“Hey Pepsi?  You okay, princess?”  I asked, kneeling next to my dorm room bed.  Pepsi didn’t ‘mrow’ back, so I took a look under the bed, only to find her asleep, cuddled up to and kneading my shirt.  I smiled.  My little girl was okay.  She must have fallen asleep while I was being shown around.

 

                I took a few minutes to unpack my clothes – some into drawers, like underwear and bras, t-shirts and sleepwear – and some into the closet, like some pants, button down shirts – or blouses, I guess they’re called now – and so forth.  Some of the clothing was the stuff I bought recently, but a decent amount of it was the new stuff I traded from the people from Kijiji, and I was looking forward to trying some of the outfits out.  The newly minted gentleman I got the stuff from had different tastes in ladies clothes than I did – and was a bit braver than I was in their choice of clothing at times.

 

                About twenty or thirty minutes had passed by the time I had put most of my clothes away, and I felt a bit thirsty.  Pouring myself a glass of water in the kitchenette, I called out to Krissie.  “Hey, Krissie!  Did you want a glass of cold water?  I can bring you one.”

 

                “Sure!” came Krissie’s voice, from her room.

 

                I brought the glass of water for my roommate.  “Hey, Krissie.  Here’s the water.”  I was standing by the door.  It looked like Krissie had unpacked a fair bit of her luggage – and I couldn’t help but notice there were a half-dozen stuffed animals on her bed.  She really just was a kid, wasn’t she, I wondered.  She’s pretty young for all of this.  She must be brave.

 

                “Thanks,”  Krissie replied, gratefully taking the water and having a few big gulps.  “I was getting thirsty.  Thanks again.”

 

                “No problem,” I answered.  “How are you doing, anyway?”

 

                “Is it that obvious?” She asked.

 

                “No, not really.”  I began.  “You just look a little lost.”

 

                “I… I kinda am.”  Krissie said, sitting down on her bed.  “I was in high school – just half-way through grade 11, when I got these crazy powers.  I suppose I could have just stayed in school and been a normal kid, but people were getting hurt – and I knew I needed to do something to help.”

 

                “It’s a pretty hard choice, isn’t it.”  I offered.

 

                “Yeah.”  She replied, smiling.  “I hope it’s the right one.  I’m a little scared of fighting – but they’re going to train us for that, right?”

 

                “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re going to train us as best they can before they put us in the field.  I would.”

 

                Krissie nodded.  “Can I ask what your power is?”

 

                “Sure.  I’m basically Power Girl or Super Girl.” I replied.  “I haven’t been able to fly, though.”

               

                “For reals?!”  She asked, rather excited.  “Cool!  I got some powers that look kind of like magic to me.  I can shoot a bolt of lightning, and put people to sleep, and fly and make a magical shield – but I need a focus item to do it, like a wand or a broom or so on.  It’s really hard to explain, but it’s kinda cool.  I hope you can learn to fly – flying is awesome, even if I have to do it on a broom.”

 

                “I’d like to fly, too, Krissie.  I think it would be awesome.”

 

                “Yeah.  Do you watch Supergirl on TV?”  She asked.

 

                “Sometimes.” I replied.  “I kind of lost interest in Season 2.  I had some personal problems, and didn’t watch a lot of TV for a while.”

 

                “That sucks.  Are you okay now?” She asked.

 

                “Yeah, I guess so.  How about you, kiddo?  Is it hard being away from home?  Your friends and family?”

 

                She looked sad, and nodded.  “Yeah.  I’ll miss my mom and dad the most I think, but also my best friend Genevieve.  And William.”  She blushed at the last name.  “I’ll be okay, though.  I can talk on skype and text and stuff.”

 

                “Okay, Krissie.  If you want to talk, or you get stressed out, you can come to me, if you want.”  I suggested to her.

 

                “Thanks Karen.”  She said.  “That’s really nice of you.  I won’t forget.”

 

                “Okay, Krissie.  Did you want to go meet some of the others, or do you need some time to yourself?”

 

                “I was going to text my mom and dad, and tell them I got here okay, and then set up my computer.  I’ll meet everyone at dinner.”

 

                “Not a bad idea,”  I replied.  My computer could stand to get set up and ready to use too.  “I’ll be in my room if you want to talk.”

