Forecast

I’m standing in front of a giant wall made of concrete. Well, maybe it isn’t giant. It’s only around ten feet tall. Maybe what I’m trying to say is that it’s giant metaphorically. Within these walls is where my fate will be determined. Here, I’ll-

“Are you here for something?” A guard asks, sitting in a tiny booth next to the blocked-off entrance to the Darkened Forest National Park. I jump.

“I, um, think so.” I say. I look at the back of the recruitment card Bruno gave me yesterday, re-reading the address for what might be the billionth time. And, surprising nobody, the address still reads Darkened Forest National Park. I look back at the guard, who seems absolutely miserable spending his day doing nothing in a cramped booth on a hot day. Me too, I think. I realized this morning that this all-black makeshift hero costume was not made for daytime adventures. I’m almost melting away in the late summer heat and am dying to get under a forest’s shade.

“Show me that card.” The guard says, noticing what’s in my hand. I oblige, handing it to him through a slot in the glass between us. He looks over it, scanning it with some kind of barcode reader. It flashes green, and he hands it back. “Okay, just follow this path until...well, until you reach whatever it is CHU has cooked up in here.” The guard pushes a button, opening up the gate and letting me inside. I shove the card into my back pocket and begin my hike.

CHU...short for Central Hero University. I’m still in disbelief that I'm really doing this. A part of me is screaming to just turn around before my hopes get up, but another, deeper feeling has risen in my chest. A feeling of pride mixed with excitement and determination. I know I’ll never be able to even set foot in the world of heroes, but, still...when I fail, maybe I’ll finally be satisfied with a meaningless life knowing I tried. I’ll still go to the gym, and maybe I’ll even still be Puppetmaster during vacation days. Although, I probably won’t have much time when I get an engineering job and a family. I smile at the thought, although it’s a bittersweet one.

I can lead a good life.

I shake my head clear of thoughts, looking around. I’m not really one for hikes or nature, but even I can admit the Darkened Forest is quite beautiful. Birds are singing their songs and a gentle summer breeze is rustling the leaves and branches around me. I realize it’s pretty rare to see national parks after the wave of industrialization following the Great Hero War. There were constant radio channels reporting violent riots and crimes worldwide. But, who can blame them? One billion people, around twenty percent of the world's population in 1990, were dead. And for what?

Me and my mother were lucky enough to live in Sadenburg, Germany. It was one of the few safe havens in the world, as it was one of the largest cities. Our government was wise enough to issue martial law before any news of the war hit us, so we were forced to stay at home for a few months after. The entire western world was destroyed and the eastern side was in disarray. The solution to this was the United Hero Organization, a group led by the remaining world leaders. Since they knew further fighting would destroy anything left standing, the newly formed UHO came together and thought of how to keep peace in this new superhuman society.

Eventually, they came up with the Hero Codes. Since they knew the world could never return to normal with Giftless and heroes side-by-side, these rules demilitarized every country and gave complete enforcer power to heroes instead of the government. This wasn’t meant to be a fair resolution, no.

This was the UHO throwing themselves at the mercy of heroes.

And we were lucky that it was given to us.

After a few years, life returned to “normal”. However, a new, undisputable rule silently implemented itself into our society:

“If you don’t have a Gift, you’re worthless.”

And this rule still holds true.

And what’s horrifying is how quickly society was to accept it. Suddenly, life wasn't about following your dreams or passions. Those were for heroes now. If you’re Giftless, find the best paying job you can and live out a normal life. Don’t talk back. Don’t fight. Just keep your head down and worship your newfound Gods.

I ball up my fists, staring at the ground. For some reason, my mind goes to Atlas. That bastard...acting all happy-go-lucky with that stupid carefree grin on his face. The audacity he has to act like he’s normal just like me. It pisses me off.

Suddenly, the treeline breaks and the ground begins sloping downwards. I step out of the forest into a giant clearing, the bright sun hitting my eyes and blinding me. Once they recover, I see exactly what the forest guard was telling me about. This area is huge, maybe even a square mile large. In the center of the clearing is a gigantic building with the letters CHU on the front in giant font. In front of the CHU building is a crowd of at least a hundred and fifty people, all clamoring over each other and chattering loudly. To my right are dozens of various obstacle courses, outdoor gyms, and sport stadiums.

