What Makes a Hero

Virtue Point was a small island, a good fifteen acres of land previously owned by a wealthy billionaire who had used the land to build himself a nice home. It was somewhere off the coast of Rhode Island, a good twenty or so miles, and rarely received any visitors. The mansion was more than enough room for him and his small family, though he rarely spent time there, often touring the world or going on business trips. The man eventually gave this island and home, along with a small bit of funding to a young hero by the name of Melody Potts, or as the world knew her, Rabbit Punch, after she saved his and his family’s life. He decided he would fund a project she wanted to engage in, as well as encourage his wealthy friends to help support as well.

It was here that construction of a new facility was being built. Construction on the island had begun soon after it was transferred to Melody, a central facility being built along with a few smaller buildings which looked to be…apartment buildings? It was unclear exactly, but a massive project was underway.

On a quieter side of the island there was an old, three story apartment building. It was supposed to be the first of many on the island back in the day, but the project had lost a lot of funding before the island was bought up by the billionaire. The old dusty apartment building, however, would prove perfect for what Sam had in mind. The testing and training facility that Melody had begun working on was not done yet. It was still some time off from being done honestly, so this apartment building would have to do instead. With help from Wyatt and Poe the three of them managed to change this shabby old building into a pseudo training yard! It was filled with tricks, traps, and tests which would all measure one’s ability to be and act like a hero, to see if they really had what it takes.

It wasn’t every day that Sam was asked to train and measure someone’s capability of being a hero, but sure as heck wasn’t gonna flaunt this responsibility. He wanted to make this something special, incredible, and accurate. Also helpful and fun. Those were important too. Fun would at least ensure that his new trainee would remember what went on today. It was a perfect day for it too, warm, sunny, and a gentle breeze to ease up any tension.

They had sent a small carrier craft to pick up this new superpowered potential hero. Cobalt was his name. They were sure to provide him with free travel since he displayed great potential in ability alone to be a hero. It would be landing relatively soon too…any moment now Sam would see the face of the hopefully new hero. He could hardly wait, though still he could feel a slight knot in his stomach, worried for how this may go. This could either make or break great new addition to the world of justice.

It wasn’t long ago he was contacted, though Ryan was admittedly quite curious what the reason for it was. Leaving Lucas for any time was painful he admitted, but there was something about it that caught his interest. Ever since he had helped stop the terrorists of the New York attack, Ryan found himself more and more stopping crime across the country. Granted that was mostly following his brother around wherever he went, though the feeling of just helping people was something he began to grow fond of. The fact someone had taken notice of him was another story entirely, and not something he expected to happen.

Well, maybe he was hoping someone paid attention to his own heroic efforts. They sent a carrier to pick him up, small but telling enough to show he was dealing with someone who had a reasonable budget. What kind of organization was looking into him? He wanted to ask Sven, but something about the AI always made him feel off.  Not that he ever let those thoughts become spoken, even accidentally through his own Hive Mind. He looked to the carrier, personal made suit set inside its own carrier. Licking his lips and thinking through what he would do should this be some kind of trap.

What did they know about his abilities and how many of them would they know how to counter? He felt over the few counters of his own in his pocket, silently calculating the materials that common vehicles were made from. Crafting runes to allow him to create the reactions he needed. As soon as he was picked up and carried away, no great problems were produced from the people picking him up. Even still he remained silent, examining the people that were taking him across the water. Sitting in the corner with a steadily growing sense of unease.

He chose to dress simply, a pair of faded black jeans Lucas picked out because they looked “cool”, a light blue hoodie over a dark grey shirt portraying a whale and a dark blue beanie swallowing up most of his hair. Soon enough they touched down, Ryan stepping down and taking in his new surroundings. From the air he could somewhat see something about the island. It wasn’t much to look at, save for the facilities built on it. The scent of salty sea air hit his nostrils, adjusting the strap of the case he carried over his shoulder. Anxiety crept up on him, and all he could do was send a small message to his brother.

