How do they know where I live?

  PRT suits came knocking at the door, and I was instantly on edge. Their sudden appearance wasn't a coincidence—this was them, coming to tell my mom about the new "arrangements" for me in joining the Wards. And, honestly? That wasn't the surprising part. I just don't remember giving them my address.

  The doorbell rang, dragging me out of my thoughts, and I heard my mom call from the kitchen. "Jack, honey, answer that, will you?"

  I sighed, rubbing my temples as I stood. She wouldn't be happy about this but what would it matter. If they were here that meant this was already happening. Better to get it over with.

  When I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was a blonde woman, she looked young– Really young. Was she really who they sent?

  She was wearing the usual PRT suit, but there was an almost bubbly quality to her that made her stick out. Behind me, my mom popped her head in, wiping her hands on the dish towel.

  "Hello, Mrs. Matthews!" the girl said, her voice almost too chipper. Too friendly. It didn't feel real. It felt like she was going to give me a sales pitch.

  "I come bearing good news!" She was practically bouncing on her heels. Jesus. Was she always this excited? "Your son has expressed interest in joining our junior superhero ward program, and I'm here to make the transition as smooth as possible!"

  I glanced at my mom just in time to see her face freeze.

  Her eyes widened with a mix of shock and confusion. She slowly turned to me, her voice suddenly sharp. "You... have powers??"

  Her words sliced through me and I actually felt a little bit guilty. But she wasn't done.

  "When were you planning on telling me?"

  "How long were you going to keep this a secret?"

  The questions just kept on coming, rapid fire, like a machine gun. I don't think she wanted to actually ask me anything. She was just confirming what she already speculated.

  "Oh, oh no, don't tell me you've been out on the streets wearing a costume?!"

  "Now, now. Let's not jump to conclusions, Mrs. Matthews." The blond girl stepped in confidently, trying to smooth things over but the funny thing is– She wasn't. Not really. There wasn't a single thing mom said that wasn't true.

  "The ward program was built specifically for cases like this so that he can learn to control his powers. There are people his age with powers just like him. He'll fit right in– like a glove."

  She smiled as she finished saying that. I could tell it was practiced. Probably multiple times in front of a mirror. It didn't make me feel any better.

  I turned my attention back to my mom.

  I didn't like what I saw.

  I turned my attention to the blonde.

  "Why didn't you say anything Jack?" She sounded sad now. "Why didn't you feel like you could trust me?"

  I didn't know what to say. There really wasn't anything I could say. Mom barely had time to watch a tv show when she came back home. She worked so hard. So much. What was I doing trying to put more shit on her shoulders?"

  "I'm sorry mom," I actually choked a bit, almost tearing up. The liquid falling out of my eyes was water and no one could say otherwise, dammit.

  It felt so freeing to have someone else know. To have my mom know. I love you so much mom. For everything you do for me.

  Mom had always worked hard to take care of me. Tireless nights, working to keep the house afloat. I don't even remember my dad– my mom never even really talked about him. And that was fine. She was the only one who loved and cared for me, and so she was the only one who mattered.

  If there was one thing good about this stupid contract, it was the fact that she could finally relax and let me do the work for once.

  "I didn't want to stress you, put pressure on you. You work so hard. So tirelessly."

  She looked a little disappointed when I said that. For the fact I even needed to feel like that. But then she hugged me. Just held me in place. It felt warm. It felt good.

  When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, but steady. "Honey, no matter what you've done, or what you think you've become, I will always love you. That's not going to change."

  I let myself feel the weight of her arms around me for the first time in… well, a long time. I finally wasn't alone.

  A cough interrupted us. I turned my eyes, noting a big dopey grin on the blonde girl. So that's why they sent her to do stuff like this? I couldn't lie, she was good at what she did.

  "Yes, your son Jack has quite the potential, Mrs. Matthews. So we do have a lot to discuss regarding payments and what exactly would be expected of him." She gestured a little with her hands.

  It was then we realized this whole exchange happened on our front door. My mom's eyes widened a little, her inner housewife resurfacing, probably thinking about how terrible of hosts we were being.

  "Of course, miss…?" Tanner! The blond helpfully chirped. "We can discuss the finer details inside." An eyebrow shot up, "Are you a fan of tea?"

  I have never seen my mom surprised so much in one day. The biggest surprise of course was when the "payments" were being discussed.

  I legitimately have never seen a larger sum of money in my life. The pig woman probably had something to do with this. Armsmaster knew of my potential and so– by proxy– she probably did too. She definitely wanted to make this deal as sweet for me as possible. I wasn't complaining. My mom was happy… So that was good.

  That was it huh, not a word about Lung was mentioned and I was almost grateful for it. So easily swept under the rug. It seemed like they were going to keep what caused his death vague. Maybe they would say he struggled too much when being transported.

