Donutman presided over a spacious conference room deep in the maze of the Federal Building’s fourth floor. He stood at one end of the room that was dominated by a large whiteboard. The students sat around an oblong conference table. The hum of air conditioning and a ceiling-mounted projector harmonised as a vague background ambience, only noticeable when the room grew silent. A pull-down projector screen covered most of the board, but the misaligned projection spilt out onto the plastic surface next to it where tacky remnants of black marker dotted the edges of the powerpoint.
The slides contained a summarised version of whatever topic Donutman discussed, delayed by a few minutes as he meandered amongst introductions before remembering to advance to the next stage of his presentation.
Kira slouched in one of the wheeled office chairs that surrounded the long table at the centre of the room, her arms folded against the chill of the air conditioning that seemed to blow directly down her neck. She took a breath before reaching across the table, self consciously glancing back and forth as she retrieved her fourth doughnut. They were the most delicious treats she had ever tasted. Luxuriously sweet and texturally perfect, the doughnuts, which Donut man had created out of thin air before Kira’s eyes, were absolutely addictive.
Kira turned to Sabina as she settled back into her seat and shrugged as she took a bite out of the pastry. Kira didn’t know much about the others that were here, but a few of their powers were already evident. She couldn’t help but feel like out of all of them, she was the least deserving to be here. She thought back to landing herself in hospital last time she fully utilised her powers. At least they could use their abilities without threatening herself as well as those around her.
Donutman droned on through the session. Kira really tried to give it her one hundred percent concentration, but his even tones eventually lost her. Kira slowly zoned out, absentmindedly contemplating her history of barely scraping her way through school and how hopeless she was at listening when it came down to something important. Kira was all too aware that Sabina seemed to be her opposite in this area.



“Norton!” Booker roared, as he led a team of officers into the warehouse. “What in the name of-” He took in the dead bodies littering the visible areas of the building, quickly coming to the conclusion that Casey had not missed anyone.
“All teams, sweep the building for remaining threats,” Booker ordered the more than a dozen men that were picking their way through the corpses. Booker approached Casey, his rifle held low. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and he still eyed the interior of the warehouse. “And tell the paramedics to get in here once you have any survivors restrained,” He added to the men before turning off his mic.
“I see you’re still taking protocol and stuffing it down that mine shaft you live in,” Booker growled as he came to a stop just short of Casey. “Good to see you back on your feet, hoss.” Even Booker’s sensibilities for doing things right couldn’t get in the way of the relief he felt as the adrenaline faded away.

Casey discards the criminal in his iron grip as Booker approached him. The criminal found himself on the ground despite his terror was very grateful for his refreshed ability to breath. The slightest glint of positive emotion came to Casey's face for a split second as he flatly spoke, "It's not like they pay me to follow protocol. The FSA can't legally pay me or hire me because of the lightning child fiasco." Casey scans the room counting the bodies in his head assessing the whole situation piecing it back together. The criminal spotted a gun near to him as Casey continued, "old habits seem to die hard. I remember in Afghanistan killing half as many people in the course of a few hours with my team. I just need to find a way to neutralize Garriso-." The criminal barely began to reach for the discarded Glock when he felt a cartridge land on his head as he heard the cocking of a lever action rifle. He froze not daring to reach further he turned his head slowly to find the muzzle of Casey's gun a few short inches from his face. Casey smiled as the criminal trembled with fear, "It's good to see you again Booker, besides I am not actually back until Monday."

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Sabina smiled as she walked close to Kira after class. She was very cheerful and Kira could tell by her tone whispering in her ear, "I think that boy from Texas was looking at you. You should talk to him. He seems cute." They turned the corner as they walked through the labyrinthine building. They passed by a meeting room with an open door where Martins was briefing a handful of cops and Booker about their up coming operation that night. Martins was a different man that what the two had seen of him prior as the facade of the quiet pencil pushed had faded revealing the elite FBI agent who had been chosen by a member of congress to be regional director for the infant Federal Super Agency. He knew his aggressive operations was taking a toll on his manpower but he hoped that he could keep his assets together long enough to stabilize the city along with the quiet trade he arranged with the secret service to secure another asset. As they walked past Kira and Sabina were oblivious to the subtle situation occurring all around them.

