“Please, not now, oh please ohpleaseohplease…” Lisa begged, feeling the amulet pulse in her backpack. It was growing warm and shaking. Weird things happened when it did that. With a worried glance to see if anyone was watching, she scurried to her locker and checked her bag in relative privacy. She hoped it didn’t catch fire this time. “Not again, not again…”

“What not again?” came from her side.

“YAAHH!” In one motion Lisa shoved her backpack in and slammed the door shut, leaving the girl behind it staring at her, bewildered.

“Oh, Jeff. You startled me.” she squeaked, embarrassed.

“Little high-strung today, aren’t we?” Jeff said, flicking her long, silky brown hair out of her face. Lisa felt a pang of jealousy; her own short black locks never grew that straight or smooth. She’d kill to have hair like that.

In her locker, the amulet pulsed.

Lisa groaned and opened her locker, pulling her bag back out. She tried to hide her face with her backpack, and surreptitiously check the amulet.

“It’s nothing. Just a math test I haven’t been able to study for, thanks to my bratty brother.” And an ancient artifact that makes it rain blood indoors, she added mentally.

“Chris is a dork.” Jeff agreed.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, but it is tough. Just been rough sleeping lately, is all.” Lisa said, piling books into her pack, covering the damned necklace. She briefly wondered if that were in fact true. Was it cursed? Was she?

“Your folks again, huh? Wanna stay over at my house tonight?” Jeff said, wincing in sympathy. Lisa sighed.

“Thanks, but I’ll be alright. Just a rough patch, is all.” she said, forcing a smile at her best friend.

“If you’re sure.” Jeff said doubtfully. The warning bell rang, and they hurried off to class, Lisa scratching her head.

For some reason, it itched.

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“...forty-seven...forty-eight...f-forty-nine…” Jason gasped out, straining his body to the max.

“C’mon c’mon, you’re almost there!” Max cried, pumping his skinny arms.

“F-F...fif…” Jason clenched his teeth, willing his arms to move. “Fi… Fi…! Fifty! His elbows straightened for the last pushup, and he collapsed to the grass, panting. “You...crazy...bastard…”

It would be a week before the paperwork and costumes would be ready for their probation period. The stipend Max received still had more than he made at the restaurant in a month on it, so he’d promptly quit. What were they doing in the week leading up to their debut? In Max’s words, “Extreme physical training that’ll make you throw up!” With a cheerful grin

Jason already felt like jelly after fifty lunges, a hundred sit-ups, running all the way not just to the park, but through it, and fifty pushups. Throughout all of it, Max had been with him, keeping pace and going further, not even winded.

“How...are you...not dead?” Jason asked.

“Heh. I have a lot more experience than you at this. Hell, be grateful it’s me. If kibvaghn was here, you’d be spitting up blood in agony!” Jason stared at him in consternation while he laughed.

“That’s not very funny.” the boy said.

“It wasn’t a joke.” Max said, suddenly deathly serious. Jason gulped. “She was preparing me for victory no matter the circumstance. I may have hated going through it at the time, but it’s thanks to kibvaghn’s training that I’m alive today. Eventually it even got to be easy, and fun. Helps clear the mind, too.” Max explained, sitting on the grass. Jason sat up.

“That reminds me. Why do you keep calling her ‘kibvaghn?’ I thought her name was Talaxnia.” he asked.

“Oh, right. Well, a while after it was apparent that Earth was farther away than we both thought, we had to travel together for a time. But she couldn’t just up and stop saving people, and...I found I couldn’t either. Eventually, I became her sidekick, and while we were looking for Earth we helped anyone who needed it along the way. Now she was an Askennian, basically the superpower among the United Interplanetary Federation, or at least as close as it comes in English.”

“Now, Askennians have this cultural thing called a kigwauna, sort of a formal master-apprentice thing, consisting of the kibvaghn-the teacher, and the kibsohn, the student. Kibsohns are expected to attend to the kibvaghn while they learn their craft, even living together. Due to the transient nature of the job, and her, uh, quirky and forthright personality,” he quickly glossed over, “she never had a traditional kigwauna from Askenia. Together, we made quite the team as we travelled, solving crimes, deposing tyrants, and generally doing good.” Max explained with a smile.

“Huh.” Jason grunted. He looked at the sky pensively. “Does that make me your kibsohn then?” Max chuckled.