  It was bullshit of course, Lung was a brute but he wasn't an idiot. He knew when to pick his battles.

  "Well, thank you for your time Mrs Matthews!" Tanner chirped, slurping slightly on her tea. She was like a constantly happy bird. "You and your son will definitely not regret this! Welcome to the wards and know that we will always have your back."

  She paused a little to think, "If you'd like, you could come into HQ today, most of the ward members should be around. We could even get some power testing done." She waggled her eyebrows a bit. So much… expression. All in one person.

  My mom looked at me, and it was clear. The decision was up to me. I shrugged. It wasn't like I particularly cared. Probably better to get it over with today. My mom looked back at Tanner and nodded.

  "Great! Two o'clock should be a good time to stop by. Don't want to have too much fun now," Tanner said, her voice a blend of enthusiasm and warmth as she gathered her papers. She probably thought she was about to give a grand speech about how amazing joining the Wards would be for me.

  You know, she was actually kind of likable. In that odd, weirdly magnetic way. Like the kind of person who could keep talking without losing you, even though you were only half paying attention. The type of charisma that didn't come off as forced—just... her.

  ***

  Later that day, I found myself back at the Wards HQ for the second time in less than a week. Just me. I insisted on going alone, mom was fussing all the way until I managed to convince her to stay home.

  The entire building was buzzing with activity when I walked in. It was a little overwhelming, actually.

  "What if they make you wear a cape? What if they ask you to fly? Wait, can you fly? You don't even know what–"

  And on and on.

  It was just me, and, well... her.

  Tanner bounced around the place like she owned the whole building. She kept talking—always with the same high energy.

  I learned that she wasn't even a full PRT agent. She was a work-study student with the Wards, acting as a guide of sorts for new recruits. Someone who could relate to them, help them acclimate to their new lives and powers.

  Why was she still wearing a suit? That was beyond me.

  "So, over there we have the ping-pong and pool area," she pointed to a rec-room setup that looked like it belonged in a community center.

  "Oh! And that's the main reception area where we have free coffee," she added, her eyes lighting up at the mention of caffeine.

  I stared at her for a second, a small grin tugging at my lips. I didn't think it was possible for one person to talk so much, but she did it with a charm that made me want to keep listening.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  It was cute.

  She was cute. And she didn't look much older than me eith—

  I'm a teenage boy. Sue me. It'd be weird being around her and not feeling… something.

  "And if you want to meet the Wards, you'll have to go through there," she pointed to a set of elevators. "But we can do that later. For now…"

  "Clear!" A man wearing a white robe said.

  Tanner clapped from behind the glass. Like the proudest teacher in the world.

  Steam seemed to rise from my fists as I looked down. The remnants of what had once been a sophisticated punching bag was now a mangled, distorted wreck, bent at unnatural angles. The wall behind it almost seemed to warp, buckling from the pressure I'd unknowingly exerted.

  And this was me holding back.

  "Now, you said you had other powers, right? Some type of light manipulation?" He looked up from his clipboard, phrasing the question with a tilt of his head. Behind him were people typing away, recording the results. Measuring what needed to be properly measured.

  I nodded. "Yeah. It's more like... heat. Intensity builds when I'm under stress, I'm only recently learning how to control it."

  He raised an eyebrow but nodded for me to continue. "Better to learn now than in a battle."

  I nodded then tried to recall that same feeling from when I was fighting Lung. Flames enveloped me, burning me, strengthening me, making me more.

  The pressure built up in my chest. Heat surged through me. I could feel the burning, the pulse beneath my skin.

  He didn't give me a particular place to aim so I just let loose.

  That was a really bad idea.

  The air around me shimmered with heat. Then there was a sharp, terrible crack.

  The wall in front of me—gone. Completely. Reduced to nothing but smoke and ash. I stared at the empty space where it had been, barely having time to process it before the floor connected to it had scorched in an instant. The blackened remains of what had been solid, now just a charred, hollow shell. I felt a pang of panic, watching the destruction unfold in front of me.

  "I didn't… I didn't mean to—" My voice broke for a second, a little bit worried about the damage.

  The man was already scribbling notes, his face a mask of professional neutrality. He didn't even flinch at the destruction, like it was another experiment in a lab, just part of the process. "Seems like your control is still… developing."

  Developing? That was one way to put it.

  Maybe it would be better to use this particular set of powers less. Keep it under wraps.

  At least until I could control it better.

  ***

  "And– The moment you've always been waiting for– The wards room!" Tanner finished, her hands shaking like a very lame confetti cannon. It was like she was trying to summon excitement, but it fell short—like a party popper that just fizzled out.

