Jane woke up, stretched, and felt a buzz of energy coursing through her. She was itching to test out her new powers. She was finally a full – fledged Outcast. Her 18th birthday had come and went after relocating to the new base, but she didn't want to celebrate after everything that had happened. She did, however, agree to a small party after they returned to Nyx and she was formally inducted in the Outcasts alongside Constantine. After getting dressed, she headed straight for the training room where Kento was already waiting for her. The training room was a massive space with reinforced walls and floor that were meant to handle serious force. Various training dummies and equipment were scattered around, ready for action. It was nearly identical to their previous training room, except that everything in it looked brand new…at least f or now.
"Morning, Jane," Kento greeted her with a nod as she walked in. "Are you ready for the this?"
"More than ready," Jane said, a beaming smile on her face. "I've been dying to see what I can do."
Kento stood back to give her some room. "Alright, let's start simple. Try lifting one of those dummies with your gravity control."
Jane focused on a nearby training dummy, extending her hand towards it. She felt a surge of energy within her, stronger and clearer than ever before. Concentrating, she imagined the dummy becoming lighter, and soon enough, it began to rise, hovering a few feet off the ground.
"Nice," Kento observed, his eyes following the floating dummy. "Now, see if you move it around a bit."
Jane adjusted her aether flow, but the dummy refused to follow. No matter how she concentrated, she could only make it float further up.
"Imagine it coming towards you." Kento said softly.
Jane focused and did as he asked; the dummy started floating in her direction. It stayed still by her palm, softly hovering in the air.
"Now imagine pushing it away." Kento said.
Jane did, and the dummy was immediately pushed forward, crashing into the wall with incredible force.
"There goes the new training room," Kento murmured.
"What did you say?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It looks like you can act as the center of gravity, but you can't manipulate an object like with telekinesis." Kento said smoothly, avoiding the question.
Jane frowned. "Maybe I didn't focus enough." she groaned.
"No, you did a great job," Kento encouraged her. "It's simply the nature of your power. Now, pull the dummy to you and try increasing the gravity around it. Make it heavier."
Jane pulled the dummy towards her; this time, it felt easier. She concentrated again, this time picturing the dummy becoming denser. Slowly, the dummy descended, hitting the ground with a solid thud, and kept pressing, cracking the floor.
"Impressive," Kento said, nodding. "You're catching on fast. You can attract and repel objects, as well as control their mass. Now, try manipulating the gravity around yourself. Jump higher than normal."
Jane focused on herself, feeling her body becoming lighter. When she jumped, she soared higher than she ever thought possible, landing gracefully.
"This is awesome," Jane exclaimed, exhilarated.
Kento smirked. "You're doing great. With more practice, you'll handle these powers effortlessly. Let's see what else you can do."
They continued the session, experimenting with different aspects of Jane's gravity control. She practiced creating gravitational fields, moving multiple objects at once, and using her powers defensively by increasing gravity around herself to form a barrier that slowed down projectiles. Her control was, obviously, still amateurish but Kento was thorough in testing her abilities to the max. Finally, after the intense session was over, Jane was panting but grinning from ear to ear. Kento walked over and handed her a towel.
"You've made incredible progress today," Kento said. "You're a natural."
"Thanks, Ken," Jane replied, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I feel like I'm starting to really get it."
Kento nodded. "Keep practicing, and you'll master it in no time. For now, let's take a break. You've earned it."
As they left the training room, Jane felt a deep sense of accomplishment. She knew there was still a lot to learn, but with Kento training her, she was confident she could master her new abilities. Then she'd spar with Constantine again and crush him. She smiled, satisfied.
Meanwhile, Constantine was hanging out with Shift in her room, watching a movie. The room was filled with an impressive collection of anime posters, gaming consoles, and various gadgets. Over the last few days, they had become good friends, which helped Constantine cope with his emotional turmoil and relax. It also helped Shift process her grief over Mr. O'Brien's death.
As they were commenting on the movie, laughing and bantering, Shift leaned back, tossing popcorn into her mouth.
"You know, I think this is the worst movie we've watched yet," she said, grinning.
Constantine smirked. "I don't know, it's so bad it's almost good."
Shift chuckled. "Yeah, but the acting is just... wow."
