.
“Whose bright idea was to start so early?...” He grumbled softly, taking a big sip from his mug. Eventually, he composed himself and cleared his throat.
“Alright, rookies, listen up!” He began, folding free arm behind his back. “Mr. Carter thinks you are cut out to be the new members of the Alpha Team! He may be the owner of Hero Factory, but that decision ultimately belongs to me! Got that?”
“Yes, sir!” The rookies shouted with all their chests.
“So, consider this a rite of passage! We’re going to see what each one of you is made of! Your skills, ability to work under pressure and how well you do in a team! After that, it’ll be clear if you’re really up to this!”
After a second, Bulk walked up to his leader and whipped out an electronic list.
“Let’s start with the list of attendance, then I can take the first exercise.” He announced.
“Or we can just get to the point and not waste any more time.” Stormer told him, catching him off guard.
“We need to check the list before we begin. That’s the standard mentoring procedure.” The silver Hero argued.
“One, two, three, four, five, six.” Stormer turned to the recruits and counted. He faced the silver Hero again after he finished. “They’re all here.”
Bulk found himself completely baffled by that response. Stormer didn’t give him much time to process it either as he moved. The rookies followed him without skipping a bit. The Silver Hero took a deep breath and placed the list under his arm before following them as well.
They finally reached their destination on the other side of the giant training area.
“Welcome to your first Hero revision!” Bulk greeted. He was standing in front of a big console. Stormer and Stringer were observing everything from the side. “Being a Hero is not just fighting Villains with brute force. Sometimes, the best way to win is to use your other talents. Your wits, for example!” He paused, tapping the side of his head with a smile.
“One of the things that make the capture easier is knowing your enemy. I am now going to show you some of the most infamous Villains our Hero Factory’s faced over the years. I want you to tell me what you know about them.”
After a second, the silver Hero sent a command to the console. In a blink of an eye, a holographic image arose from the ground. It was a projection of a tall lanky Villain with uncanny proportions. Their limbs were longer than for a typical robot. Their face mostly consisted of a singular red eye and a wild toothy grin. Both their armor and the whips they were wielding were in an ugly neon green colour.
“Oh! Uh… I-it’s Meltdown!...” Surge said in a hushed tone. He attempted to raise his hand but it didn’t reach high enough for his mentor to notice.
“It’s Meltdown, sir!” After a second, Nex took the initiative from the other side of the row. “First clashed with Hero Factory after discovering her underground laboratory on Lunar IX! Her whips have this weird radiation that infects Quaza cores and temporarily turns robots into loyal zombies!”
“Looks like we’ve got a walking Heropedia on the block!” Bulk laughed. Surge groaned in irritation.
“Next question: Who is this and why is he dangerous?” The silver Hero changed the hologram. This time, it was a bulky rust-coloured robot covered in large quills.
Surge was about to speak when he was suddenly cut off.
“X-Plode!” Nex shouted, raising her arm. “The spikes on his body are missiles that explode after being launched!”
“Right once again! Nex, right?” Bulk nodded approvingly. The orange rookie nodded back, radiating with pride. Surge began glaring at her, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“A little tricky this time.” The silver Hero continued. The hologram disappeared. Instead of another Villain, a weapon arose from the ground. It was a big dark cannon of some kind.
“Which Villain does this nefarious weapon belong to? How can we protect ourselves from its effects?”
“I-It’s-!...” This time, Surge tried speaking up. He even managed to get Bulk’s attention. “It’s Splitface’s Infecticide Cannon…!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you speak up?” Bulk asked.
“A-ah! I meant!-”
“It’s the Infecticide Cannon, right?” Surge lost his chance when Nex answered again. The blue rookie squeezed his eyes shut.
“Um… Yes, Nex.” The silver Hero confirmed. “You are correct once again.”
“Nevermind…” Surge murmured. Both Breez and Furno could see how upset he was.
“Hey, Nex. Can you let Surge answer at least one question? He’s really trying here.” Furno suddenly looked out of the row at the orange rookie, making Surge jolt in surprise.
“Furno!-” He barely contained an embarrassing squeal.
“Oh?” Nex glanced at them. “Sorry, Surge. I didn’t see you raising your hand.”
“It’s not Nex’s fault Surge doesn’t try hard enough!” Rocka suddenly barked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Furno, and now Breez too took offence to that. Surge just looked at the ground.
“Hey now!” Evo joined, grabbing onto Rocka’s arm. “No need to start an argument! Rocka just worded it badly, right Rocka?”
“Why are you taking their side?” The golden recruit freed his arm and confronted him. “You’re on my team!”
“Maybe if you weren’t such a jerk all the time, your teammates would actually like you!” Breez snarled.
“He can be nice! Sometimes…” Evo tried.
“You think you’re the only one trying to prove yourself?” Rocka argued. “If you’re so unsure about your answer, Surge, maybe don’t answer at all!”
“Oh, you’d know all about it! You were really quiet just a second ago while Nex was doing all the work!” Furno jabbed.
“You’re suggesting something, fire boy?!” The golden recruit gasped at the audacity.
“Maybe I am!-”
Bulk, Stringer and Stormer observed their argument progressively escalating. The silver and black Heroes both looked absolutely perplexed and unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, their leader was scowling.
“Recruits…” Bulk wanted to take control back, but their voices kept rising. He cleared his throat. “Recruits!”
“Quiet!” Stormer suddenly roared. This immediately reminded them where and with whom they were. “This better be the last time I have to intervene.”
His words shook the recruits deeply to their cores. They didn’t mutter another thing. Unfortunately, even Stormer’s terrifying voice did nothing to erase the tension that already arose between all of them. Rocka, Breez and Furno were furious. Nex and Surge were embarrassed. Evo knew where this was headed and he dreaded every second of it.
“Being a Hero is a tough job, but thankfully, we’re just as tough!” Stringer said. He was standing in the middle of a red-painted ring and facing the recruits.
“I want you to utilise those upgrades of yours! The rules are simple!” The black Hero said, then turned to Bulk with an extended arm. Smiling, his silver teammate threw something at him which he effortlessly caught. Stringer turned to the recruits, showing them a metal cowboy hat.