 

                “Okay!”  Krissie replied, and waved as I headed out of her room and to my own.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

                A little while later, there was a knock on our dorm door.  I opened it, and smiled.  “Hey, Kumar!”  I called out. 

 

The friendly Sikh smiled back and shook his head.  “I should tell you, Kumar is a nickname.  My real name is Rohan Singh Pajit Mehta – but at my old job my friends called me Kumar, so it stuck.  Feel free to call me either Kumar or Rohan, as you wish.”

 

“Sure thing.” I replied.  “It’s nice to finally meet you a little more personally.  Would you like to come in?”

 

“For a moment, only.  I was asked to escort you and Miss Krissie to the cafeteria.”

 

My stomach growled in agreement.  “Sounds good. I’ll go fetch Krissie.” 

 

I went a few steps to Krissie’s room, and knocked.  “Krissie?  Kumar is here to take us to lunch.  You ready?”

 

She sighed like only teenage girls seem to know how, and looked up from her phone.  “Yeah. Thanks Karen.  I’ll be right out.  Just missing my friends.”

 

“I get it.  I miss my friends too.”  I replied, and returned to Kumar.  “She’ll be out in a moment.”  I told him.

 

                “Alright.  May I ask your talent?”

 

                “Sure!  I guess I’m basically Power Girl or Supergirl, except I haven’t learned to fly yet.”  Karen replied.

 

                Kumar looked her up and down, and nodded.  “More like Power Girl, if I may say so.  I’m more like Reed Richards, except I’m not a super scientist.  I used to be a contractor, and I let my cousin take over running it for now while I spend some time helping my country.  It’s a bit of a pay downgrade, but it’s worth it to help out the country that has given me and my family so much.”

 

                “Wow!  I thought the pay was very good.  How much do you make a year, Kumar?”

 

                “About $180,000 a year or so, depending on how much work we get, plus bonuses if we finish ahead of schedule.”  Kumar grinned – he was obviously proud of how well his business had done, and was taking some pride in bragging a little.

 

                “Nice!” I replied.  “I can see why this might be a downgrade for you.”

 

                Just then, Krissie joined us.  “Hey, sir.”  She began.  “I’m Krissie.”

 

                “Call me Kumar, Krissie.”  He replied.

 

                “Okay.  I guess we’re going to lunch then?”  She asked.

 

                “If everyone is ready, we should go – the others will be waiting.”  He said.

 

 

*              *              *

 

 

Down in the cafeteria, the rest of the MRT was waiting – including a few people we hadn’t met before, and Ms. Potter.  Two of the three really stood out; one of the two was a dog-man who looked like he was part Tibetan temple dog, part human-being, and the other was a humanoid were-tiger, about 9 feet tall, with a muscled build and a strong masculine presence.  The third person was a very attractive young blonde woman who was sitting a bit apart from everyone else.  She kind of looked like she wanted to be somewhere else.

 

                “Ah, you see the rest of our group?”  Kumar asked.  “The Temple Dog is Rain – it is a nickname like Kumar – and the Tiger Man is Michael.  The young woman is Jessica.”

 

                “Cool.  Thanks Kumar.” I replied.  “Where should we sit?”

 

                “Anywhere you like, once you get some food.  This is a private cafeteria for the MRT and staff only.”

 

                “Awesome.”  I went up to the heating tables, where a few staff were waiting to serve me.  The food looked like pretty standard cafeteria fare, so I got a plate of fries with gravy, a rice krispy square, and a half-pint of chocolate milk.  It wasn’t the healthiest choice I could have made, but it was comfort food.  It used to be my go to meal all throughout high school, and I thought it might bring back good memories.  Krissie and Kumar followed me up to get food.

 

                I looked over at the cafeteria tables, and saw the MRT grouped into a few clusters, so I found a spot roughly between the two largest groups, and sat down.  Kumar and Krissie joined me a few moments later.  The young man, Emile, smiled and waved at Krissie, who waved back.

 

                Ms. Potter addressed us as we sat.  “I’d like to welcome you all to the Metahuman Response Team.”  She began.  “I know none of you have worked together before, but I hope in the next few weeks we can change that.  I know most of you know who I am, and some of you know each other – but some are very new.  I know it’s a bit trite, but how about everyone go around the table and introduce yourself, your power, and maybe why you joined the MRT?”