  "Thanks… Tanner." Was it possible to sound even more sarcastic? Truly, humans really are capable of the most amazing feats. I almost expected her to start wearing a "#1 Tour Guide" badge for her efforts.

  "Hardy-Har. Very funny Jack." She shot back quick, but there wasn't much heat in her tone. In fact, there was some very suggestive eye contact.

  Oh?

  Oh. Now this? This I could work with.

  "I'm gonna leave you to it, try not to scare them off. You know, with the scary eye beams and all."

  I chuckled a bit from the statement, "I'll try, might be a little too late though." Recalling how said beams almost got the roof crashing down on us.

  "Yeah, yeah. Now stop stalling and go meet the team. I'll see you later." Her voice dropped into a playful tone, accompanied by a wink and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

  I watched her walk down the hall for much longer than I actually needed to, skipping just a little.

  I was very much looking forward to seeing her later.

  I took a deep calming breath. It was instant– A wave of calm spread within me, any hint of nervousness gone. I'm pretty sure that was another facet of my powers, one of the minor parts.

  A loud beep sounded off, alerting the people inside that someone was coming in.

  A figure dressed in red stood just inside the doorway, waiting for me. He greeted me with a casual smile. "Hello. I'm Aegis. Or you can just call me Carlos. You must be the new Ward." His voice was calm, welcoming, and his posture was open.

  The surprise almost showed on my face. He wasn't wearing a mask.

  "Yeah, I am," I gave a little smile as I said that. I didn't really feel awkward. I just wasn't that type of person.

  "Well, nice to meet you, Steel."

  It wasn't surprising he knew my name. I'm pretty sure they briefed him about me. If not the pig woman, then Armsmaster.

  "Yeah. You too." I gave a short nod, and we moved towards the others in the room.

  Aegis's eyes flickered briefly to my shoulders, like he was assessing me—probably calculating the brute potential. To be fair, Steel wasn't the most subtle name.

  He gave a small hum of agreement. "So, pretty safe bet you're in the 'brute' category. Any other powers, or is it all muscle?"

  I smiled but didn't elaborate. Not because I was trying to be mysterious or something. I just wasn't sure about what all I could do just yet. Powers seemed to pop up out of nowhere for me, like some weird party trick that I hadn't figured out how to control.

  He led me into the main area, where I was immediately hit with the unmistakable vibe of a teen hangout. A couch took up most of the space, and two teens were sitting on it. One of them had a game controller in hand, eyes glued to the screen. Probably playing one of those new hero-shooters everyone was hyped about. Behind the couch sitting on the table were two capes, one wearing green and the other dressed in black.

  The one wearing black was the only one wearing a mask. They are surprisingly open.

  I didn't know who was who just yet. I think I recognized some faces, like Clockblocker—I'd seen him in a few cereal ads, weirdly enough. The other guy... Gavant, I think? Maybe?

  As for the last two… I had no clue. I wasn't really a big cape guy. Pretty ironic considering I was one myself.

  The guy with the controller shot up like a spring, practically zooming toward me with a wide grin plastered on his face.

  "Nice to meet you, new guy!" He grinned, holding up his fist. "I'd shake your hand, but I don't want you to get too excited and squeal. Fist bump instead?"

  He was grinning like a maniac, and I had no doubt that a fist bump was just as good as a handshake for him. The guy probably only needed skin contact to do whatever weird time manipulation thing he did.

  "Clockblocker?" I said with a raised eyebrow.

  He grinned even wider. "Bingo! You're a sharp one. Fist bumps all we need then." His fist was still hovering, but I wasn't stupid. At least not most of the time.

  Aegis shot him a look. It was more of a don't push it kind of glare, but it was clear this wasn't the first time Clockblocker had pulled this stunt. Probably won't be the last.

  "Nice to meet you," I said instead. Declining to experience what being frozen in time would feel like.

  His smile only got wider, if that was even possible. "Oh, you're gonna fit in great here." He said. I hoped that was true.

  Then, the second teen on the couch slowly rose, offering me a casual wave and an easygoing smile. "Hey, name's Gallant. Or Dean if you prefer. Nice to meet you."

  Ah, Gallant, I'd heard of him. I think he was some type of tinker.

  A smile crept across my face. I was actually surprised at how open everyone seemed to be. It felt nice, like I wasn't about to be thrown into some weird, hazing ritual or forced into a battle royale. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

  My hands went towards my mask, deciding to return some of the openness back. "Nice to meet you all. My name is Jack– but you can call me Steel."

  The one in blacks' mouth fell open.

  Not literally, of course. But it felt like it. With my supersense, I could feel a shift in her posture—a slight jolt of recognition, maybe? But something about it felt like she was surprised to see me... as if she knew me.

  Had we met before?