“Whoever makes this here hat fall gets an A+!” He said, placing the cowboy hat on his head with a smirk. The recruits couldn’t help but stare at him wide-eyed. “Well? Don’t be shy, we’ve got all day!”
The recruits exchanged glances with each other. After a second, Breez made up her mind to go first. The green rookie stepped out, going inside of the red lines and making them flicker.
Breez lowered her posture in preparation. Stringer just adjusted his hat, letting her have the first move. She got the memo and waited no longer. With a cry, the recruit pounced on her teacher, going for the hat. Stringer swiftly dodged, making her miss and stumble a bit. Breez turned around and saw him waving his hands in a beckoning manner at her.
Realising that this wouldn’t be easy after all, she retracted her Hex claws. Hissing, she jumped on him again, this time putting more effort. Stringer avoided her swipes, kicks and other quick movements. She was so focused on him that she didn’t see him putting his leg in front of her. Breez tripped, yelping and falling on the ground, right on the red line. As soon as she landed on it, her ears filled with a loud disqualifying buzz.
The rest of the recruits cringed. Rocka averted his gaze, trying not to laugh.
Breez shook her head. She flipped on her back and then saw a hand in front of her.
“Better luck next time, little carnivoire.” Stringer told her with a smile. The rookie tried to walk out with a face after that humiliating defeat so she turned off her claws and accepted his help.
Once she removed herself from the ring, Stringer faced the other recruits who looked more unsure than before.
“Who’s next?” He asked.
Surge decided to go after his friend. The first thing he did upon entering the ring was summon lighting from his fingertips.
“Booh!” He shouted, threatening Stringer to zap him with a scary pose. Despite the fact that the Hero didn’t even flinch, he immediately tried to go for the hat. Stringer quickly grabbed his arm, twisted it and then threw him towards the edge. He fell on the red line and another buzzer sounded.
The next was Evo. As soon as his turn began, he blended with his surroundings and disappeared out of sight. Stringer’s eyes nonchalantly darted around the ring. After a second, he made a step forward. Without any warning, he spun around and his foot kicked dust in several directions around him. An invisible shape right next to him yelped in surprise as some of it landed on its surface, revealing him to the world.
With his cover blown, Evo acted. Stringer avoided the recruit’s measly attempts at trying to reach his hat. The veteran kept jumping, swirling around, and avoiding him every time. It looked more like he was dancing rather than dodging.
Stormer and Bulk observed it from a distance, seeing the dust cloud hopelessly following Stringer around while the black Hero was laughing. When the Alpha Leader glanced at the silver Hero, he saw his intense stare laser-focused on the ‘battle’. He couldn’t help but shake his head disapprovingly.
Furno was up next. He wasted no time and immediately went on the attack. Stringer had a workout with him. The recruit was fast and completely focused on his task. Before the veteran got a hold on him, the recruit slipped under his legs, then quickly returned to his feet and tried to yank the hat off. Stringer got a hold of his hand and dodged. Before Furno completely restored his balance, the veteran gave him a gentle kick that made him stumble more than he anticipated. Furno fell on the red line, realising that he was disqualified.
“No, wait!” He stood back up and shouted in desperation. “I want a do over! I-I’ll be more careful next time!”
“You’ve had your chance!” Stormer shouted from the sidelines, then looked at the rest. “Another recruit!”
Furno’s shoulders slumped as he removed himself from the sight in defeat.
“Y'know, I think I’m good.” Nex said on her turn, shrinking her posture. “I’m more of a builder type, fighting’s not really my style and- Freezing ray!”
Just as it seemed that she was about to turn around and leave, she pulled out a blaster from her hidden storage. She fired it, but instead of a freezing beam, only a cloud of smoke came out. Feeling really awkward, Nex hit it a few times. It didn’t bring the desired results. She couldn’t help but chuckle nervously at Stringer.
Rocka was the last to go. Instead of attacking right away, he was circling the veteran Hero. Stringer had no idea what was going on but he kept turning around to see what he was doing.
“Whenever you’re feeling ready!” The veteran encouraged.
“In a second!” Rocka said. “I just need to come up with a strategy so I won’t fail like the rest.”
“Uh huh…” Stringer nodded, but also began moving. Rocka moved with him. Through his helm’s visor, there were calculations and over analysis of Stringer who kept making suspicious little steps. After a few seconds, Rocka found the best way to approach him.
The recruit made a step to prepare for a sprint and-
Buzz!
“What?...” Rocka looked down and saw where his foot landed. He stepped behind the red line. “What?! How did-?!”
He looked back at the Hero with a bewildered expression. “I barely did anything! I was getting ready!”
“A Villain may not give ya a head-start.” Stringer said, tilting his hat.
“Alright, that’s enough!” Stormer suddenly said. On his command, the red lines of the ring disappeared. The rookies gathered in front of the Alpha Leader. Most of them were reluctant to look him in the eyes. “We’ve got a long way with you six. Go to the hologram room and wait for the next exercise!”
The recruits immediately followed his command. They all hurried to the right entrance and left the Alpha Team behind. Once they were gone, Bulk faced his leader.
“You can’t expect them to fight like professionals in the first training.” He said.
“I expect them to have some basic understanding of battling a Villain.” He frowned at him. Then, he looked up. “Stringer, the exercise is over! Take off that ugly thing already!”
Stringer, who has been posing with the hat, sighed. He reached out and took it off, disappointed.
After a few minutes, everyone was in the hologram room.
“Now that the warm-up is out of the way,” Stormer began. “Which one of you are the assigned team leaders?”
Furno and Rocka both hesitated. Finally, they stepped out of the row and straightened up. Stormer scanned both of them. Neither dared to do as much as flinch. He started with Rocka, who seemed pretty confident. He even found it in himself to puff out his chest.
When it was Furno’s turn, he just tried not to lose it. A part of him hoped that the Alpha Leader would acknowledge that it wasn’t the first time they had met. Anything would be enough, even a single comment. However, the Alpha Leader didn’t give him that luxury.
“The first and probably most important thing I can teach you about leadership…” Stormer began, pointing. His tone was heavy with seriousness.
“Being a leader does not mean you’re the most important person on the team. It’s a responsibility. Duty. The orders you give must reflect how well you know your strengths and weaknesses. And at the end of the day, when something goes wrong, you’re taking the flak. Understood?”