 

                Dominic sighed.  “We back in grade school, Ms. Potter?  Fine, I’ll start.”  Dom stood up. He was just shy of 6 feet tall, and weighed about 160 pounds.   “I’m Dominic Kinsey, an RCMP officer from Saskatchewan.  I’m your field supervisor, and I gained the power of controlling earth and stone with my mind.  I’m here because the RCMP still owns me for another 3 years, and wanted me to try and teach all of you how to be a real RCMP officer.  I plan on doing my best.”

 

                He sat, and the introductions continued around the room.

 

                The big black man, Cliff, stood.  “I’m Clifford Garza – I used to be Claire, and I’m still getting used to things.  I joined up with the MRT because I don’t trust cops – and I figure if I’m on the team, I can keep all of us honest.  I can move stuff with my mind – Jimmy calls it Telekinesis. I can fly and make a powerful shield of mental energy too.  I can’t read minds or anything – just move stuff.”

 

                “Thanks, Cliff.” Ms. Potter replied.  “How about you, Rain?”

 

                The man who was mixed with Tibetan temple dog stood up. “I am Bolin Zhao, but my friends call me Rain.  I’m from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and as far as I can tell I have enhanced strength and stamina, a nasty bite attack, an ability to burrow, and a big furry coat which I suspect will protect me from the cold.  I can also grow to about three times my size. If I have any other powers, I haven’t found out about them yet.  I joined up for the career opportunity – I had just graduated highschool, and my family couldn’t afford to send me to college.  This seemed like a great chance to do something good with my life.  Oh – and if anyone calls me Scruff McGruff, you’ll regret it.”

 

                There was some laughter at the comment.  I smiled too – back when I was a kid, Scruff McGruff’s catch phrase had been “Take a bite outta crime!” and it was on TV every Saturday morning for years.  The nostalgia of it brought a smile to my face, remembering that old cartoon dog detective in a trenchcoat.

 

                Ellie stood up next – she was the woman with black hair, and two cyborg limbs made of strange metals.  “Hi all.  I’m Eleanor Drake, but call me Ellie unless you really want to be formal.  I’m a social worker from Edmonton, Alberta, and I’m here because I think I can help more as an MRT officer than I can behind a desk pushing papers as a social worker.  My limbs and one of my eyes are cyberized, somehow, made of something Jimmy is calling “Living metal” – which is strong enough to bounce small caliber bullets.  My arm and leg are really strong, and I can run fast, leap really high, and punch and kick through reinforced concrete.  I can also interface with computers without touching them.  Just saying.  My eye seems to be pretty good at seeing in the dark too.  I haven’t figured if it comes with some sort of targeting system yet.”

 

                “Thanks, Ellie.”  Ms. Potter replied.  “Anyone else?”

 

                The big tiger-man stood up.  I had to admit, he was really striking – his white fur and black stripes made him seem exotic, like a Siberian tiger, but he was definitely a local.  His Scarborough accent came through pretty clearly.  “I’m Mike Harrison.”  He began.  “I was a student at Humber Police College when all this went down – and now I can turn into a 9 foot tall Tiger man with crazy reflexes, speed, and strength.  I can run as fast as a car, and jump about 50 feet straight up, and my senses are pretty hyped up in either form… oh – yeah, unlike Rain, who is always like he is, I can turn my power off and take a human form.  I guess I’m here because it seemed like the natural extension of what I was doing.  I was training to be a police officer – this seemed like the logical place to be for me.”

 

                “I invented clothing that changed with him!”  Jimmy called out. “Otherwise, if he turned back to human form now, his pants would fall down!”

 

                Mike growled and chuffed like a tiger.  “Yes, Jimmy, you did.  Can we not talk about my pants falling down, please.”

 

                Ellie smirked.  “I dunno, Mike.  Some of us might like the view.”  I couldn’t help but imagine him without pants for a moment too, and the strange feeling I got in my stomach told me I might like it. 