Booker nodded as Casey mentioned his time serving. Both men could relate on that matter, despite not discussing their respective experiences in the past. Their approach to handling law enforcement was, while at first glance similar, distinctly separated by an appreciation for details. Casey’s ‘cowboy crimefighting’ always seemed like a lax collection of precautions barely keeping his actions lawful while agents like Booker operated down in the trenches with the majority of law enforcement.
Despite this, however, Booker was not so opinionated that he didn’t see the need for Casey and was indeed grateful for it as was the case right now. Characters for the news to faun over was a net positive he figured, especially if it let the rest of them do their jobs. Booker had never come close to such renown in the public eye, not that he had even tried. His sparse mentions in the newspapers were more often than not scathing, in some fourth-page opinion pieces of desk journalists, fresh out of college and convinced their writing would make a difference somehow.
“I’m guessing you’re up to date on Garrison then- no sign of him in over a month. He popped back up a few times after the containment facility but went to ground just as fast. Not like him to avoid making a ruckus.” Booker said, idly supervising an officer who fished a thick zip tie from his chest rig and restrained the criminal under Casey.
“Ain’t no reason for him to be so shy that I can see. He did a number on Mongrel and you were out of the game for a minute there.”






Colour rushed to Kira’s cheeks in response to Sabina. She had of course noticed the boy during the class. Her unwaveringly shy nature only allowed for a few furtive glances in his direction, but those had been enough to agree with Sabina.
“Y-yeah he was cute, I uhm- suppose,” Kira stammered in response. But the thought of actually going to talk to him caused a knot to form in her stomach. Kira bit her lower lip as a wave of imagined embarrassment from a hypothetical situation materialised as though it had just happened in reality.
“But I don’t think he was interested or anything like that,” She added quickly, walking a fraction faster beside Sabina as she tried to avoid the topic.

"I am and I have reached the legal end of tracking him. He has simply vanished, but when he reemerges he will be mine." Casey lowers his gun as the terrified criminal is dragged away by an officer. He continues after visibly evaluating his gloved hands, "I wouldn't have been gone as long if my body hadn't rejected my own flesh and blood. There are many ways to skin a cat. As for Garrison I have had several ideas but I think I have a winner." Casey turns and smiles a cunning and dangerous smile before speaking again, "do you happen to know where I can acquire a flamethrower?"

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Inside a dimly lit subterranean bar as far as could be sussed out many patrons were eating and drinking with mirth at their successful reign of terror thus far. At the focal point of the room lay purple eyed, brunette haired and breath taking woman across her four armed lover sitting upon their thrown like the god kings of the days of ancient Mesopotamia. A Cabronite sat in a secluded corner doing nothing to draw attention to himself as he drank hiding his face behind the star spangled bandana he wore. The woman's purple eyes fell on the Cabronite she couldn't winnow out the irrelevant details of the exotic individual to make sense of his presence in her abode. She didn't let her curiosity show as she sat up to show her lover affection as she often did. Her pleasant moment was interrupted when lover pulled away ushering her off so that she could stand. Ashera was aghast as she saw the notorious twin of her lover standing in the entrance of the underground meeting hall. Ashera saw out of the corner of her eye the Cabronite's startled reaction to Mongrel's bold entrance. A fierce Polish accented voice filled the large chamber, "Tatiana! Where's Garrison?"

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Sabina spotted Kira's unease as though she was radioactively glowing. She remembered when her previous best friend was as shy and anxious. She remembered the magical transformation she had undergone that year. Sabina also remembered her prom king crush supplanting her with her former best friend as prom queen. To Sabina it was like a game for her to see how quickly she could turn a shy girl into confident tiger pouncing on any cute guy like her ex-best friend. Sabina spoke in a convincing hushed voice "Nah, give it a few days. He will be crazy for a girl like you."