“Y… yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir.” Both rookies nodded in agreement. Stormer withdrew his hand.
“The two of you will be in charge of your teams during this mock mission! You have a chance to make up for the previous exercises!"
“Of course!” Rocka beamed.
“We will try our best, Alpha Leader!” Furno added.
“We will see about that.” Stormer murmured, ominously stepping back. The Hero left the marked grounds of the hologram field and entered a platform where Bulk and Stringer were already waiting for him. Behind their backs, Rocka and Furno exchanged discreet glares. Both looked like they were ready to compete.
Bulk had the console privileges again. He searched through all the possible environments and when he found what he was looking for typed in new orders. Suddenly, the walls began flickering. The rookies looked around as the room began changing before their eyes.
In just a few moments, they found themselves in the middle of a city. They were surrounded by vast holographic buildings, streets, and most importantly, shorter and frailer civilian units. They were walking in every possible direction all around the recruits.
“Siiick!…” Nex chuckled in amazement, crouching and having a closer look at a holographic robo-boy who was just passing by.
“Who are we feeling like throwing out today?” Bulk asked his other team members.
“Who’s a good pick for the first session?” Stringer thought out loud, rubbing his palms together. “Vapor? Rotor? Thunder, I reckon?”
“None.” Stormer said. “Send out a battle drone.”
“Aww.” Stringer pouted while Bulk typed on the console.
After a second, a chunky grey robot spawned right in front of the rookies. It was about twice their height with two very stiff-looking arms and weirdly bended legs. Instead of a face, it had a slightly higher bump for a head and a single red sensor for an eye.
As soon as it appeared, the civilians were commanded to run around in panic. The recruits were startled at how suddenly it happened.
“What are you waiting for? Do your jobs!” Stormer shouted.
“Wait, we started already?!” Evo asked.
“What do we do?!” Breez joined.
“Go on a picnic! What does it look like?!” Stormer replied sarcastically.
“Take the drone down and make sure the citizens won’t get in the way!” Bulk suddenly joined and instructed. Rocka and Furno immediately took charge.
“Breez! Surge! With me!”
“Evo! Nex! Follow my lead!”
The rookies split into two groups, Rocka’s team went right, while Furno’s, left. Meanwhile, Stormer gave Bulk another disapproving look. The silver Hero just squinted at him back.
The robot’s shoulder cannon came to life and it shot a laser at one of the buildings. The debris began tumbling down right onto two cowering civilians. Swiftly, Breez jumped over there, grabbed them and rushed them out of harm’s way.
The other rookies began shooting at the drone. Sadly, their weapons were doing little to no damage to its heavy armor. The red sensor began darting across the area wildly and it didn’t take long until it pinpointed its new targets. Without any warning, the drone began shooting back. Evo and Surge had to move out of the way fast to avoid getting hit with a laser.
“How do we turn it off?!” Evo asked after he found a safe spot, comming the Alpha Team.
“Figure it out!” Was all Stormer said. “You don’t get hints during real missions!”
Evo would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed with that answer. Suddenly, a laser came flying his way and he ducked at the last second. He turned on his cloaking device and disappeared out of sight.
Furno and Surge were hiding out together.
“Think you can turn it off, Surge?” The red recruit asked.
“Maybe!” The other replied. “But I need to get closer!”
“Say no more! Breez!” Furno shouted, looking up. Breez was already climbing on one of the buildings with her Hex claws.
Furno’s core began flickering. After some time, an unexpected roar of an engine came from the distance. From between the holographic buildings, Furno’s motorbike shot out. It drove around the city, avoiding civilians on the way. Rocka was about to pass, leading a school trip away, when the bike suddenly drove by and almost ran him over.
“Watch where you drive that thing!” He shouted, shaking his fist at the bike.
When it was finally in sight, Furno hopped on his bike. With a roar, he drove towards the drone. He began making doughnuts around it, making the robot focus all its fire on him.
While this was happening, Surge managed to sneak closer to the robot. He jumped behind the generated trash cans which were the closest to his target. What he didn’t expect was the fact that he wasn’t alone.
“What are you doing here?” Nex asked once she saw him.
“I’m going to drain the robot from its power!” Surge claimed. He tried to jump out of their shared hide-out and grab onto the robot’s bended leg. Without any warning, Nex pulled him back.
“Nuh huh!” She protested. “I’m going to hack it and turn it off!”
“It’ll take a while!” Surge argued, trying to free his hand from her grasp. “I’ll make it quick!”
“How do you even know if the robot runs on electricity?”
“How many other power sources could it have?”
“Solar panels, gasoline, a little rodent in a spinning wheel-” She began counting on her fingers. “Do I really have to list every single option, mate?”
While they began to fight and wrestle with each other over who would turn the machine off, they didn’t notice that they revealed themselves too much. It was only a matter of time until the drone finally spotted them. However, before it turned its laser on them, a fire ring hit it in the back.
“Over here, you oversized scrapyard reject!” Furno shouted, continuing to circle the robot with his Dual-Shooter pulled out. Just as its attention fell on the red rookie, a golden arrow unexpectedly shot it from another angle.
“I’m here! Come get me!” Rocka shouted from the opposite side. The drone turned towards him.
“Single-sensor on me, ugly!” Furno wasn’t giving up so he shot it again.
“Come on!” Rocka did the same.
Breez stalked the drone from the crowns of the buildings. Seeing it distracted, she landed on one of the roofs and took a head start. The green rookie started running, aiming to jump off.
“Breez, wait!” Before she threw herself at the drone, she suddenly heard a loud yelp. Unexpectedly, Breez crashed against an invisible wall. The rookie stumbled and she, along with the unforeseen force, slipped and fell off the roof. They both had a hard landing on the ground. After a second, the force’s image disturbed and revealed splattered Evo on the ground right next to her.
“Evo?!” Breez cried in shock. “What happened?”
“Rocka told me to get on the drone...” Evo replied, rising from the ground and grabbing onto his pained head.