“Holy shit.” I whisper to myself. This place is incredible in every way. Almost in a dreamlike state, I drift over to the crowd a few dozen yards away, taking in every inch of this place as I walk. Finally, sense slams into me when I get to the heroes and I begin to feel overwhelmed with the amount of commotion. Everybody is talking and nervous energy is thick in the air. Nobody has seemed to notice me, which makes sense. Everyone here probably has incredible, world altering Gifts. They’re all wearing expensive costumes and showing off what they can do.

And here I am, a scrawny kid in an edgy halloween costume with a giant knife in my back pocket.

Maybe this isn’t right for me. I begin to second guess myself, anxiety washing over me. Why am I here…? Am I really stupid enough to compete with these up and coming heroes? They’re better than me in every possible way. I should just-

“You Puppetmaster?” A familiar voice rings out in my right ear. I turn. “I can’t believe it! I never thought I’d meet you in person.” Atlas says. Of course he’s here, I think to myself. He’s dressed in a tight, dark blue suit with fingerless gloves and has yellow tinted goggles on his forehead. This is exactly what every young hero aspires to look like. He tilts his head at me. “No? Did I confuse you with a different hero?” I snap out of my observation.

“Y-Yes, that’s me. You know who I am?” I ask.

“Of course I do. I’ve only just moved to Sadenburg to attend CHU, but even I’ve heard of the mysterious vigilante in all black stopping crime at night. I seriously respect you. I really wanted to go out at night and stop petty crime, but my father told me it’s too dangerous.”

“It is dangerous, Atlas, but that’s exactly why I do it.” He looks at me funny.

“You know my name?” Shit! I silently curse myself. Of course I shouldn’t know his name! Spencer knows Atlas, not Puppetmaster. I quickly think of an excuse.

“I know-” I begin, but I’m cut off as something hits me square in the face. Something...sticky?! I yell in surprise, quickly putting my fists up the way Atlas taught me. I can’t see, but I’ll still fight whoever’s attacking me!

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!” A girl’s voice calls out to me, rapidly getting closer. Are you my attacker?! I throw a straight punch at the voice's origin, but someone grabs my fist, stopping me.

“Ch-Chill out, Puppetmaster! It was a misfire. I think.” He says in my left ear. From my right is the girl’s voice.

“Y-Yeah, I promise! Here, hold still…” Suddenly, a hand is pressed into my face. It’s uncomfortable, but, with my options running out, I hold still and let it happen. Over the course of a few seconds, the sticky projectile melts off and I open up my eyes. In front of me is a short girl with a black suit with light purple stripes running across. Her dark, black hair is cut to her shoulder and runs wild. Her eyes are a dark red. She has a Gift, that’s for sure. She smiles apologetically at me, and that’s when I see that she has...fangs…?

“I’m so sorry. I was just showing my Gift to someone and completely misfired my webs. That’s my fault. Sorry. Again.”

“You have, um, fangs.” I say, pointing at her teeth in shock.

“Um...yeah…?” She cocks her head at me. “That’s kind of the norm for Mutation Gifts.” I shake my head. Nobody is going to buy that I have a Gift if I get surprised by every little thing.

“Sorry. Just a bit shaken up, that’s all. I’ve seen plenty of...fangs...before in my life.” She narrows her eyes at me.

“Okay...I’m Aya, by the way. Nice to meet’cha.” My attacker shoots out a hand which I reluctantly shake.

“Likewise. Puppetmaster.” I say my hero name.

“Ohhh, you’re one of those anonymous heroes, aren’t you?” She observes. I nod.

“That’s right.” Anonymous heroes are rather rare, as they’ve only just been legally recognized in a new Hero Code a year ago. Before the law they were treated as criminals.

“That’s so cool! Well, if we’re trading hero names, I’m Kumo. That means spider in Japanese, in case you were wondering.” Now that she mentions it, she does have an asian complexion. I hadn’t noticed, as I was still disoriented from, you know...being shot in the face with what was apparently a web. I shudder at the thought. I’m not fond of spiders.

“And I’m Atlas!” Atlas exclaims. He seems a bit annoyed that he was completely cut out of the conversation. Aya turns to him, then gasps.