 

                I never thought a Tiger could blush until that moment, but Mike did a damn good attempt.  Meanwhile, I was realizing I found him – and several of the men on the team damn attractive, with their perfect superhero bodies.  The next few months were going to be interesting.

 

                “Everyone, can we get back on track?”  Ms. Potter called out.  “This discussion is obviously making Michael uncomfortable, so let’s move on.”

 

                “Sorry Mike!”  Ellie called out.

 

                “It’s okay.”  Mike growled.   

 

                “I’ll go next, Ms. Potter.”  Karen called out.  “I’m Karen Castle.  I used to be uh… Kevin, I guess – but I consider this a big improvement.  I think I have most of Power Girls or Supergirls powers, except I haven’t figured out how to fly yet.  If some of you have figured it out, I wouldn’t mind a lesson or two!  Um…  I decided to join the MRT because I felt it was the right thing to do – it would let me help a lot of people – and I needed a job desperately.  I joined because the MRT gave me both.”

 

                “Thanks, Karen.  Who’s next?”  Ms. Potter asked.

 

                Kumar stood up.  “I am Rohan Singh Pajit Mehta – but please, call me Kumar.  I have stretchy elastic powers like Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, but my kids prefer to compare my powers to Elastigirl’s.  I guess that kind of dates me.  I’m married – my family lives across town – and I joined for similar reasons to Karen.  I wanted to help people.  The pay is a down grade from what I’m used to, but I plan on serving for my 5 years, and then seeing if I’m still needed.”

 

                Jimmy stood up next, and smiled. “I’m James Reed, but call me Jimmy.  I used to be a girl named Sandra, and now I’m an anime cat-boy.  I can’t wait to see the next Comic con in town…” He laughed.  “I invent stuff.  I guess I’m kind of a super inventor – I just see how stuff goes together, kind of like that master builder in the Lego movie.  I also found some tech the night of the Emergence – a rifle that shuts off peoples powers when you shoot them with it.  I’ve almost got it reversed engineered. Almost.  Anyway, I joined the MRT to help limit the damage people like us can do, if we go crazy and do evil shit.  I also plan on getting very rich making tech for the police force.  I’m also going to be making tech for our team exclusively for the next little while.  I was told Emile might need my services.”

 

                “Um… I guess that’s me next.”  Said Emile, the brown skinned young man that had arrived with Krissie.  “I’m Emile Maloney, and I don’t know if I have any powers.  When the Emergence hit, my brain got filled with tons of information, to the point where I think I know a dozen or two martial arts, dozens of skills, and so forth.  I don’t really understand how I learned it – but it’s all up here,” He said, tapping his head.  “I think the Emergence turned me into Batman, without the 7 billion dollars.”

 

                “I’m from Vancouver.  I was in foster care, but when I got Emerged, I decided to get emancipated and join the MRT to get some financial security.  I needed the job, and I apparently have the skills, even if I have no idea how I know them.  Ms. Potter said Jimmy would help set me up with some gear I might need.”

 

                “And thanks to the comics, I have a great idea where to start!”  Jimmy called out.

 

                “Enough, Mr. Reed.”  Ms. Potter began.  “Malcolm, would you go next?”

 

                “Sure thing, ma’am.”  Malcom stood up, looking  even more like Chris Evans than before.  “I’m Malcolm Cunningham, retired Captain in the PPCLI – that’s the light infantry for the uneducated – and I served in World War II, shooting Nazis.  I was even on Juno beach on D-Day.  That was a freaking shit show.  I lost a lot of good friends.  I guess I was just waiting to die in a nursing home, when the Emergence made me younger, and gave me powers.  I can fly, and shoot lasers or something from my hands, and I can create light and blind people, but the light seems to be a mixture of light and electricity.  I’m not a scientist so I haven’t figured it out yet.  I’m 102 years old, and I don’t give my respect to anyone who hasn’t earned it.  I joined up because if someone doesn’t stop them, the politicians are going to turn this whole thing into a shit show.  I’m here to try and make sure that doesn’t happen.  I might be able to even keep some of you kids alive, once we hit combat, too.  I figure between me, Emile and Dominic, we should be able to whip you kids into shape, if Emile has what it takes. No offence, kid.”

 

                “You got it, Old man!”  Emile called out laughing.  “I’ll probably kick your ass around the block.”