The Alpha Team watched the chaos unravelling. Between Furno and Rocka fighting over who will distract the drone, Surge and Nex arguing who will turn it off, and Breez and Evo picking themselves off the ground, the drone was still active and causing a lot of damage to its surroundings. In such a short time, two buildings were down and the entire street was a mess.
Stringer couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the sight while Bulk covered his, peeking from between his fingers from time to time. Stormer felt his body beginning to shake from constantly building-up anger while watching the whole thing.
The performance lasted for some more time, with the recruits dancing around the drone like no tomorrow. Finally, they heard a loud: “Simulation, end!”. Momentarily, their surroundings and the drone disappeared. This made them halt.
“What in Makuro’s name was that supposed to be?!” Stormer demanded. Immediately, a choir of voices sounded at once.
“Recruits, please!” Bulk quickly took over and calmed them down. “One at a time!”
“I was there first!”
“I told her I’d do it!” Surge and Nex began, pointing at each other.
“Alpha Leader, Rocka was disrupting my team’s efforts!” Furno accused.
“Your efforts?!” Rocka spat. “Your oversized remote toy almost ran me over!”
“I swear I had no idea he was up there!” Breez placed her now declawed hands over her chest, visibly distressed. Evo rested his hand on her shoulder, trying to let her know he wasn’t mad.
“And you call yourselves the new improved Hero line?!” Stormer’s bark shut them all up instantly.
“So, uh…” Stringer tried to step in, giving the recruits thumbs up. “Good work on your first day, recruits! Looking forward to our next session!"
“Oh no, I’m not done with them!” Stormer snapped at the black Hero, making him wince.
“Stormer…” Bulk gave his leader a warning. Stormer ignored it and faced the recruits again. His scowl petrified their very subsystems.
“Perhaps I’m starting to see why we were assigned for this mission. I’ve been the Alpha Leader for years and never have I encountered a more unorganised and undisciplined group in my entire career!” He said, voice dangerously close to a growl. His words made the rookies face the ground in shame.
“I don’t care how much time I waste here, by the end of the day, I will see improvement! Even if we have to go through every simulation available!” He threatened.
“Nicely done, firecracker.” Rocka murmured to Furno right next to him. “Now we’re stuck in the training room with a very angry veteran.”
“What’s the matter, goldie-locks? Scared of a little extra training?” Furno murmured back.
“My team and I will make you regret those words in the next fifteen seconds.” The gold rookie claimed.
“That’s more like it.” Furno smirked. “Let the best team win.”
“Oh, it. Will.”
The next couple of hours could be best described as torturous. Stormer was not exaggerating and it seemed like he was throwing everything their chamber had at the two rookie teams.
At first, they appeared in the desert world. A giant scorpion robot was terrorising a village built around a small body of water. Furno and Surge surrounded the creature. Breez tried to talk to the giant arachnid, but just as the scorpion seemed to begin listening, they heard a metallic screech. The scorpion and the rookies looked around and immediately cowered in shock.
Behind the scorpion appeared an even bigger metal owl. Once it got its attention, it spread its wings and screeched again. Immediately, the scorpion got spooked. Furno, Breez and Rookie tried to stop it but it moved and almost stomped on them. They had to jump out of the way as it dug into the ground, leaving a huge crater behind.
In seconds, the bird’s surface distorted. Its body disappeared, revealing what it had underneath. Rocka, Nex and Evo were stacked on each other’s shoulders. Nex was in the middle, wearing a projector around her torso. Evo meanwhile was at the top, holding a speaker through which he mimicked the owl noises. The three other rookies couldn’t help but glare at them.
The second location was a city under the threat of falling meteors. While Nex and Surge were busy setting up safety nets around the city, the rest of the rookies evacuated the civilians. Breez and Evo carried the children on their shoulders as their parental units followed closely behind. For every civilian led under the safety net, the teams received 100 points.
At some point, Furno and Rocka stopped to look at the board. Both of their teams’ scores kept growing, but they were pretty much evened out. The two team leaders glanced around the area. Almost instantly, they spotted a very old square robot with a single eye trying to float across the street. Unfortunately, they caught each other’s eyes soon after.
It was a declaration of war. Without any warning, the two recruits began running at the same target. Furno reached the old robot first and politely offered to help him cross. Rocka quickly joined him and offered the same but with a deep bow. The red rookie saw where this was heading so he tried to be a little more assertive and get the old robot’s attention back on him. Unfortunately, his rivals already began grabbing him from the other side.
Furno placed his hand on the robot’s back, planning to rush him through the street, when they suddenly heard a soft click that made both of them freeze. The red rookie looked back and noticed that his palm accidentally landed on a big red button in the middle of the old robot’s back.
Instantly, the square machine began shaking. Rocka and Furno backed off, just in time because the robot took off to the sky like a rocket. The two followed his trajectory wide-eyed until they heard a loud crash. When the ambulance siren sounded in the distance, they exchanged terrified glances.
Then they found themselves in the middle of space inside of a no-gravity shuttle. The rookies were floating in a closed-off chamber, spinning around or bumping into the walls and each other. On the floor, there was a panel that would turn the gravity back on and a timer above their heads. 1 minute left.
Furno’s team was having too much trouble with catching their own balance and couldn’t do much. Rocka’s team, on the other hand, managed to finally compose themselves. Rocka and Nex grabbed onto Evo, spun him around, and then threw him at the floor. The yellow rookie managed to grab onto the machine and held on.
“Now just open the panel and see the circuits inside!” Nex told him. Evo obeyed and ripped the panel open, revealing the inner systems. “Y’see those funny colourful buttons? Press the green one on the left!”
“Wait, you’re just making him go through the whole security system!” Surge chimed in. “Evo, what you need to do is find the cables and-!”
“He can follow my instructions just fine!” Nex interrupted him. “Evo, the button!”
“We don’t have time! Evo!”
“Um…” Evo found himself staring at the panel. He had buttons on one side and the cables on the other. He had no idea which route he should take and the yelling from the other two recruits didn’t help matters. 30 seconds.
“Evo!”
“Evo, we’re teammates!”
“Evo, I let you play on my console the other day!”
“You still owe me those 10 Hero bucks!”
Evo tried to stay cool under pressure, but the lack of direction rendered him completely unable to do anything. He didn’t know what to choose.
3.
2.
1.
