Sessions [Training]

What a good feel of the night in the big NYC. A starry night sky and a nice cold breeze just outside. A lot of people were walking in and out of the JFK airport, and one man stood out the rest with his delinquent features, white hair and a scar on his nose to prove he was a badass. Marcos walked out without a problem, even if some gave him quite the suspicious looks. He stood on the taxi bay outside, waiting for one to come and bring him to a random hotel, a good and cheap hotel, if there was one. He had just arrived from the Philippines, and although he hasn't been anywhere other than his homeland, he has seen enough of America and specifically, New York, on television and in the movies. Maybe that wasn't much, but at least he knew some of the landmark and tourist spots in the city, that's all he needed. For a teenager like him to travel alone... was a bit rare. Sure there are a lot of rebellious kids out there, but to actually ran away to another country, well, that's something else. But for him it isn't, he had a reason, well, two reasons actually. One, he had gotten bored with living with his family, and two, he had an ability he'd rather not talk about. He heard about the many heroes and villains that had strange and powerful abilities, each one different to the other. This teenage boy would fit right in, and what he wanted right now was control of his own power, so he can contribute to the greater good or the lesser evil. Only time will tell who he will side with, but that time is still far, far away. For now, what he needed was a ride to get him to some place to crash for the night, then its job hunting for him first thing in the morning. There must be at least one job someone like him could be good at, hopefully.

Marcos scratched the scar on the bridge of his nose since it itched, and he didn't like that. It usually signifies for either a dangerous encounter or an unlucky encounter very soon. Chances for both happening were there too. After a minute of waiting, an eerie-looking van passed by, and in the movies he saw, that wasn't a good sign. There was almost no one left on the airport too, only him and a couple of airport security. His eyes never left vehicle, following the car until it stopped, just near the far end of the opposite of him. He sighed in relief, "Man, I gotta stop believing in those things". That's when he was pulled aside by someone behind him. The figure wrapped one arm around him and covered Marcos' mouth with the other. He tried to struggle, whipping around like a crazed person, but the guy who was restraining him was strong. The teenager kept himself from using his ability, even when the situation needed it. The teenager also tried to scream out, but only some muffled sounds came out. That's when he felt something sting him from behind; he knew it was a tranquilizer from the things he felt once it had taken effect. 5 seconds in and he was already getting numbed, the figure dropped him and he fell to his knees. "Oh I hate being wrong!” he said before falling face first onto the pavement, unconscious.

Marcos woke up startled, quickly opening his eyes and sitting up, finding himself in a small room with completely white walls, still wearing the clothes he had on when he was at the airport, and with nothing more than his new bed, a blanket on covering his legs, and a desk sticked to the wall just a few feet away. That is, other than the small light bulb and a door big enough for a bear to go through. His head was aching inside, moving one hand to his head and the other gripping the blanket. Once the pain was gone he sighed in disappointed, wanting to believe that everything that happened up to the abduction was just a dream, but from the looks of it... that was least likely. The door opened and revealed a man wearing a pitch black business suit and tinted glasses. "Well, how are you feeling?", the man said. "Well, I just got kidnapped just on my first hour in this country, how do you think I'm feeling?", Marcos answered. "Well, I'm guessing you want to know where and why you are here?", he answered as he entered and closed the door behind him before leaning to his side on the wall.

"Well, duh", Marcos responded before turning his legs and sitting up on the bed. His feet felt cold because they were bare, and the floor itself felt like it was kept that way almost every day.

"You are in a top-secret government facility built so that people with abilities like you, could be trained to control the powers you possess, whatever they might be."

"Wow, straight to the poin. But trust me mister, if you're talking about controlling my abilities, I've spent years doing just that. I don't need your help. So..." He said before standing up. He started to stretch his arms and legs, trying to get the feel and energy back to his body. "Are you gonna let me out or what?"

"Well... we can't just let you go like that you know. I'd love to see you outta here, you can trust me on that, still got to introduce myself to 3 other newcomers. Then think about this, harnessing the power you have, broadening your horizons. We'll help you discover what more you could do."

Marcos thought for a second. He wanted to leave immediately, but the thought of finding more about what he could do than just letting attacks past through him, it'll be good use for him in the future. He grinned, "I'd like that. But first... what specific group fronts this operation of yours anyway? I doubt the CIA and NASA even have the time to bother with these things."