“W-Wait. Atlas? Like...the Atlas? The legendary rookie hero Hermes?” Atlas scratches the back of his head, embarrassed.

“Yup. That’s me.” He says sheepishly.

“No way! Why is someone as famous as you here?” Aya seems to be a total fangirl of Atlas. I turn to him, raising an eyebrow. I wasn’t aware he was some kind of playboy celebrity.

“Well, I definitely could’ve gotten in through recommendations alone, but I’d feel too guilty if I did that so I decided to try out just like everyone else.” I give him a blank stare. How generous of you to stoop down to us mortals.

“Said like a true hero!” Aya remarks.

“I’m not even close to that yet…” Atlas says, whispering near the end. He’s clearly embarrassed by Aya, which annoys me. I’m starting to become really sick of this humble facade. He’s only here because he wants to rub in just how much better he is than us, I’m sure of it. I open my mouth, about to tell him what I think, when-

“Attention all students! Hello!” Bruno, the man who recruited me along Kana, is standing at the front of the crowd with a megaphone. The noise level drops rapidly until all is silent.

“So, um. What’s the deal with airline food?” He smiles, having to take a second to snicker quietly to himself. Nobody laughs. He sees this, blushing and resuming his talk. “Um, ok. Form an orderly line and head to the left of here. You’ll see a bunch of chairs. Take a seat, and something will happen eventually. Thank you.” Bruno puts away the megaphone, and the crowd quickly descends back into madness as everyone clamors into a line. I’m pushed around until I find myself behind Atlas in the line. Aya has completely disappeared in the chaos, it seems.

As we walk to the promised seats, Atlas turns around.

“Hey, PM. Is it cool if I call you PM? Puppetmaster is kind of long, isn’t it?” I sigh.

“Whatever you want.” It seems short, snappy names are preferred in this profession. My artistic, painstakingly chosen name seems to be “too long” for people.

“We should stick together, yeah? Who knows what we’ll be going through during these tryouts. It’s good to have someone you can rely on. Plus, I think I could learn a lot from a vigilante like you.” He looks at me, hopeful. An alliance? That’s interesting...although, I would rather ally with a weaker hero. I know that’s odd, but those with powerful physical Gifts tend to be more narrow minded and approach situations with a head-on mentality. Plus, I won’t be able to relate to them in the slightest. However…

“Good idea, Atlas.” I say. He smiles at me, and he throws out a fist. I look at it, confused.

“Pound it! You know?” Ah. Yes. “Pound it.” I’ve heard of this before. I punch his fist. “Have you never done this before?” He gives me a sympathetic look you would give a starving puppy on the side of the street.

“Yes. Of course I have.” I lie. Amber was my only friend growing up, and she was more of a hugging type of celebrater. Although, it’s pretty rare for her to do it to me anymore because I’m so awkward. Last time I even patted her on the back. Maybe that’s why she stopped…

“If you say so.” Atlas shrugs, turning away. Hm...teaming up with a powerful Hero isn’t all bad. Truth be told, I’d rather not make allies in the first place. It’s the only way to make sure you aren’t betrayed, after all. Plus, I’ve always rolled alone. I do better without someone constantly nagging me about our next move or decision. Although...if I play my cards right…

He can become the sword to my shield.

I shake my head. Why am I thinking about the long term in the first place? I’ve heard the acceptance rate here is incredibly low. Unless a miracle happens...no. I won’t allow my hopes to get up. Atlas and I walk alongside the paved path, taking in the sighs the giant camp offers. Surrounding all sides are trees as far as the eye can see. According to the map I looked at beforehand, we’re in the heart of the Darkened Forest. There are miles upon miles of trees around us. I suppose this is to make it hard for anyone to find us. To my right is a beautiful, wide lake. I assume it’s manmade, however. I wonder what kinds of tests we’ll be participating in.

In front of us is a building with the CHU acronym. It’s a generic looking campus building, but it is impressively tall at about three stories high. I remember it said on the back of the recruitment card that this would be a multi-day test, so I’m betting this is where we’ll be living for the next few days. The path curves left directly in front of the campus’s entrance, so Atlas and I make a sharp turn. The chattering around us is still deafening, but the general topic of conversation has shifted from introductions to speculation.