Well, here does nothing, Not that he wasn’t keeping some correspondence beforehand. He was expecting someone to come and welcome him, though he didn’t know what that would entail. What would these people be like? So many unspoken questions but he would have them soon enough.

Sam, despite his form being covered in a deep shadowy substance, beamed at the arrival of Ryan. He saw the carrier come in, a newer design to the flying craft (he thought it looked like something out a sci-fi or superhero movie) and darted over to the landing platform. By the time Cobalt was stepping off the carrier Sam would be at the edge of the landing pad, giving a bit of an over exaggerated wave. Once the plane was settled and the airflow produced from it died off Sam walked over to meet the guest of the hour.

Sam’s expression, for the most part, would be hard to read given the current state of the shadowy form over him, but there was certainly joy there. Happiness. Usually that’s what he exhumed when he was around people in low stakes situations. He was almost like a dog with how excited he seemed. Though, he did remember the seriousness of the matter at hand and did stiffen some.

“You must be Cobalt. I’ve heard so much about you, friend. Read reports of you from New York. I think someone actually managed to get a picture of you on your phone, though wasn’t sure if that was really you or not. Either way, you’re taller than I thought you’d be. That was some really amazing work you did there. I would love to hear more about it.” He blinked, realizing he was ranting some and let out a nervous laugh,

“Ah, ha! Right, sorry. Off topic. Welcome Virtue Point. It’s a pleasure to meet you, the name’s Odd. I’m not sure how much you keep up to date on current heroes and who is popular and so forth, but I am the sidekick to Rabbit Punch. Among the many we looked at, we thought you would be one of the best candidates for what we were building here. Talented, smart, incredible ability, and, most importantly, the desire to do good. To make a change for the better in the world. To be a hero.”

Sam motioned for him to proceed forward, though Sam would already be walking, wanting to lead Cobalt to where they’re going. “Of course, we wanted to test you a bit. See if you really have what it takes to be a hero. See if I could give you a few pointers if needed. Regardless of whether or not you want to join up with us, we’d love a chance to get to know ya, see what you can do, and see if we can do anything to support you in the future. Maybe even help with your abilities. Of course, we only could take guesses at your abilities given the data we could collect. If you’re comfortable with it, bud, could you elaborate on your abilities a bit? What you can do?”

The path Sam was leading him down would be paved and well shaded, though the sun kept thing pleasantly warm. Not too far from them a building stuck out amongst the trees. It seemed to be their destination, though, once there, Sam would hold off on entering.

He stepped off onto the landing pad, eyeing the person waiting for him with a level of curiosity. They were shaped like a man but wreathed in shadow, making him question if they were even human. Well if anyone knew anything about him, they would have questioned his own humanity as well. Was he a threat to him? His hand slipped into his jacket pocket, fingertips dancing over the few runes he kept there.  All too ready to use them if he needed to. The silence that followed felt stretched, his accelerated thought process turning seconds into minutes. Those faux-minutes revealed to him that the person was oddly friendly, especially when he finally talked.

There was no demonic cadence that could be expected from the shadowy figure, instead he sounded human and even affable. Had he allowed himself to become so jaded with strangers that he couldn’t even offer the minimum trust? No. His father taught him well enough the follies of trust. He knew too little about what was happening to offer anything like that. ”Someone did?” He questioned, arcing a brow almost curious when someone managed to get a picture of him? Was it circulating through the internet now for just anyone on the right board to see? Sounded like something Sven could wipe out. Maybe something he should do once he had the time to ask.

”Sounds like you were expecting someone really short,” he then added to the statement about him being taller than he expected. The figure did look easily half a foot taller than him, though what did he know? ”feels a little strange to know people are talking about me.” he added, scratching the back of his head, wondering what else they might have said and what else they might have known. His activities as a hero were rather new, enough that he imagined people were speculating about his own abilities. Some of his questions were answered by the new rambling rant, mostly about a hero named Rabbit Punch and what she did here. The pitch was about training heroes so they could go out and do good, which sounded…almost too good to be true.