Suddenly, the timer finally reached zero. Without any warning, the chamber’s hatch opened, revealing the cold abyss of space. All of the rookies were immediately sucked in, screaming and falling into the cosmic emptiness.
Despite watching from the safety of their platform, Bulk and Stringer grew more worried with every trial. Stormer felt his eye begin to twitch.
An ice planet.
A crystal cave.
A mining shaft.
Underwater.
A haunted forest.
The results just kept worsening.
With the end of another simulation, the rookies dropped lifelessly onto the floor. They were panting or groaning from pain and exhaustion. The only ones still standing were Furno and Rocka who did not back down from non-verbally challenging each other even after everything.
“Our dispatch could’ve done it better and they don’t even have the Quaza Cores!” Stormer spat, still standing on the platform.
“We might should stop now.” Stringer suggested, casting a concerned glance at the recruits. “They look like they’ve had enough.”
“The day is almost over anyway.” Bulk added.
“Still plenty of time for the last mission!” Stormer said stubbornly. Bulk groaned and typed in another command to the console.
“You have one last chance to prove to me you fit on the Alpha Team!” The recruits heard the Alpha Leader after a second. They began collecting themselves from the ground while Furno and Rocka looked ready as ever. When Breez stood up, which was the last of them, the room began changing again.
“You received a call from an ocean planet! A vacation cruise was severely damaged and the civilians are in danger!” Stormer said. As if ordered, the scenery around them began expanding. To the rookies’ immense surprise, they suddenly found themselves in the middle of an ocean. They were onboard a giant cruiser.
Before they could get better acquainted with their surroundings, the recruits felt a sudden quake. Seconds later, a large group of civilians spawned around them. They were all running around, screaming in horror.
The six recruits looked overboard. Almost immediately, they saw a giant hole in the ship’s hull.
“Nex, find a way to patch this up!” Rocka quickly ordered. She nodded and rushed to find an entrance to the lower deck. Before her teammates joined her, Rocka and Furno turned to each other for the last time.
“Don’t get in our way this time!” Furno told him.
“Same to you!” Rocka replied. Finally, they split and ran in the opposite directions.
Nex charged through the entrance to the lower decks with her toolbox already in hand. She avoided a bunch of citizens running out of there and on her way began collecting every random object: a broken pipe, a bundle of loose cables, scrap, whatever had metal elements. The rest of the team caught up with her momentarily.
“I have enough materials to make a foam gun!” She told them. With her visor on and the toolbox swinging from her arm, she started assembling a gun.
“Good!” Rocka said and a map of the cruiser displayed before his own eyes. “The hole is just around the corner!”
The three rookies slid across the wet floor and turned left. Nex was about to finish her work when she suddenly looked up. With a gasp, she halted. Rocka and Evo did the same once they registered what was happening.
Right next to the giant hole in the ship, there were a bunch of figures standing on their way. A group of giant bipedal fish were walking around or gnawing at the hole. Once the rookies arrived, they all turned their shiny eyes at them.
Back on the upper deck, Furno, Breez and Surge were carrying the civilians to lifeboats. The blue rookie ran up and placed two kids in a shared boat. They looked beyond frightened.
“It’s okay! You’re safe now!” Surge assured. As soon as he said that, the lifeboat was suddenly ripped out of its hinges. The children inside screamed, and before Surge grabbed them, they were yanked overboard. The same happened with every other lifeboat in proximity.
Some distance away, a bunch of metal tentacles had emerged from the water. The recruits heard a loud wail of a cry as the tendrils splashed around, swinging the safeboats with trapped civilians around.
Up to that point, Stringer observed the simulation unfolding. After a second, he turned to Stormer.
“Say… Aren’t sea monsters a tad overboard for the first training?” He asked carefully.
“Not for the Alpha Team it isn’t.” Stormer answered.
“Alpha Leader?!” Surge shouted, looking around and trying to find their mentors. “Is this still a part of the mission?! Nobody briefed us about a colossal squid!”
Without any warning, Breez charged in and pushed him out of the way. Just in time to avoid being crushed by a giant tentacle.
“Open fire! Watch for the boats!” Furno ordered, shooting a series of fire rings at the attacking tendrils. Breez and Surge pulled out their own weapons, firing at every moving obstacle swinging their way.
Evo cried as he punched one of the monsters and then high kicked another. Both him and Rocka fought off the enemy as Nex was patching up the hole with her foam gun. The process was long because of the size of the cavity. By that point, she had splattered only a piece of the whole area. The only comfort she found was in the fact that the blue foam instantly froze upon application.
Furno, Breez and Surge kept throwing everything they had at the monster. One of the tentacles swooped in again and they all jumped out of the way. Before Furno landed, however, he suddenly tripped with a startled gasp.
One of the smaller tendrils wrapped around his leg and began dragging him towards the water. Breez and Surge immediately rushed to his aid. They grabbed onto their leader but the monster overpowered them with ease. All three screamed as they were pulled off their feet and began dangling in the air with the rest of the civilians.
Breez and Surge held onto the tentacle while zapping and hitting it to let go off Furno’s leg. Meanwhile, the red rookie was hanging upside down. While he was feeling progressively more nauseous, in a moment of clarity, he noticed something.
One of the nearby boats had no passengers at all, but its console was what really brought the rookie’s attention. Right in the middle of its steering wheel, it had a disturbingly familiar red button.
Furno took his chance. While his friends were still trying to free him, he suddenly chucked his Dual Fire Gun at the boat. Thankfully, he hit a bull’s eye and smashed the button.
The reaction was imminent. The backside of the boat opened, revealing an engine. It burst with flames in seconds, making the monster release it, and the boat blasted straight into the water. It didn’t last long until its sharp front collided with the monster, making it wail horribly.
The rookies braced themselves as the tentacle yanked them in at least three different directions before it finally threw them. While they were flying, they got a glimpse of the monster releasing the rest of the lifeboats and slowly retreating back into the ocean.
Nex kept spraying and spraying. Finally, she stepped back and spun the foam gun in her hand.
“All done!” She cheered, gesturing at an entirely foamed wall that used to have a hole in it. Without any warning, the said foam wall exploded and Furno, Breez and Surge burst through it. The rookies fell on the other team and they all ended up crashing on the lower deck.