“What would I do if I was trying to gauge a hero’s power...maybe I’d have the rookies fight!” A young boy says.

“No, no. We’re not sure how to control our Gifts yet, so it wouldn’t be safe to have us fight. The teachers know this.” A girl with a deeper voice says.

“I think we’ll definitely have to fight something, though.” A tall boy adds. The general consensus changes several times without a main theory yet to be established. We make our way to an outdoor stage area with several dozen rows of chairs. Atlas and I shuffle to the second row, taking seats in the middle. Atlas plops down to my left, getting comfy. To my right is a boy of average stature wearing jeans and a white hoodie. He has dark red eyes and dyed icy blue hair, which I can tell is naturally black from the roots. Under his eyes are dark eyebags, even darker than mine. I suppose my gaze must be obvious, because he looks at me with an unflinching tired look on his face. He doesn’t say anything. We make eye contact which I break immediately out of awkwardness. Should I say something…?

“I’m Puppetmaster. Nice to meet you.” I nod in his direction. He doesn’t say anything for a bit. Finally, he opens his mouth.

“Masaru.” He looks away from me, clearly not wanting to make more small talk. I’m not complaining, though. I’ve always hated mindlessly chatting with people about things that don’t matter. Wouldn’t life be a lot better if we learned how to be comfortable with silence?

“Yo, PM.” Speaking of silence...Atlas is trying to get my attention. “You have a Psychic Gift, right?” I nod. There are five types of Gift Classifications: Physical, Psychic, Mutation, Materialization, and Timespace Manipulation. I’m feigning a Psychic Gift, since I obviously couldn’t fake anything like super strength or time control. Atlas definitely has a Physical Gift, since his Gift amplifies his natural strength. Aya, the girl from earlier, appears to have a Mutation Gift which gives her spider-like features.

“What about it?” I ask.

“Well, you’re probably super-smart because of it, right? Can you predict what the tests will be?” He gives me a hopeful look. I sigh deeply and cross my arms.

“No. That’s not what my Gift does, unfortunately. Also, it’s a hurtful stereotype to assume I’m a genius just because I have a Psychic Gift.”

“O-Oh, is it? Sorry.” He averts his gaze away from me, embarrassed. We sit in silence for a moment, and I look around to see who else is in our row. Suddenly, I see someone waving at me from the end of the row; Aya. We make eye contact and she smiles. I give her a slight two-finger salute and a nod. She seems satisfied with this, so she stops waving. I turn my attention back to the stage in front of me, noticing movement. A woman with long blonde hair in business attire has taken to the podium with two Heroes on either side of her. Acting as her bodyguards, I would assume. Wait...I recognize the one on the left.

“Hansha…?” I whisper. Kana Kiryu is one of the bodyguards. She’s wearing a katana on her back with her black hair tied up in a bun. She’s wearing her signature all-black outfit which looks stylish while also allowing her incredibly fast movement. The other bodyguard is a short man wearing a lab coat, glasses over red eyes, and short-cut white hair. He’s looking over the crowd of students with a slight smirk on his face. It’s really creepy, to be honest. Finally, his gaze lands on me, and we make direct eye contact. We maintain it for only a moment before he continues on. There’s something weird about this man…

“Good afternoon, young heroes!” The woman at the podium says.

“Good afternoon!” The young heroes in question respond in unison. Well, not me. I wasn’t aware we would have to speak back.

“I am Skye Stone, the current Headmistress of Central Hero University. I welcome you all today to the annual CHU tryouts.” Skye Stone...Skye...Stone...I gasp. I’ve heard of her before. Skye Stone, AKA Mindgame. Her Gift, Ultra Memory, allows her to retain and recall any piece of information she’s ever been given. She was a relatively famous strategist in the Great Hero War which is how I know of her. “It takes a great deal of bravery to take the first step into the wonderful profession of hero, so I applaud you all for taking the initiative.” Another round of cheering from the crowd. I look to my left; Atlas is cheering and his eyes are starry.

“Yeahhh! That’s what I’m talking about!” He yells. I look to my right. Masaru is simply staring, unbothered. Is he trying to absorb as much information as possible, or is he just bored? I can't seem to get a read on him.