Kira shrugged, a sceptical look making its way over her blushing face. She was almost certain that dealing with boys wasn’t as easy as Sabina made it out to be. Well, maybe it was for Sabina.
Several agents began filing out of the door they had just passed, including Aimpoint. Kira noticed and glanced over her shoulder at them. They all wore serious expressions as they exchanged a few words before filtering away into the building. None of them would especially stand out in a crowd, even Aimpoint was just a regular looking guy - unlike Casey or Mongrel.
Just as Aimpoint nodded to a leaving agent, John Martins left the room last. Aimpoint hardly acknowledged him, however, and instead started to walk in the same direction as Kira and Sabina. Kira had only seen the two men together a handful of times, usually on similar occasions to this. However she had the distinct impression that Aimpoint didn’t care for Martins, or perhaps it was mutual. Kira recalled seeing Martins and Casey seemed to get along better and wondered why it was so different with Aimpoint.
She idly wondered how Casey was doing. She hadn’t seen him since he, Mongrel and Aimpoint were all involved in repelling an attack on a federal facility outside the city, but she had heard that he was seriously injured in the incident. Mongrel was also hospitalised - by Garrison. Kira had been shocked when she had first heard the story and became even more glad for her own potluck in surviving an encounter with that monster.
It was time to get some food, Kira was starving despite devouring more doughnuts than she was proud to admit. She had always loved food, but ever since starting to train she was in an almost constantly ravenous state.

"Let's go get some food, I am starving." Sabina said before sensing Aimpoint walking behind them. Sabina smiled and turned before being met by his scowling face which dampened her mood considerably. She let out a flat disciplined tone similar to a soldier addressing a superior officer, "Hello agent Robinson. How are you doing? Sabina's voice faltering as she took in his disheveled appearance due to his constant action fighting through the city. It hadn't dawned on her that he might be fighting for his life everyday.

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Tatiana sighed as she looked at her partner who seemed very concerned and spoke softly, "I am sorry darling I have to go with my sister." Tatiana grabbed her custom oversized pump action shotgun and began walking towards her who took a defensive stance. Tatiana spoke to her sister, "I know we haven't talked much recently and I know you don't trust me, but I haven't rolled with Garrison in years. Let's go kill that piece of human garbage." Mongrel gave her sister a dumbfounded look as she walked past her. She turned to follow her asking the question on her mind, "I thought you and Garrison were-" Tatiana turned to her, hushing her and said, "I don't want to hear his name again. He did quite a few unspeakable things to me. I am sorry for what happened to you and I didn't listen. I am glad you escaped the life of crime we were caught in." Karina didn't say a word out of astonishment as she had come ready to pry information out of her sister at any cost. Martin's had a meeting planned with her Monday when she would return to light duty probably helping train Donutman's class and so she knew that if she wanted a rematch with Garrison she would have to finish him before Sunday was over. She had just forty-eight hours.

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An uneasy quiet rested on the underground chamber as the two four armed freaks left. Ashera sighed as she sat down on her comfortable throne and she began to survey her tavern and its patrons. Her eyes fell on table where the Cabronite had been sitting and her eyes widened as she realized that he had disappeared. She stood up and walked over to his table as the eyes of the male patrons fell captivated on her perfect body. She looked at a glass of beer totally untouched and she dipped her finger in it finding it was room temperature. The Man wasn't there to drink but attend his business and Ashera drew the logical conclusion that he was after one of the Mongrelite twins or Garrison. Ashera returned to her throne and pondered what had happened. She dared not leave the safety of her sanctuary for fear of Garrison away from her source of power and life.