“Is the simulation over already?” Surge asked dizzily, rising from the ground. Immediately, he saw that they were surrounded by the fish monsters. “Oh, come on!”
“We just finished patching up that hole!” Rocka yelled at Furno. Both of them immediately jumped back on their feet and punched the two fish monsters that were running at them.
“And we had to fight a giant squid monster! The civilians are safe by the way, you’re welcome!” Furno retorted. Breez, Surge and Evo joined their stand as the sea monsters kept charging at them. Every punch, every shoot, it seemed too little when they were grossly outnumbered. Nex shook the foam gun, analysing how much juice was left.
“I need more time to patch it back up!” She told others. Meanwhile, the water finally began getting into the ship through the hole. The new stream allowed more fish monsters to get inside. Upon entering, they snarled and started charging at the rookies.
“We don’t have time! Give your tool a boost or something!” Rocka ordered, shooting a golden arrow at the monsters in the back. Nex did as she was told and began tinkering with the gun.
The place was beginning to sink deeper and the group of monsters was now an army. One of them pounced and bit Breez’s leg, but she punched its snout with her Hex claws and sent it flying. Surge electrocuted one, then two, then three who happened to be close by. Evo was nowhere to be seen for a long time until he reappeared on top of the ship’s mechanisms. He dropped on three fish monsters, neutralising them instantly. The pressure was beginning to get to Nex. She whimpered softly, trying to keep her hands steady.
“This is all your fault!” Rocka accused. He was suddenly swiped off his feet by a bigger monster. He spun in its grip and kicked it, freeing himself and safely landing. “If you weren’t such an attention hog, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“Oh, don’t act like you weren’t trying to impress the Alpha Team too!” Furno was pinned to the ground by one of the monsters who tried to bite him. After some struggle, he finally managed to put his boots under its gut and then push it off himself.
“Nothing would’ve happened if you didn’t fight one another! But does anyone ever listen to me?!” Evo joined their argument, escaping two monsters at once.
“All I wanted was to answer a single question!” Surge electrocuted a couple of freshly arrived monsters. “Was that too much to ask?!”
The rising voices were proving too much for Nex. By that point, she had disassembled the gun and was working on the system around the foam container. She could feel her whole body beginning to tremble.
“Hey! In case you forgot, we’re still fighting for our lives!” Breez growled, swiping her claws left and right as a large group of monsters surrounding her.
“An astute conclusion, Breez!” Rocka commented. “If only you were so observant before you trampled my teammate!”
“Of course!” Furno doubled down. “Everyone is responsible but not Rocka!”
Back on the platform, Bulk finally noticed that Nex was treading dangerously close to the construction of the foam container. Her uneven movements were becoming more unstable as she dug deeper with her tools than she should.
“Recruits…” Fearing what was coming next, the veteran activated the speaker inside of the simulation. This alarmed Stringer and Stormer. “Recruits, stop! Nex will-!”
Finally, Nex dug too deep. Before she realised her mistake, the foam container exploded. Instantly she, as well as the other rookies, were all devoured by a great blue cloud.
Bulk and Stringer gasped in terror. The silver Hero quickly turned off the program, making the ocean, the ship and the monsters disintegrate. Stormer stayed on the platform while the two veterans ran towards the field of foam. The rookies were nowhere to be seen, replaced by a couple of blue statues in various frozen poses.
“Recruits! Are you alright?!” Stringer cried, stopping in front of one of them. With one strong pull, he ripped off the fast dried foam from her eyes. It was Breez.
Bulk pulled his sword from under his cape and used its handle to break more of the foam. He freed Evo’s left upper half, then Surge’s head. Stringer freed Furno’s whole front. Thankfully, everyone seemed fine. As the black Hero moved on to help free another, the rookie had the misfortune of being stuck in a pose that was facing the platform.
Furno always knew Stormer as someone with a petrifying gaze. He always thought it was one of the many things that made him cool. This time, however, it was painful to look at because it was directed at him. It felt personal. It was personal. With that single look, he was telling Furno how much he angered him. How much he disappointed him. How much he failed him. Furno felt sick just by looking at it, but at the same time, he couldn’t turn his head or walk away. All he could do was keep staring and feel ashamed.
They couldn’t believe it, but the Alpha Team finally let them go. The two rookie teams had left the Training Centre and returned to their living quarters. They still had so much of the foam to clear, so as soon as they entered their shared living room, they began helping each other remove the residue.
Nex and Rocka were sitting on the giant metal couch in the middle. She was using a small drill to break the hardened foam on his leader’s arm. Breez was sitting on the floor, removing the foam with her claws. Hero Pup was laying in her lap, whining about something only she could understand. Surge was already cleaned and walking around, helping however he could.
Furno was sitting at one of the heightened chairs in the refueling station right next to the living room. His upper body was resting on the island, and with the head in his arms, he looked completely miserable. After a second, he heard a clanking sound that made him raise his eyes. The first thing he saw was a glass of colourful substance being slid towards him. Evo was standing on the other side of the island. He also had been cleaned up by now.
“Nitro shake.” The yellow rookie said, offering the glass to him. “I’ve read that it fills you with energy and boosts your mood.”
“Give me three then.” Breez said.
“There goes our Hero career.” Surge lamented, sitting on the couch right next to his fellow rookies. “We’ll never be able to get rid of that shame!”
“Not only that but the Alpha Team might never talk to us again.” Rocka faced the floor. “All of my plans for future team-ups…”
Evo walked to the living room, offering his shakes to the rest as well.
“I guess we did go down in history.” Nex said, accepting the drink. She sat crossed legged on the couch and her posture shrinked. “As the worst rookies that messed up on their first day.”
Surge glanced at the glass in his hands, thinking for a second.
“... Nex…” He said then, gaining her attention. “About what I said earlier… I’m not mad that you were answering these questions. I was mostly mad at myself because I was so quiet.”
“Oh, no worries! Trust me, I get it!” Nex assured. “I get all excited sometimes and then I can barely control myself! I’m sorry I didn’t give the rest a chance.”
“... I’m sorry for bumping into you, Evo.” Breez joined, petting her dog.