“Now! Let’s make the most of our time. I will now explain just what will be going on here.” I lean forward. This is the part I was waiting for. I did some research on CHU entrance tests last night, but I found almost nothing. Heroes who’ve attended CHU have refused to give details on what happened, and, even if they did, it’s pointless. Apparently, the tests change each year so nobody can unfairly prepare. However, three core abilities are graded: Strength, Agility, and Mental. If you do well on even one of these factors, you could pass.

“You will all be here for a total of five days. There will be one test every day, which you will be scored on depending on how well you did compared to the average score. After the final exam, your total points will be tallied up and the top scorers will be allowed into CHU. There are one-hundred-eighty of you out there, all personally recruited by CHU employees. Historically, only a third of students pass this test. So, I mean it when I say this…” Skye’s red eyes seem to sheen in the bright sunlight. “Do your best, young heroes!” Her monologue ends and is met with deafening applause and cheering. I clap gently, both excited and afraid. Only a third get in...that’s only sixty out of the one-hundred-eighty. Skye sticks around a little longer, then steps down and is replaced by Bruno.

“Heya, heroes. I’m here to let you guys know how testing will be conducted. You’ll all be divided into groups of twelve led by a CHU instructor. The group you’ll be in is determined by the row you’re sitting in.” The row…? I look to my left. Atlas looks back at me, grinning.

“Nice. Looks like we’ll be sticking together, PM.” Atlas whispers to me.

“Y-Yeah.” I whisper back. This is bad...if the tests revolve around fighting the others in your group, I’m in serious trouble. How the hell am I meant to compete against a hero like Atlas?

“Okay, I’m gonna go through you guys row by row. When I say your row’s number, stand up and follow the appropriate instructor. Thank you. ‘Kay, Row Number One.” Everyone in front of us stands up. “You’ll be with Mr. Katsumi Nishi.” The odd bodyguard with white hair waves, hopping off the stage.

“Follow me.” He beckons for the students to follow, which they do. As they walk away, I hear a bit of muttering.

“Katsumi Nishi...I’ve never heard of him before.”

“My older brother went to CHU and he’s never mentioned him.”

“Is he new? He wasn’t on the CHU pamphlet.”

“He’s creepy...what’s his Gift?” So Katsumi Nishi is new here...interesting. Bruno waits until they’re gone, then continues on.

“Row Number Two.” We shoot to attention, standing up quickly. “You’re with Ms. Kana Kiryu.” Kana nods, walking down the stage’s steps and giving us a slight bow.

“If you would.” Kana begins walking away and we form a line behind her. I silently breathe a sigh of relief. I’m glad Kana was assigned as our teacher. She leads us to the east of the stage towards the manmade lake. Now that I’m getting a closer look, there even seem to be many kinds of fish in the water. Suddenly, we halt at the edge of the lake’s rocky shore. Kana turns to face us.

“Stand in a straight horizontal line.” She orders us. We do so, with me and Atlas at the edge of it. There are twelve of us in total, just like Bruno said there would be. Just from looking I can tell we have a very diverse group of heroes. CHU is known for being a mixing pot of Gifts, after all. Kana turns to face us. “Full name and summary of Gift. Make it quick. You start.” Kana points at Aya, who’s flustered.

“M-Me? I, um, okay. I’m Aya Shiro. My Mutation Gift is Arachnid Aptitude, which basically lets me do anything a spider can. I can shoot webs, I can-”

“Next.” Kana cuts Aya off ruthlessly. Aya jumps in surprise. I hardly pay attention as all the heroes give their introductions. I need to think about what I’ll say on my turn. Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve given thought to it, I just never figured out exactly how to say it.

“Atlas Alexander! I have a Physical-type Gift called Tri-Power! I can hit hard, run fast, or do anything in-between!” Atlas exclaims. Wait, if Atlas is going...is it my turn already…?!

“You.” Kana points at me. Obviously she already knows who I am, but I never revealed my Gift. I swallow nervously, then say what I’ve been rehearsing in my head.

“I’m anonymous, but my hero name is Puppetmaster. My psychic-type Gift allows me to predict the movements of anyone I’m focused on. It’s called…” I take a deep breath. This is where my lie becomes reality.

“Forecast.”

Chapter III: Forecast

End