Still that was why he was here so he would see what this was all about. The final question managed to put him somewhat on edge, though he understood why he was asked. If this were to help heroes, well they needed to know what they were working with. ”How much do you know about my powers already? I have a few of them but…don’t want to repeat what you already know,” Despite that his mind worked over the area around him, trying to pick up what he could use to display his most common seeming ability. They were being lead down a paved path, though that didn’t mean there was nothing loose. A small piece of gravel that snapped towards him, levitating around his head before falling into his upturned palm. It was rugged, much like he expected.

”I can move things with my mind. I’m pretty tough and a few other things that are a little tough to display I guess.” His fingers clenched over the rock he held, the low crackling of rapid freezing and when he opened those fingers the rock rumbled into cool dust. It was vague but enough he hoped to answer that question. ”what kind of tests exactly are you thinking about?”

Sam quietly and politely listened to the guy’s comments and quips. He was quite straight to the point, a bit lackluster, or at least that was Sam’s initial thoughts. It wasn’t bad, but…a hero should have…more gusto? Enthusiasm! That way they could inspire others and be beacons of sorts. Getting straight to the point, though, was a sign of being dependable. It was certainly a conundrum of sorts. Was it better to break the habit or just keep it as it was?

It probably wasn’t too important right now. That would come later.

Sam, after the demonstration, gave a small nod, grinning at Cobalt still, that bright attitude never leaving him. “That’s pretty impressive actually. We had figured some sort of enhanced strength and telekinesis of sorts, but we weren’t absolutely sure. That’s all we had really turned up, though. This…disintegration? Aging? Whatever you want to call it, that’s pretty impressive! Certainly has some uses out on the field, though I am sure you know that already.” He gave a nod, “You certainly have the power and strength to be a hero, but…

“We want to test a few things about ya to judge your merit as a hero.” He looked up at the building, using a hand to cup over his brow, keeping the glare of the sun from wavering his glance, “We want to test your ability to control your abilities and creatively use them.” He looked back to Cobalt, still grinning wide and with excitement, “But more than that, we want to test what we call heroic attributes. How you handle saving people, general attitude and ethics, the persona you display, and overall guts and confidence.” He gave a nod as he finished the statement.

He didn’t want to spoil too much about the test right off the bat, but it was important to know what was going to be tested. Sam already had high hopes for Cobalt, though they were slightly shaken by the initial attitude of the guy. It didn’t bode all that well, but still! That just meant that there would be all the more reason to attend the academy and task force when it was started up. Either way, it would all be tested here.

“By the end of this test not only will be to see what you’re good at, but what needs work and how we can guide you to becoming a world class hero, not someone who just saves the day.” He turned to face Cobalt now, raising a finger as he spoke, “There’s a big difference between being a powerful hero and being a great hero. You got the ability and strength to be a hero, but we want to see if you got the other qualities of being hero. If you really want to change the world for the better you’ll need more than just power! Of course, don’t want to change your entire persona, but there may be things you can work on if you’re serious about getting into the field.”

Sam waved an arm out and motioned to the building, “And that’s why I constructed this early demo-test, just for you! You’re only the third person to take a test, but the first to take this test. I’ve set up a series of obstacles inside that’ll test you both physically and mentally when it comes to being a hero. You’ll have to try and save fake hostages, defeat fake bad guys, overcome traps and tricky situations, all while displaying qualities of being a hero. So, if you’re up for it feel like taking a test?”