 

                “Maybe, kid – maybe not.  There’s a good reason I became an old soldier.  We’ll see.”

 

                “Mr. Cunningham, I’d like to think the government has a better handle on this than you think!”  Ms. Potter replied.

 

                “We’ll see, Ms. Potter.  The way I see it is the government is in panic mode, and they don’t know how to deal with people like us any better than we know how to deal with being us.  They’ll screw things up, Ma’am – just you watch.”  Mal looked pretty certain, and to be fair, there was a good amount of evidence in past history that governments tend to make mistakes – and when they do, people died.

 

                “I… I’ll go next.”  Said Krissie.  “My name is Kristina Cologne.  I’m from Trois Rivieres in Quebec, and I speak English and French.  I’m better at French.  I have magical powers – I can cast spells from spellbooks you find in stores, and I can fly – if I have a rug or a broom, zap people with lightning – if I have a wand or something to focus with, and so on.  I haven’t figured out all that I can do, but I have figured out one thing… I can make bags like my purse hold up to 400 pounds of stuff – and stuff I put into one bag, I can pull out of another.”

 

                “So you basically have a Purse of Holding?”  Ellie asked.  “I should be jealous!”

 

                Krissie smiled, glad she had a power to be jealous of.  “I kinda miss my friends and family, but I saw a lot of people get hurt the night of the Emergence, and I don’t want to let more people get hurt if I can help stop it.  I haven’t even finished High School yet, but Ms. Potter says I can do my G.E.D. in the next few months.  I guess a lot of you have more experience.  I’ll try and not hold you all back.”

 

                Mal just smiled.  “You’ll do fine, Kristina.  Your heart is in the right place.  We can teach you the rest.”

 

                “Thanks, Mal.”  She replied.  “Mr. Peters?”

 

                “I guess that’s my cue!”  Ben said as he stood up.  “I’m Benjamin Peters, but please call me Ben.  I grew up in Manitoba, and was taking my masters degree in physics when the Emergence happened.  As you can see, I’m native American – what Canada calls indigenous people.  I joined to make sure the Emerged don’t get mistreated like my ancestors did when the Europeans came to North America.  I’m afraid people like us will end up on reservations – or worse – if public sentiment shifts against us.  I want to help show people we’re not dangerous or monsters like the criminal scumbags that are hurting people with their powers.  I don’t fully know how to explain it yet, but my powers seem to be based on some sort of spatial and dimensional control.  I can teleport – which most of you have seen – and I can move objects without touching them, but I don’t think it works the same as Cliff’s Telekinesis.  I’m sure I have other talents too – I just haven’t been able to unravel the snarl… Oh – it’s kind of like I can see a snarl in my minds eye, and when I pull at the threads, I can make stuff happen.  I don’t know how to explain it better than that yet.  Sorry.”

 

                “And last, we have Jessica.  Would you mind, Jessica?”  Ms. Potter asked.

 

                “I guess.”  She replied sullenly.  Jessica was the pretty blonde girl who I had seen sitting by herself as we came into the cafeteria.  She didn’t stand, and just looked at her food.  “My name is Jessica Carson, and I’m a freak like all of you guys.  I don’t really want to be here, but my dad said he’d cut me off if I didn’t try to do this.   If I told you my power, you’d all hate me.”

 

                “I won’t hate you.”  I replied. 

 

                “Right.”  Jessica retorted, like only a teenager can.  “I read minds.  I can even make people do what I want.  Sometimes I can even turn it off.”

 

                “Why would I hate you for that?”  I asked.

 

                “I dunno.  Why did you kill 12 people?”  She retorted.

 

                I stared in shock.  What the hell?  Did she just… I felt tears come to my eyes, and looked at the shocked faces of my new comrades.  My mouth felt like ashes.  What the hell has she done?!  Oh god!

 

                “I… I…”  I couldn’t hold back the flow of tears.  I had to get out of there.  I blurred – and literally a second later, I was in my room, bawling on the bed, wondering when my new friends were going to arrest me. 

 

                I didn’t know what to do, so I cried.  It was all falling down.  I had no right to think this would turn out okay.  I should have known this was a mistake. Jessica was right. In that moment, I did hate her.