“No hard feelings, Breez.” Evo said. “I have to remember that not just Villains are not able to see me.”
“Sorry I almost ran you over.” Furno joined as well, apologising to Rocka. He had turned around on his chair and leaning against the island was facing the rest.
“I’m sorry you did that too.” Rocka replied. Every other rookie immediately glared at him. “Fine! Fine! I did some bad things too I guess.”
“Glad we can find some understanding today.” Breez sighed deeply. “Not that it matters now…”
Furno was toying with his glass for a while. Soon, however, he grew tired of it. He placed it back down and finally stood up.
“No.” He said, gaining everyone’s attention. “No, it can’t end like that. We faced an actual Villain just a day ago and now some holograms are going to stop us?”
“You mean the holograms and Stormer.” Evo stated.
“Pretty sure he hates us already.” Surge murmured.
“Hates or not, he had a point.” Furno continued. “Today’s bust is both on me and Rocka.”
“What?!” Rocka shouted, offended. “I-”
“Not finished.” Furno warned. “It was our responsibility to lead you, but we were too focused on ourselves. None of us thought about the other even when we had to trust our teammates. This isn’t just about proving the Alpha Team what we’re made of anymore. If we don't work on that now, we’ll never get better.”
The rookies glanced among themselves, considering his words.
“You can do whatever you want with your evening, but I’m going back there.” The red rookie announced. “I want what’s best for my team, and if that means more hours of that horror obstacle course, so be it.”
With that, he began to move. The other rookies watched him head towards the doors. As he passed the couch, Surge turned around to face Breez. He gave her a silent question. With a smile, she nodded her head in response. Hero Pup had already fallen asleep so she gently scooped her and placed her on the ground
Furno was about to place his hand on the opening panel when suddenly a green hand did it for him. He looked back in surprise and saw Breez and Surge by his side.
“Like you said, we’re a team.” Surge said.
“You got our back and we got yours, isn’t that how it goes?” Breez added. At their declaration, Furno’s face immediately lit up.
Rocka refused to look at the doors until he heard them closing and the other rookie team left. After a few moments of complete silence, he exhaled.
“Look-” He began, addressing Evo and Nex. “You can be honest, I’m not a good leader. I’m selfish and mean and maybe even a little pretentious… You guys are the only ones who ever put up with me.”
Nex and Evo softened their gazes. After a second, Rocka saw the yellow recruit coming up to him. He looked up to face him.
“Nobody’s perfect.” He said. “But there’s always room for improvement for all of us.”
Those words seemed to put Rocka back in a good mood. Both of them turned towards Nex who was chugging the rest of the shake. After she zeroed it, she bounced back on her feet instantly.
“Round 2!” She exclaimed, throwing her first to the air.
Furno, Surge and Breez managed to get some distance on the hallway before they heard footsteps approaching them.
“Wait up!” They heard Rocka’s voice. They halted just in time for the other team to reunite with them.
“We don’t know when we’ll have to work together again.” The golden recruit claimed. “Better if we get the embarrassment out of the way as soon as possible.”
“Wise words, Mr. Detective.” Furno said, grinning. Rocka rolled his eyes at him.
“So, uh… What’s the plan exactly?” Surge asked as they resumed walking through the hallway, now as a group. “Or are we just winging it?”
“Eh. A bit of everything.” Furno shrugged. “We’ll work it out on the way. The most important thing is that we need to learn to cooperate.”
“I have complete confidence in us!” Evo said. “Who knows? Maybe some day, we will be as as good of a team as Stormer, Bulk and Stringer.”
“It was a complete disaster!” Stormer shouted. The Alpha Team finally cleaned up the mess and was able to leave for their own living quarters. They were standing at the doors as Stringer was looking for the access card. “Those recruits won’t last a week!”
“If you keep that attitude with them, they might not.” Bulk said with crossed arms. Finally, the black Hero found the card and swiped it on the panel on the wall. The doors slid open and the three of them began walking in.
“Don’t worry y’all, all first days are stressful! Tomorrow can only get better!” Stringer assured.
“I’m certain of this.” Stormer said as he disconnected from the group. Stringer headed for the kitchen area while Stormer stepped towards the living room. Bulk stopped in front of the doors, watching him approach their plasma tv.
“What are you doing?” The silver veteran asked Stormer. The Alpha Leader pressed a button on the wall.
“Calling Zib.” The plasma tv flipped onto the other side and was replaced by a gigantic computer. Stormer began typing on its floating keyboard. “If he’s looking for new experiences, he can train them himself!”
“Mr. Carter assigned us to be mentors!” Bulk followed him and forced Stormer to face him.
“And we’re not cut out for it! End of story!” Stormer shouted, getting in his face.
“You won’t even give them a chance?” Bulk wasn’t scared at all.
“I did! Look how that turned out!”
“Uuuh... Tea, anyone? The usual?” In an attempt to defuse the situation, Stringer pulled out a few metal cans from their shelves. “I still have those fancy oil cubes from Deltari and-”
“Not now, Stringer!” Both Stormer and Bulk snapped at him.
“Duly noted.” Stringer murmured, placing a cup under the tea express and pushing the green button. The two other Heroes returned to their own business.
“It was their first day and you threw them into a whirlwind! Literally! How were they supposed to know what to do?” Bulk argued.
“I gave them more room to learn than any Villain would allow them to!” Stormer retorted. “They had every tool available at their disposal and then some!”
“And what good are the tools if they won’t have someone to guide them? That’s why they’re here!”
“Rookies or not, there is no place for mistakes on my team!”
“Oh, don’t give me that! Like you haven’t been a rookie once!”
“It was different!”
“Was it? I still remember hearing cautionary tales in our sector about your little stunts! Yours and Von Ness’!”
Stringer had just finished making his tea. After taking just a sip, he suddenly spat it all out. Bending on the counter, he began coughing violently. Stormer went still. Outside of Stringer attempting to compose himself, the room was disturbingly quiet. Bulk wasn’t backing down.
“We all make mistakes! Instead of punishing the little ones, it’s better if we let them learn from them! I don’t care what you decide from this point on, it’s my mission and I’m planning on completing it! With or without you!”