Ryan gave a small demonstration of his own abilities, though it seemed enough to impress. All things considered and from what he had ever seen of metahumans, he was special enough with what he had been born into. Well, he was bred for specifically that purpose. A thought that gave him no sense of satisfaction or even comfort really.  ”Enhanced strength? Sounds like it’d be pretty useful,” The only of his siblings he knew had anything like that was Robert, though he was off doing his own thing. There was never any doubt he had the strength to be a hero, though he wondered if that was in doubt in the mind of the person testing him now.

Mostly it sounded like they wanted to see if he would fit as a hero. Maybe something along the lines of ethics rather than anything to do with his skill. He could have gotten aggravated with what that was suggesting, yet instead he nodded along to the things they wanted to test in him. Most of them sounded reasonable enough, things even he expected from heroes that went about saving people or whatever. ”Guts and confidence? ” He felt there was something unspoken, though he didn’t go about questioning what they were. What someone did beyond saving the day was a curious one unless he was talking more about saving the world.

Well from what he saw about his father, power alone might not be enough to save or even change the world. A world that didn’t want to be saved to begin with. Did his persona need changing? He didn’t know what people liked about heroes, aside from being friendly and saving people. His eyes scanned up to the building pointed out to him, considering it and all the things that might have been hidden within it. ”I’m only the third person to take this test? Hope it’s refined enough,” There was some doubt within his voice, though he didn’t particularly say no to the suggestion but he was now wondering what was set before him.

Fake hostages, traps and things that would test him. Well, maybe he could impress or even go beyond what the hero named Odd expected from him. Well, fake bad guys did make him a little curious. Would they be robots or something else? People in masks pretending to be bad guys? The former sounded safer for people, though it could be a test of his ability to hold back on people. To not kill villains, which he assumed most heroes tended to do. ”I’m up for it. I’m sure I’ll impress you,” He gave a small smile, rubbing his forearm and took to the weight of the case in his left hand. wonder what will happen if I actually pass this test, He thought to himself, almost worried he might not make it.

Sam beamed at the young man. He was worried that he try and decline the test or ask for something out of it. One of the previous test takers had insisted they get some sort of payment for it or at least a favor of some sort. They ended up not even taking the test, so this…this was a big relief.

He nodded, “Alright, so…look me in the eyes, cause this part is really important. The first part of the test is being able to handle surprises, you need to be able to adapt to any situation you may be thrown into. In my experiences I found that it’s useful to-” Before he could even finish the statement he’d open up a portal beneath Ryan. If Sam had caught Ryan off guard and had caused him to fall through the connecting portal would spit out Ryan into the basement beneath the building.

The basement would be a wide room, a few crates, barrels, and sandbags stacked throughout the wide room. There were plenty of lights up in the ceiling to keep the room well illuminated and…it seemed rather average. It’d be sixty by sixty feet in terms of length, and the staircase leading up to the ground level. There didn’t seem to be much in terms of “obstacles” down here, rather it seemed like a training course. The question was, who was training down here?

After a moment, Sam’s voice would sound over the intercoms in the building. “Hero! You’ve found yourself in a villain’s den. At the top of the building there are three hostages who will be executed in thirty minutes. Your job is to get through each trial on each of four floors. If you fail to complete a challenge within the standards set time will be deducted from the counter! You, of course, won’t be informed on these standards and have to use your best judgement as to the correct way of solving them! At the end, depending on how you did, you’ll receive a grade! So…good luck. The hostages are counting on you!”

The intercom buzzed off and another moment passed. Four sections of the ceiling opened up and from them, turrets! The turrets all aimed their sights on Ryan and fired! Rubber bullets shot out, not enough to kill or pierce skin, but they’d hurt the average person. Then! In the center of the room a panel opened up and out rolled a robot on treads. It had a thick square body and two arms made from tubes. Its hands had claws, at the center of which had two long nuzzles extending from it. The robot rolled over to behind some cover and leveled its hand at Ryan, opening fire with more rubber bullets. Notably, standing out on the robot was a word painted out in bright orange letters over the robot’s chest. “Human”.

