Ermis woke from a nightmare, one where he had tried to heal a child but ended up transforming the boy into a shapeless mass that cried out at him. The memory of that wailing 'thing' without eyes, nose, or a face haunted him.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd been too hasty with Adam. His actions could have seriously affected the man's life and his ability to continue helping people.
Getting out of bed, Ermis noticed something different about himself today, a newfound mental clarity he hadn't experienced in years. His anxiety had either vanished or was suppressed.
This newfound confidence was strange to Ermis, who had spent so long uncertain about whether he belonged among the 1%ers. He knew instantly that he had been altered by his other self. He felt like trying mathematics to see if he had improved any from the change. But maybe there was a nuance to it because his Power was not active, so this had to be a permanent effect.
He attempted to summon his Blue cape to his shoulders, but nothing happened. It felt as though something was blocking him from within. His Power was refusing his summon, an extremely unusual occurrence.
Ermis decided to try manifesting his Green cape instead. It appeared almost instantaneously, seemingly ignoring the resistance from Blue.
Shaking off the remnants of sleep, Ermis checked his phone for notifications. There were a few random apps he didn't care about, a dating app that everyone had, and some messages from Jessica.
[Heyyyyy! Congrats!!! OMG!!! I hope you feel better. Can't wait to see you!]
Then, he read another message sent when his phone was off, just before they visited the Cape HQ of the 4th borough, known as CapeQ.
[Hey, just wanna know what is going on. My parents won't tell me anything. They say it is good news tho, so that's good ig.]
Ermis shot a text back, [Hey, huge stuff happened. My Power is AWESOME. I need to go to work, I am already on a team! Can you believe that?! TTYL! <3]
Feeling excited, Ermis gathered his clothes and headed to the shower to prepare for the day ahead.
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Ermis descended the stairs, a mix of nervousness and readiness bubbling within him. He knew there was much to do.
As he hit the landing in the living room, he noticed his dad and mom sitting and drinking coffee with Amanda. They appeared to be enjoying themselves while he gathered his bag, ready to head out the door.
Jorge stopped him, "Hold on there! Where do you think you're rushing off to so early?" He took a sip of his coffee and continued, "It's only 7:00 a.m. Sit down, and have breakfast. Your Party isn't meeting until 8:00."
Ermis shook his head, "Sorry, Dad, I'm too nervous for breakfast today. I just wanted to head over and check out the building before anyone else arrives. I don't want to be late."
Jorge nodded and turned to his wife, "Honey, could you have a clone grab Amanda a thermos for more coffee? Ermis is dragging the poor Titan to work an hour early today. Haha!"
The absurd comment made the group of veterans laugh, well, all except for Amanda, who tried to quickly down her coffee and devour her pancakes.
Ermis paced with a joking impatience when he had an idea. He walked over to his family and placed a hand on each, Healing any ailments. It didn't do anything for his mother, but his father had an immediate reaction. "Goodness, I know it's been a few years since I had a checkup by an A-class, but I'll be damned if I didn't need it." He rotated his wrists and felt his back crack like a younger person; there was no weird stiffness afterward, just a newfound mobility.
Ermis took a second to touch Amanda, the green light coming out for a brief moment, then it retreated as the job was complete.
The French Titan quickly cleaned her plate, grabbed her go-bag, and declared herself ready for the day.
They headed downtown and arrived before the morning rush. Ermis noticed that CapeQ appeared more ordinary in the daylight. It resembled any other building scattered throughout the city, as its interior was no longer lit by the Emittors.
As they entered the building and felt the crisp AC hit their faces, Ermis couldn't help but smile; this was going to become his new routine. Amanda drew some stares and raised eyebrows from people who were still groggy from just waking up, but witnessing a Titan in the flesh was better than morning coffee.
Ermis approached the lady at the reception desk, realizing she was different from the previous day. He introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Ermis Jones. I'm here for training with..." He checked his Cape-in-Training Card, "Team ID: 3876-YC-04-0420."