The man sighed, "I thought you might say that. We're not really from the government. We're much more of a personal group who just wants to help mutants control their power, and if they wish, help them enhance it. You don't need to know us, specifically. Me, I’m Max, Agent Max."

"Alright Max, at least you told the truth. If you've kept up that government racket I'd have escaped from here for good. So where do we start?"

The man in the suit didn't say anything; he only opened the door and stepped out before signaling for the boy to follow. And he did. Once they were out, the scenery was a bit too plain, same walls, only bigger, the rooms were circled around a space about as big as a football field. No raised platforms, just a pure white ceiling 100 feet above. The only thing strange were the people there, about 20, 30 people and from the looks of it, most of them were children in primary and middle school, but 4 teenagers like Marcos, and 3 men wearing the same suit as Max. They didn’t seem to notice the newcomer, but a few were staring at him. He turned to the agent, “Let me guess, this is just the dormitory.”

“Right you are. But I’m guessing you don’t really want to make acquaintances with anyone for now, so let’s head for the training grounds now.”

The agent lead Marcos to a large clear-spaced room, much larger than the space of the dormitories, and walls as white as snow. There were a few more people inside, agents from the looks of it, but different from the ones he saw earlier. Five in total, and one stood out the rest, a middle-aged woman with a strict look and a serious, confident atmosphere around her. "Well, that was fast. Usually, it would take a panic attack or a lot of resistance before they would come here. This one looks pretty calm too", she said while raising an eyebrow just as the two stopped in front of her.

"Well, I'm a good listener, and I doubt this would be the worst thing that could happen to me while I'm here. Don't worry, I trust you guys.", Marcos answered.

"Great, then this isn't going to be that hard after all. I'm Agent Victoria, me and my colleagues here will help you train and control your powers, whatever they might be. Let's see what we're dealing with here, shall we?"

"Okay, then shoot me", the teenager answered confidently. Bullets wouldn't be a problem after all, and these people would see just why. "Okay", Victoria said calmly before pulling a gun from inside of her suit and pointed it at the teenager. Quickly, she pulled the trigger and shot him three times, only for the bullets to pass through him while leaving a bright glow on where the bullets would have pierced. His power, the ability to turn to light particles and become intangible in the process, like what he did just now. None of the agents were shocked, guess these people must have seen and experienced much worse than what Marcos could do.

The woman agent simply sighed at the sight as she put the gun back inside her suit, "Let me guess, you're a light manipulator", she said without even a hint of care or worry. It seems that this Victoria had handled someone like Marcos before. He was amazed, not at her, but at the organization he was dealing with.

"Well, not really a manipulator... all I can do ever since I discovered this is turn into light particles", the teenager answered depressingly. Well, he had a reason to, it took him years just control that one trick, so he might actually just stay at this place for a lot longer.

"Alright, we're gonna have you learn the basics of your powers, that is, if you can really control light. If you're a one-trick, then we'll send you on your way", she answered before backing up, with the other agents following and Max following. They lined up, with Max in the middle and Victoria on the far right. The agent on the far left stepped forward, a man about 20-25 years old, "I'm Agent Cryo, a fellow mutant, so you don't have to worry about my knowledge about powers. Since you got the turning into light and control of it already, all that's left is controlling the very element.", he said before bringing out his hands and showcasing his ability: cryokinesis, true to his name, or maybe codename. The agent's hands were now covered with ice, and even the air around him was getting frozen, getting the whole room cold. "So we understand each other?"

Marcos nodded. Cryo turned off his ability, the room heated back and his hand returned back to its normal state. "Good. How about we start with offensive control and use? Feel the photons inside your body, start by releasing them slowly", the agent said before stepping aside and crossing his arms.

The teenager did. He stood straight and concentrated on trying generate and actually feel the movements of the light inside him. In a few minutes, he succeeded. His whole body glowed, and for the first time, he knew what was going on inside him, the photons were going wild inside him, bursting out through every pores and holes they can. He struggled to keep them in place, not just scattering out, but actually holding them inside. Cryo saw his progress and took another step back, before signalling for the others to do so to. "Good, good. You learn quickly. Now try to concentrating those photons into one specific place. I would suggest leading them into one hand, that works out great... most of the time", he said. Marcos did his best to do so, but it was hard. He had just noticed, noticed that just moving those photons by a bit was a lot of work, and also is keeping them in place is a struggle. After a minute, he managed to transfer every bit of light onto his right hand, which now shined so much it could be compared to looking at a light bulb's directly and up close. "Perfect, keep it steady now", Cryo advised.