“Hero filth. Surrender. It is hopeless. You shall not get passed these overwhelming odds.” Robot mechanically said, not letting up in its torrent of bullets.

He would need to be able to handle surprise? So that either meant he was going to be pelted with bombs or a trapdoor was in his future. Knowing how things tended to go, he was hoping it wasn’t a trap door. That was when a portal opened beneath him and he was somewhere else entirely, seeing that the trapdoor assumption was not entirely wrong. He impacted the ground, falling in a crouched position and sighing. Wonder what they’ve got for me next, He thought to himself, letting the small case at his side open with a press of the button. He had Lucas help him improve the suit, something that could be put on without the long dressing The suit in a blur of matter formed over his body, black and light blue with a visor forming over his body and the small cloak fluttering.

He was informed he had to save hostages and do so in thirty minutes with unknown expectations. Well, he was supposed to be a hero that meant he would have to do things that heroes would do. The intercom buzzed off after giving him the exposition and so began his first trial. What was he going to be dealing with? Would it be anything that could threaten him or just something meant to annoy him? Would they be using live ammunition or something safer even for humans? Did they even know what he could truly do? Well they would find out soon enough.

As if to answer his question quickly spots opened within the ceiling and let loose their torrents of bullets. They were bullets right? His mind rapidly took in all stimuli around him, slowing down the rush of small objects and he calculated what would have been the best solution. Well, he didn’t want them hitting him and ricochet would have been annoying, so there was only one thing he could do to avoid being harmed. A large, chunky robot with the word human painted onto it rolled out to spew more of the bullets. Taking in a breath he let his mind stretch out and the influence that came with it. A semi-permeable barrier that caught the bullets within it like tar, leaving them floating mid air and his eyes focusing on the turrets. Imbuing the rubber bullets with for e and shooting them back, smashing through them with more force than they offered.

They likely had the resources to repair those didn’t they? That didn’t stop the bullets from firing at him, forming a small space within his telekinetic barrier, though that was also no an issue. Then he grasped the robot with his powers, bending the firing holes on its hands inwards and lifted it up before slamming it down against the ground. With that he began his walk through the obstacle course with eyes on the stairs mean to lead upwards.

Sam had watched from the outside on a laptop. There were several cameras about the base, all of which were clearly labeled "Do not destroy!" (so that they wouldn't be mistaken as another part of the test). He was tapping his foot as he watched, an excited grin on his face. The young hero certainly acted quick and the surprise had not thrown him off like it had with other trial takers. That was good. A rational head in a stressful situation was exactly what was needed to resolve instances like this. That was one check for him, for sure, although...the robot was labeled as human and smashing a human into the ground was usually pretty dangerous and could really mess someone up. Bending the gun was smart, that way it couldn't be used to hurt someone again, but you never wanted to go too hard on a regular human. That'd deduct some points for sure.

But, for now, there was still the next floor which left plenty of room to further show off what this guy could do.

At the second floor the stairs would lead to a small room with a door. Right outside there would be a large office and welcoming counter where, if this was an actual business, people would come in and either talk to the receptionist or go to their desks and work. Patrolling around the few desks were five more robots, each one with similar nozzles on their hand, four of them had smaller nozzles, signifying that they were pistols, but the fifth had a double nozzle on one hand, a shotgun. They would all still fire rubber bullets, but now of a bit more painful degree, though still far from what was needed to actually kill someone.

The trial wasn't quite as simple as beating up robots, though, all of which were still labeled as human. In addition to the patrols, at the center of the room there was a large metal box with a few wires extending and connecting to different sections of it. On the top of it was a new label "bomb". There was no timer, which probably meant a detonator, the question was...which one had the detonator. This could all be ignored and the staircase to the next level was just across the way from where basement staircase was. It'd be easy enough to sneak by these robots, as, even a novice could tell, these robots weren't the most perceptive.

(You can emote for the robots if you want to engage them in combat or sneak around!)