The woman typed in tandem with him reading the card, then scrutinized her paperwork. "Ermis, is it your first day? According to this, you joined yesterday, is that correct?"
Confusion was apparent, wondering how an untrained 18-year-old had been assigned to a team so quickly. Then she noticed, "Ah, you're the Director's kid. I see, and you're a Healer? Have you been examined?"
Amanda stepped forward and produced her ID, "Mr. Jones has been witnessed by the Medical Director of this borough, specifically, he has been witnessed Healing me."
The receptionist, who had barely glanced at Amanda, now had her eyes glued to her. "Ah, Amanda Dumont, from Quebec?"
Checking her paperwork, she realized it had been signed off by Jacob Hobbs, the Director of Medicine of the 4th borough of York.
She apologized, "I see, I have it right here. My apologies, my morning coffee hasn't quite kicked in."
Ermis received a badge with his face on it, a picture he didn't recall taking, but it looked like his 17th birthday outfit.
The woman in charge of admissions pressed a button and requested a guide, saying, "He will be with us in one moment."
Ermis and Amanda waited to the side, allowing the receptionist to assist another man who had just arrived. It was clear he was in a similar situation to Ermis, although he was signing up for basic classes instead of reporting to a team.
After a few moments, a man in a suit emerged from a central doorway and called out, "Mr. Jones, Ms. Dumont, could you please come with me? I'll take you to your Party's room."
They nodded and followed him as he provided a brief tour of the facility. He explained how to navigate within the complex structure, using a numbering system that, oddly enough, was once used by the US Navy.
Ermis understood the references but found the system somewhat convoluted. Perhaps it was designed for teleporters? Even then, teleporters had their own dedicated rooms. There must have been a reason behind it.
The group stopped and crossed walkways into another building that was deeper into the complex structure. Groups of Capes were preparing for their patrols, their readiness evident. Ermis couldn't help but feel excited and hopeful that they'd all return safely.
After about ten minutes of walking, they reached their destination. Their guide remarked, "Here we are, though, it seems someone is waiting inside, but I'll leave you to it." He took out his phone, and Ermis followed suit. "Just send me a text if you need anything. I am under, "Guide Justin" in your contacts."
Ermis nodded and said his thanks as he and Amanda peeked their head into the large room.
"Woah..." He looked at the massive structure within, a building within a building, meant to simulate "Heroics" for Trainees. It featured various traps and settings that could be selected to create detailed experiences. Not everyone could use a Mentalist for a mental projection into a simulated world, but this was a close second.
Amara stood in silence, engrossed in her tablet and waiting for the day to start. She heard the Golden Boy stomp into the room, making 'oohing' and 'ahhing' sounds as he went.
"You're early. Good," Ermis looked at Amanda, his attitude clear, while she shrugged and let Amara continue, "I wanted to see what kind of worker you are. Normally, we start our discussions at 7:30, but I let the team take until 8:00 today. Now, given it's your first day, you'll need to familiarize yourself with some basic ground rules." Ermis nodded eagerly. "Here, memorize this."
Amara raised her teablet, and a message appeared on Ermis's device: [Do's & Don'ts - A Guide to Not Losing Your Head. Volume 27]. Ermis frowned at the title, but Amanda couldn't help but chuckle as she remarked, "You're still using that old fool's book for training?"
Amara nodded, inquiring, "Should I continue to pretend you're not here? Or are you participating?"
Amanda nodded in agreement, understanding the implication.
Clearly displeased, Amara turned her attention to Ermis. "Kid, I want to get you up to speed as quickly as possible, so just follow my lead and try to learn something. Today, we're going on a modified Patrol."
Amanda seemed concerned and was about to speak, but Amara cut her off. "We know you have powerful abilities. Today, we'll review the rules, and you'll use your powers to Heal people. For all practical purposes, you're a B-class Healer, which means no Genetic Healing, and no True Healing. For the time being, you are strictly a Bandaid Healer."
Ermis nodded as he read the guide. It would take him a few minutes, but he would have the content memorized.