"I've seen better acting in school plays," Constantine joked.
They both laughed, the easy camaraderie between them evident. Just then, Darryl walked in, looking serious.
"Constantine," Darryl said, "it's time for the mission."
"Oh, hi Darryl!" Constantine shouted, mimicking one of the characters from the movie.
"Cut it out Con!" Shift laughed.
"Yeah 'Con', cut this shit out. Time to get serious." Darryl said.
Constantine sighed, the relaxed atmosphere instantly shifting. He got up, stretching. "Alright, duty calls. Thanks for the company, Shift."
Shift nodded, giving him a supportive smile. "Stay safe out there, okay?" she said to both of them.
"Yeah, don't go getting yourself killed…or killing everyone in range." Darryl said, mocking their friendly tone.
"I'll try my best," Constantine replied with a menacing grin that made Darryl slightly worried. He felt that he still didn't have his screws on properly.
"Are you sure you can do this?" he asked Constantine quietly, as he walked out.
As he followed Darryl out, Constantine felt conflicted. He looked at Darryl, raising an eyebrow. "I think so," he replied. "Only way to know is to try…so, what's the plan?" he asked
Darryl glanced at him. "We're heading out to track down some leads on one Morgana's allies. Kento wants us to move fast."
"Ah fuck, he's in charge? I thought you had seniority!" Constantine complained. Compared to Darryl, Kento was much less laid back.
"I'm not good in leading units and, with Marcus out, his kid wonder is our best bet, stop complaining."
"I know, I know, he's just such a hardass sometimes." Constantine sighed.
Darryl gave him a firm nod. "Just keep your head in the game, and you'll be fine."
Constantine nodded back, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Don't worry man, I've got this."
He went back to his room and changed into the gear Shift had made for him. She made the equipment for every member of the unit, minus their cursed weapons, and their clothes were no exception. She infused aether in the material, making it as sturdy as light armor and amping up the resistance to magical effects. Moreover, everyone could pick whatever style of clothing they wanted – it was both durable and flexible material. The only rule is that their outfits were black with red undertones – Constantine didn't really understand the meaning behind the aesthetic, but he assumed there was one. In this instance, he picked a suit similar to Kento's but with a white shirt instead of black. Kento had specified that formal wear was essential to the mission.
After dressing, he walked out of his room where Darryl still waited on him – unlike him, Darryl wore a fitted shirt and cargo pants, with a long overcoat; he was only there as backup and didn't need to blend in.
"Looking sharp." he said with a whistle.
Constantine felt a little uncomfortable; he wasn't used to dressing up. He thought of Vicky again. She always tried to get him to be more stylish, but it just wasn't his speed. He thought of the last few days he had spent hanging out with Shift and felt a huge pang of guilt – while Vicky was alone, he was hanging out and having fun with another girl. She was probably still looking for him, her memories barely held intact by Kento's technique…and after this mission, he'd have to say goodbye to her. He sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Come on man, it was just a compliment," Darryl said flabbergasted.
"It's not that, I was just thinking about – ugh, forget it." Constantine replied, frustrated.
"I've been checking up on her; she's fine." Darryl said softly.
"Thanks, Darryl." Constantine replied with an earnest, yet sad, smile.
"Come on kid, let's get this show on the road." Darryl said, patting him on the shoulder.
As they walked out of their new location, an inconspicuous building in the slums near the port, Constantine saw Kento, in his usual black suit with the red tie and Jane, wearing a black dress with red floral patterns. He immediately started giggling.
"What's so funny, asshole?!" Jane yelled at him.
"Nothing, nothing, I've just never seen a shrimp in a dress before." he replied mockingly.
"I swear to Aeloria, if you start this shit again, I'll shoot both of you." Darryl interjected dryly.
"I concur." Kento added. "Get in the car, time to cross out another member of the so – called "Council." he concluded.
Constantine felt the urge to grin and giggle; he had a euphoric rush at the thought of killing another one of them. However, he breathed deeply, restraining his emotions. He twisted a ring on his right finger; it was an artifact Shift had made for him, with a calming effect that wasn't strong enough to compromise his fighting prowess – which meant he still had to actively restrain himself.
The question was, could he?