“... I… you!...” Stormer tried to find any words of response multiple times. Every time, his own voicebox failed him. The glare Bulk was giving him didn’t improve matters either. A few moments passed between them, then Stormer groaned. Bulk stepped back as his leader began stomping towards the exit. Stringer observed him leave, and as soon as the doors slid behind him, he turned his attention back to Bulk.
“Are you outta your mind?!” He cried at him. “Why’d you bring up Von Ness for?!”
“I’m sorry. Really, I am.” Bulk bowed his head in remorse. “But we both know it’s the only thing Stormer will listen to nowadays.”
After a second, he was free to retreat to the kitchen. The silver Hero took a cup of his own and placed it under the machine as well. Stringer went strangely silent.
“For the recruits’ sake, I hope he sees reason.” Bulk murmured as he waited for his tea.
The Alpha Leader stormed out of the living area and entered the empty HQ. The night lights allowed him to see where he was going.
“‘Attitude.’” He echoed Bulk’s words with a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. “I don’t have an attitude! So many years on the team and he still doesn’t know what we’re about!”
The more he walked, the more his anger was beginning to cool down. He was about to pass the Training Centre before he stopped right in front of it. Looking to his side, he noticed that its doors were locked. Someone was inside.
Who was training at this hour?
Having nothing better to do at the moment, Stormer decided to investigate. He stepped towards the doors and typed on their panel, opening them manually. The Alpha Leader stepped inside but he immediately had to halt.
To his immense surprise, he saw their recruits in the distance. They were fighting against the same drone as a couple of hours ago. There was no city around them this time, just the robot and all of them as a group. Stormer noticed that they were coordinating their attacks, when one team attacked, the other stood guard. When the one team was open, the other was securing them. It was clanky at times, but it worked for them just fine.
“Attention, west sector!” Rocka said, dodging a shot from the shoulder cannon. “There is an exposed area between the drone’s back and head!”
Breez rolled out of the way in time to avoid being crushed with a big fist. Then, she crouched and boosted up Evo so he jumped on the robot’s back. He reached his hand inside and ripped out a few cables. The machine instantly short-circuited and powered down.
“Threat eliminated!” The computer said. Evo jumped off in time as the hologram disappeared. The recruits cheered.
“Good job, Heroes! We’re getting closer!” Furno exclaimed.
“What are you doing?” Another voice unexpectedly joined them and suddenly the room got colder. The shocked recruits looked behind themselves and saw Stormer standing there.
“S-sir!” Rocka saluted and the rest followed his lead.
“We were just…” Furno couldn’t get his words out. Stormer looked up at the holographic board. The scores of the rookies were much better than during the day. They at least went through every simulation without failing. And another thing that surprised him…
“You’re running through the same mock missions?” He asked.
“W-well… yes.” Furno managed.
“We took your words to heart, Alpha Leader.” Nex stated. She and Surge walked up to him and gave him two tablets.
“We’re training so we can become better teams.” He added. The white Hero skimmed through the contents of the tablets. Every rookie had their own profile set up with a list of their general abilities, weaknesses, as well as their strengths.
“We apologise for our poor performance today.” Rocka said.
“Especially us.” Furno added. “From here on, we promise we’ll work as true leaders. We want to make you and Hero Factory proud.”
“All of us.” Breez joined as all of the rookies stood in a row.
For the second time that day, Stormer found himself speechless. He looked between them and their notes, hearing Bulk’s smug voice mocking him in his head. He decided to ignore it and after a second fixed his attention back on the recruits.
“So you kids took care of that drone already.” He began.
“We did!” Furno said proudly.
“We found its weak spot!” Rocka added.
“A fine strategy… Except it may very well backfire.” Stormer claimed, faltering their enthusiasm. “You won’t find that in our training programme, but messing with the rampaging drone’s mechanism doesn’t always work out. You might get shocked, blown up or make it rampage even more.”
“Oh…” Furno said meekly. Stormer noticed his trouble and sighed.
“But I suppose for the training’s sake, you did an okay job.” He stated. The rookies felt like a huge weight was lifted off their shoulders. Stormer looked at the tablets again.
“Alright, what’s next on the training list?” He asked.
“You… want to join us?” Surge couldn’t believe his own ears.
“Someone has to make sure you won’t perpetuate any mistakes.” Stormer claimed. “I can give you a few footnotes in all of my great wisdom, but I need you to remember that being on the Alpha Team is hard work. It’s an honour bestowed not just on anyone and I want you to act like it.”
“Sir, yes sir!” They all saluted him. Somehow, with that small annoying gesture, something twisted inside of Stormer’s cold heart.
The next day, Bulk and Stringer headed for the Training Centre.
“I haven’t seen Stormer this morning. Have you?” Bulk asked his friend.
“Not since your big fight yesterday.” Stringer said, perhaps somewhat pettily. “But the rookies weren’t in their room either. I’m starting to worry.”
“You really think Stormer would go as far as to kick them out?” Bulk asked as the doors spiraled opened.
“I’ve no idea.” Stringer answered truthfully.
Before they stepped into the training zone, Bulk suddenly gasped and halted both him and Stringer.
“Wh-?”
“Shh!” The silver Hero prevented his teammate from moving and talking entirely. The only response he gave him was a careful pointing finger inside of the room.
The two veterans saw Breez and Rocka going against one of the fish monsters. The rest of the rookies were sitting on the platform with tablets in their hands. Stormer was among them, keenly observing the sparring.
“You, green one! Don’t swing so much or you’ll eventually lose your balance!” Stormer said to Breez, then glanced at Rocka and added: “And you! Eyes on your enemy at all times!”
“Yes, sir!” Both of the rookies shouted, adjusting to his orders. Meanwhile, the other rookies took notes.
Stringer gawked at the scene, while Bulk had a huge grin plastered on his face.
“‘The green one?’” The black Hero repeated after a second.
“Baby steps, Stringer.” The silver Hero replied, patting his friend’s shoulder. “But it looks like we don’t have to worry about our mentoring status anymore.”
“Phew!” Stringer wiped his helm jokingly, giving his friend a chuckle. They decided to stay quiet and observe the rare sight of the Preston Stormer, the mighty Alpha Leader, spending time with the rookies he was so passionately against just a day prior.