After filling out the routine paperwork after finishing up the surgery with Casey, The cybornetics surgeon gets some knocks on his open door and when he looks up he sees a younger doctor standing in the hall with a file.The younger doctor says, “Do you have some time? I have a weird case, and rumor has it you're the best with cybornetics.” The surgeon would respond in a wealthy southern type of accent, “You heard correctly. What do you have there?” The young doctor explains, “Well, I have a non-powered FSA agent. His name is Dominic Maddox. He apparently, according to his file, pilots some kind of robotic armor of some kind and has an implant tied into his neural system to connect to it. If you want to say that. It is located in the lower part of his neck. During the most recent battle at the ‘super’ prison,” He rolls his eyes. “An impact shattered it and did an unknown amount of damage. We already had him open to correct the bleeding in a major artery to stabilize him and he is in one of the recovery rooms but most of the implant is still in him.” He places the specimen jar with some smaller pieces of the implant that were close to the surface of his neck or near the artery causing the bleed. “That is what I got out of him so far.” The Doctor says as he finishes explaining while handing the File to him. “Oh, and if it helps with getting him seen. He is Agent Casey’s, ah trainee? Apparently a deputy super agent.” The Doctor says as he is getting ready to leave. Casey’s Doctor smoothly says “Yes, I will see him. I figured I would eventually be hearing about the disgraced Scarlet City Institute’s lead cybernetics researcher. Those idiots at the institute wonder why they have so many paralyzed test subjects? When I am not busy with Casey’s continual transplant rejections that is.”

“Never better.” Booker replied flatly without a hint of sarcasm while looking Sabina directly in the eye. “And how are you two girls, your training goin’ well?” Dark circles hung from Booker’s eyes, and the right side of his face was home to a fresh series of small lacerations inflicted by flying debris. However none were deep enough to still be bleeding and didn’t look particulaly series. He was armed, as usual, even in the Federal building. A handgun was holstered on his belt, which also held several additional magazines on his left hip.
Booker fell into step beside Sabina and Kira as they walked down the corridor, his scowl remaining in place.
“Good.” Kira responded quickly, not meeting Booker’s gaze as his turned to looking at her. She found him intimidating, much like Casey when she first met him. Despite Casey’s outwardly inhuman appearance and robotic demenour, he had quickly shown a warmer side. Booker Robinson however, never seemed to thaw out.

Sabina's eye brightened slightly, "Our training is going great. Donutman is a bit dull but his experience as a crisis worker is interesting. I like how he uses his abilities to prevent suicides." She says recalling the only thing she could clearly remember. Just as she was hoping for him to leave she heard Martins shout from down the hall, ""Agent Robinson in my office now!" Sabina was relieved slightly as Booker walked toward the shout and away from the two girls. At first Sabina was interested in training under Booker as an effective agent her parents sometimes spoke about when discussing their own work which occasionally overlapped with the FSA. Now Sabina wanted little to do with angry man as she begun to worry that his hostile mood might be contagious.

Kira’s shoulders relaxed as Booker turned and headed back down the hall. She hadn’t noticed being tense in his imposing presence. She let out a small sigh at Sabina’s behaviour which in Kira’s opinion was more or less just sucking up for the sake of it. Kira didn't think Mr Robinson was the type to be swayed by such behaviour. She didn’t really mind though and supposed her view of Sabina's behaviour could be tinted by her polar opposite tendencies.
A lot of her time was spent in classes with Donutman. Much like school, however, Kira found herself daydreaming and bored throughout most of these. Donutman’s voice seemed to be at the perfect pitch to lul Kira to sleep, something she often wished she could replicate at night when she found herself spending hours scrolling through her phone until the early hours of the morning. Kira still took the classes seriously, however - or at least tried her best.
Regardless, she couldn’t wait to get a coffee and some food.

Sabina and Kira made their way out of the federal building and out onto the street continuing their conversation. They came to a cafe grabbing a bite to eat and drink. Before long the two caught a light rail train out to their corner of the suburbs where they went to their own homes for the weekend. Sabina was hardly tired but retired to watch a movie with her whole family. She pondered her feelings of her own inadequacy while the latest movie played on her wealthy parents TV screen.