Adam was still staring at Ermis, even though the Party seemed to accept their role as his collective teachers.
Amara was trying to speak with Adam telepathically, but he kept shutting her out, [Just give it some time, we will get you back into sha-].
She frowned at him as she led them out of the room, "Come on, we are going to set the ground rules."
Ermis followed them as they navigated their way through the maze-like building with ease. He would have sworn they designed this place with convolution in mind.
After a few trips up and down an elevator, they arrived promptly at their Training Room. It was massive and made specifically for Capes testing their Powers.
Before Amara could even speak, Adam blasted off toward the "Speedster" testing zone. He was doing laps around a ring and kept trying to match his old record.
The sign showed [178mph], then [186mph], but he seemed to plateau around 190.
Germ and Amara looked at each other as he kept pushing himself further and further. It was difficult to watch someone lose so much speed, but he could regain it and surpass his old limits. She was sure of it.
Ermis just watched and picked up on the pity the others felt for Adam; he must have been faster before he "Healed" him.
The only thing Adam could do now was adapt to the change.
Amara spoke with the group, "We are going to let Adam do his own thing for a while because he can pick up our new formation quickly. Now, Ermis, we're aware that you have other Powers, would you demonstrate those for us?"
"Sure, not a problem." Ermis took his dead phone and wallet out of his pockets, "What should I do?"
She looked at Germ, waiting for his nod of approval.
When she got it she continued, "Ok, Ermis, please just hit Germ in his stomach."
Ermis was apprehensive because there had to be better ways to do this. Just looking at the Speedster track told him there were numerical ways to explain Powers.
She waved off his concerns, "It is just a regular punch. Please, come on."
Ermis shifted to his Orange cloak and walked up to Germ, "Ready?"
The 6'3 black man just smiled and nodded back to him.
"Here I go." Ermis planted his feet like he was supposed to and then felt the springiness in his lower body. He just had to rotate and slam all of his energy into a small part of his opponent, ideally the liver or spleen, but kidneys work just as well.
He pulled back and felt the Power rage as he twisted and launched his fist into the Great Wall that was Germ.
He felt a strange sensation in his hand. It was bone jutting out of his palm, "Huh?" he absentmindedly poked at something that should have had him screaming in pain, but it felt like the pressure from before.
Amara, Maya, Rachel, and Alejandro watched as he displayed an adequate form for a punch. It wasn't anything special, but it wasn't a bad technique either.
Germ had lightly stepped backward to create a give when the punch landed, specifically to prevent bones from breaking, "Wow, kid, you sure do pack a helluva punch."
The large man pulled up his shirt and lightly rubbed his abdomen as the redness began to fade from his skin.
Amara pulled out her phone, "What do you think, B-class strength with C-class durability?"
Germ shook his head, "No, straight C-class, but add speed."
Amara looked at Ermis, "You think he can run?"
Germ chuckled, "Oh yeah, his little hip twist created too much force for his own body to handle, and he can perceive time differently."
Her brows furrowed, "How so?"
"Well, it was a textbook punch, almost like he had too much time to think about it. Hell. He could probably hit harder if we beat the reflex into his body." He gestured to Ermis, "And the kid hasn't fully noticed his change in perception."
She nodded, "His eyes are moving too fast, yeah, I noticed."
Ermis looked at his mom, "I have noticed that the world feels different."
Sandy smiled and stayed back with Amanda.
When Ermis turned from his mother, he felt a source of heat on his skin and noticed a beam firing at him. He tried to sidestep it, but it grazed his shirt.
The pressure from his hand was replaced with a burning sensation in the upper left quadrant of his stomach.
He shifted his color to Green and felt the healing instantly pull his bone back into his skin with a sickening pop. Then burnt skin sloughed off from the plasma burn on his side. Within a second he was as good as new.
Maya was about to continue firing when a verbal command came from Amara, "Stop, that is enough." She motioned for Ermis close to her.
He stepped within range as she spoke softly, "I have been informed that you will require guidance mentally. Please shift to your next color, but be ready to allow me inside. I am going to help you control it, alright?"
She placed her hands on his temples and they both leaned forward, "Shift your cloak." The color instantly swapped back to the beautiful Indigo.
She opened her eyes as purple light crackled out of them. They linked mentally, her Power guiding him into the world. For the first time, Ermis didn't hear everyone's thoughts, and he couldn't just KNOW how they felt at a glance. But he could sense the animosity running in a circle behind him.
He felt her hands guide him into her mind, she was showing him what control felt like. It was a filter that a Psionic self imposed upon the world, a filter of what should and should not be.
It wasn't just rude to walk around with their mind unfiltered. All Psionic individuals had to keep their feelings and minds under wrap, lest something extreme happen.
There was a risk of amalgamations forming. They were terrible groups of thoughts that imposed themselves on reality. If the Amalgams resonated with the Quantum Particles that gave them their Powers, then they could consume Powers.
She shared the rules with him. He had to wait and be seen as someone in control, likely taking a few weeks for someone like him. His mind was powerful, but it wasn't going to put people in jeopardy.
Her Power began to unravel from the link binding them, it was likely going to take a lot out of them.
Ermis opened his eyes, looking around the room in a new light. His Indigo cloak remained hanging from his shoulders, but the constant noise from other people was removed. The Power had room for him to improve.
Amara called it for the day as she felt her Drain approach the halfway mark. They would pick up after Ermis got an actual night of rest.
Amara got a message on her phone and repeated it, "Oh, your dad says, "Put your freaking phone on charge before you pass out." then she added, "And take a bath before you come back, stinky." She smiled, "That last part came from me."
Amanda grabbed Ermis's stuff and headed for the door. It was time to get Ermis back home for the night.
Amara shook the memories from Ermis off as she left the Party to train themselves. They had already had their training session and were planning to head out in the morning for their patrol, but plans had changed, now she needed to find a solid route within the city. They'd need it in the morning, it'd be the Director's baby's first day on the job.