“Technically, no. There’s a whole ritual involved, and it has to take place on Askennian soil, to be recognized as official. It’s a very formal pact, but that’s just all dressed up fancy and overblown. Really, I guess you would be.” he said.

“You want me to call you kibvaghn then?” Jason asked.

“Nah, I’m not that formal myself. Though Talaxnia did make it a point to visit every friend and relative she had, specifically introducing me as her kibsohn. I think it was just so she could show off.” Max admitted, scratching his head. He leapt to his feet. “But anyway! Your distraction tactic won’t work for long. We still need to put you through the wringer! No pain, no gain!” he said with a bright, cruel smile. Jason groaned.

“Not more running, I can’t do it anymore.” he pleaded, getting to his shaky feet.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’re done with that. For now.” Max said ominously.

“T-Then what’s next?” Jason asked nervously.

“Combat training. Good exercise, and you need to be able to fight.” Max said, cracking his knuckles. Jason gulped.

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Ando pulled up to the old warehouse, scanning the area to ensure he wasn’t seen. He needn’t have bothered. This side of the industrial park was long abandoned. He smirked as he got out; the crashes and booms were audible from here.

“Hey hey boys, what’s happening? How’s training going?” he asked as he went in.

A large figure slammed to the ground in front of him. The solid mass of rock stood up, dusting himself off.

“Hey there Mr. Ando! Doing pretty good.” the golem rumbled.

“Whoops! Sorry, didn’t see ya there!” Vic called from the second floor. He vaulted the railing and landed with a solid thud, easily twenty feet, but was unhurt. “This’s fantastic! It’s a dream come true! I never knew having powers’d be this freaking amazing!”

“I’m glad you like them. Are the accommodations to your liking? I’m sorry we can’t do more, but at the moment our hands are tied.” Ando said, setting down a briefcase.

“No worries, Mr. Ando! This place’s loads better than home ever was anyway.” Fresno said, coming up with the rest of the group, each of them wearing the biggest grin they could muster.

“I’m glad. Do a good job on this boys, and we can talk about some more jobs in the future.” Ando said, taking a laptop from the briefcase, along with a needle and several syringes. “How are you feeling then? Any pain, discomfort? Unusual or erratic behavior?”

“No, why? Are you expecting side-effects?” Fresno said worriedly.

“Can’t be too careful, is all. We’ve engineered the serum to be perfectly safe, but unexpected reactions should be noted.” he said smoothly, putting on a pair of surgical gloves. “Now it’s time for a follow-up exam. I’ll need to take a sample from each of you.” They all shuddered at Ando smiling while holding a syringe.

The process was smooth, examining their blood pressure, eye dilation, and respitory rate, up until he got to Eddie. He stared nonplussed at the sheepish rock man.

“I need to take a sample for your own good, you know.”

“W-Well Mr. Ando, y’see the-the first one was bad enough, I been roughed up before but I always hated needles-” Eddie stammered.

“Eddie. C’mon, give the man what he wants.” Vic cut in smoothly but sternly. Eddie grimaced, but shrank back to normal human form.

“Sorry Mr. And-eep!” Eddie let out a shriek as Ando stuck him with the needle, drawing the requisite sample. “I-I hated shots since I was a little kid.”

“Well you’re a big boy now, you can take it.” he said placidly.

“Hell yeah! I mean, check it out!” Eddie exclaimed, slamming his fists together and shifting form. The teen exploded from 5’6” to 6’2”, his skin hardening to stone. “I’m so huge now! And I’m strong, too!”

“Don’t forget you’re not invincible, and more durable than strong, but anything that could break rock could still damage you.” Ando cautioned, entering data into the laptop.

“I know, but I'm still a tank. I’m rock solid!” Eddie grinned. Ando peered over the laptop at him, a wry smile on his face.

“Indeed? Is that to be your nom de gurre?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“Your moniker. A fake name you use so you’re not identified. You know, a stage name, like the Incinerator has.” Fresno piped up, recalling the title of the infamous fire-based villain.

“Oh yeah. I guess since we’re super now, we need new names.” Eddie said, mulling it over. He nodded. “Yeah, I do like it. After all, I am Rock Solid!” the newly-christened Rock Solid said, grinning.

“Very good. People in your profession often go by a more accurate descriptor. How about the rest of you?” he asked the remaining gang. They beamed.

“I’m 2-D!” Fresno said.

“Bladeshift!” Jimmy cawed.