Marcos continued, but it was taking a lot of his stamina. Sweat poured out from him like a faucet, his body shaking from all the struggle happening inside. "W-what now?", he stuttered. "Well release it now, will you? Try to imagine a projectile or way for you to do so and discharge it quickly anywhere" , the agent answered. The boy didn't have to be told twice, he raised his right arm slowly, like there was a barbell strapped on his wrist. He imagined releasing the energy in a beam and threw a jab out in front of him. Success, a small cylinder of light came shooting out of his hand, with the root or foundation being a sphere of light wrapped around his hand, with the beam continued to go forward in a straight line at break-neck speeds, before disappearing after reaching a few feet away.

"Perfect!", the agent cheerfully exclaimed before walking towards the boy with a smile on his face, and then patted him on the back. "Again!"

They continued this for another 2 hours, allowing Marcos to gain more and more control, and also discovered how to use another form while they were at it: an explosive ball projectile. An hour after that, the teenager had gotten used to it, no more struggle or pain, no more uneasiness, all control and power, and rather than having to transfer the light, he can now simply generate and release the energy at the same place. The second agent came forward, an old man who looked like he might be in his 60s. "I am Agent Howard..." he said with an Australian accent, "...and although I may not be a mutant, I am more than capable of teaching, or even beating you younglings. Let us begin!"

Agent Howard's course was a worse one than Max's, rather than simply releasing the light particles, Marcos had to handle the photons, even those from the external source. Then he had to condense those particles and form an actual object from that. A few failures, more than 20 actually. First success was a small pebble, then key-sized objects, then furniture, the last time was a small car. Took a couple more hours than the first one, and a lot more exhausting(Marcos collapsed a few times). The old man was really strict and too serious, never smiling or joking. Even sarcastic comments were too far to imagine. Thankfully, the (spartan) training session ended just as the boy was at his limit. He wobbled back towards to the dormitories, only to collapse halfway.

The next day was nothing different, he continued the sessions with Howard and Cryo, further advancing his control in both creating constructs for various uses, and projectiles for destructive purposes. By the end of the day, Marcos had already close to mastered his level of use in these two subjects. He stood crouched, with his hands on his knees, panting heavily from exhaustion. The third agent approached him, a young woman, maybe 20, 21. "Alright, I'm next. Agent Redh's the name, that's with an s. Anyway, the next thing you need to learn is... speed. Another perk for turning into light is that you can go as fast as light... or close to it."

"What do I need to do then?", Marcos asked, ecstatic. All the other trials were hard, painful. But he guessed speed means running, and running shouldn't be all that bad.

"Well, you got that, 'light form' right? Turn into that for now." He did. His whole body shined in a bright light while leaving a few shades of light particles where it shone. "Now try running around. Feel your body being carried by the very element, let it take over your body and then move."

Marcos followed her instructions down to the last and least detail. From all that he had done for the past two days, feeling and moving his body and the photons weren't all that hard. He stayed still, concentrating to set the feeling and flow of the light inside of him. Then he walked around, but his speed wasn't all that normal now, with the light dragging, carrying him and all, he circled the room in under a minute. "Nice, now run."

He followed. He felt himself going around the room a couple of times, only to stop and find that it hadn't even been a few seconds since he had started. He was amazed. "So this is my power... nice!", he grinned, wanting to continue, to learn more. For days they continued to do this, with breaks for food and rest of course. The last session was with both Max and Victoria, a short simple session actually, much less brutal than he had expected. Two whole days of non-stop training for more control, and more speed control. They didn't say why, but Marcos got a good guess he would greatly need both for what the two were planning. After another day, the agents finally revealed the oh-so great ability they kept, flight, and that was via light manifestation. A gruelling session involving a lot of motivation(combat with the all the agents involved in the training), and more concentrating. Finally, after 2 more days of training, the sessions finished.

"Congratulations. You finished the basics. You sure you don't want to continue?" Victoria asked as the group were escorting the young mutant outside. Surprisingly, the facility was just below the Statue of Liberty. Marcos shuddered at the thought of more of those brutal training, he spent more than a week and that was enough. "Nah, I'll pass. But I'm guessing I'll see you guys in the future, who knows."

He set off, sent back to the mainland by boat to the nearest beach, by his request.

3,047 Words

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