“Artillary.” Ryan said quietly.

“And I’m Bounce.” Vic said, grinning savagely. “Speakin’a which, when do we? That sucker ain’t gonna know what hit ‘im.”

“I know you’re excited, but you just got your powers yesterday. You need time to train and explore them. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Ando said, chuckling. The group looked displeased, but the enforcer just smiled. “That’s the other reason I'm here. I hope you’re ready to sweat, because we’re going over your powers and how to use them to fight properly.”

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“Come in, come in!” Michael Knightsbridge excitedly waved Ando in for a debriefing. “So what’s up? How’re the boys? How’re the samples?”

“They’re all doing fine.” Ando said, having left them in a groaning, exhausted heap. “Their stamina will build slowly but surely. And with their new abilities, they’ll be ready in just a few days’ time. It’s really quite amazing how much they’ve improved from the start even today.”

“Like I always say, the best man for the job is a motivated one.” Knightsbridge said.

“You’re not wrong. I’ve delivered the samples to Dr. Thunder, he seemed positively giddy. I suspect we’ll have positive results.”

“We’d better, with how much I’m paying him!” the CEO smirked.

“I’ve no doubt he’ll deliver. And speaking of which, the boys are doing well. I’ve talked to them about bringing them on, if they do a good job here.” Ando said.

“Hmm. If they can get the kid back. I’m not looking for an investment right now.” Knightsbridge said, frowning.

“Trust me boss, these kids are young, but willing to go the distance. They even burned all their gang jackets, left it entirely.

“Meh. Sucks for them if it doesn’t work out, I guess.” Knightsbridge shrugged. His phone buzzed. “‘Scuse me. Hello? Oh, Dr. Thunder. Yeah...yeah. Oh, really? How soon? Uh huh...alright. Yeah, you got the go-ahead. Make me proud.” He hung up, beaming. “Ando, thanks to the data we got from those kids, he’s perfected the single-form serum. We’re one step closer!”

“That’s great news, boss.” Ando said.

“But not great enough. That total shapeshifting ability’s necessary if we want to move forward. The psychic research isn’t panning out yet, we need new ways of gathering intel and dirt on competitors. Just think of it, Ando!” Knightsbridge got up and stared out the high-rise window, spreading his arms as if to encompass the horizon. If anyone could, it was him.

“56.328 percent. That’s how much of this city I own officially. 56 percent of an entire goddamn city! Silver City’s well on its way to becoming a company town, all owned by MetaTech Industries. But we can’t stop there. Currently, we make up 13 percent of the GDI. That’s not nearly enough, not for what I need.”

“And what do you need, boss?” Ando said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. He knew this speech by heart by now. The only thing that changed were the numbers.

“We only make up 7 percent of the global economy. I can’t rest until that’s 70 percent, at least. Total market saturation.” He grinned back at his enforcer. “When MetaTech is the economy, I’ll be able to get away with anything. Literally anything. But to do that, we’ll need agents and spies at every level, from boardrooms and government offices to research labs and militaries. Can you imagine a better agent than one who could impersonate anyone they needed to, down to the DNA? We could accelerate the timeline and claim the world within twenty years. And enjoy it forever, with the perfected shapeshifting conferring biological immortality.” That got Ando’s attention.

“Wha…? Really, boss?” he said, dumbfounded. Knightsbridge grinned wider.

“Oh yeah, totally proven! When you can control every molecule of your body, simply turning into a younger version of yourself’s a piece of cake. Why d’you think I’m so gung-ho to get the kid back? And play your cards right, you could share the bounty too.” He winked, grinning at the spark in Ando’s eyes. “That kid doesn’t know what he’s got.”

“Gee boss, I...I didn’t know how valuable the boy was.” Ando said, stunned. Immortal…

“Yuppers! So how’s about it? Think our boys can grab the kid?” Knightsbridge asked. Ando thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. 2-D, Bladeshift, Rock Solid, Artillery, and Bounce, guided by my team, will be able to overcome any obstacle. You’ll get what you want no problem, boss.”

“I always do. What the kid can do, we need. The perfect spy and assassin. With an army of those guys at MetaTech’s disposal, we’ll rule the world in ten years.” Knightsbridge went and plopped in his chair, using the momentum to flip his feet on the desk. “Oh yeah, coming together now. There’s no point in conquering the world, when with the right price it’ll happily be sold.”