CHAPTER 47: XLVII - THE TEAM

"So, we’re officially a team now, huh? The Paragons. Where did that name even come from anyway..." Alex asked nonchalantly.

Etienne, Alex and Nairobi stood outside of the INHO headquarters, under the large overhang, and watched the rain subside.

Etienne turned from the overhang, feeling the cool rain pummel his hoodie. He glanced at Alex and Nairobi, their forms blurring slightly in the misty air. The drumming of the rain filled his ears.

"Forget the name Alex. We all need to get stronger. As it stands, the three of us together can’t even stand up against Ms. Friendly, never mind the entirety of Team Wet. We don’t even know how many people are a part of that; they could have ten people that strong!"

"She’s not invincible, nobody is," Nairobi chimed in, "I mean, you saw it Ninjaman! We were able to make her bleed. In a battle of attrition, we could eventually wear her down. More importantly than strength is our coordination and teamwork. If we want to win, we need to trust each other and have each other’s backs."

Alex stepped away from the building and crossed his arms, "Either way, I doubt they have that many powerful members. Most metahumans that strong are classified as unranked and shipped to Esoterica, no exceptions."

Etienne tapped his chin as the rain slowly trickled down his shoulders, "I don’t know too much about that, but Cupid and Floren were working with Team Wet, right? Who knows how many unranked people they recruited from that place? But like Nairobi said, they aren’t invincible. We just need trust and teamwork..."

Etienne and Alex shared a look for a few moments. Etienne sighed and broke the silence, "Alex, if I tell you my identity, if I reveal how my powers work, can I trust you? Or are you going to run and tell your master?"

A tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the loud scratching of his nails against his skin, "He’s not my master," Alex stated, his voice tight, the words hanging heavy in the air, "Not anymore."

Etienne turned to Nairobi, "Nairobi. What do you think?"

Nairobi looked pensively between the two of them, before nodding her head, "You can trust him Etienne. I vouch for him."

The soft pitter-patter of the rain became more intense. Etienne looked between the two of them, his facial expression shifting subtlety as if he was mulling over the idea in his head. He did not notice his clothes get soaking wet as he became more lost in his thoughts.

Finally, Etienne stared at Alex for a while before nodding his head slowly, "Fine then. Let’s go back to my place; I’m getting tired of standing out here in the rain."

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By the time they walked up the hill to Etienne’s mansion, the rain had stopped completed and pale sunlight peeked through the dark gray clouds.

Alex marveled at the stunning exterior of the mansion. The two level beauty composed of deep brown wood with gold accents on the windows. The windows were a transparent shade of blue. The path leading up to the mansion was perfectly manicured.

"...And after that ritual, I was officially a ninja. But that was just the start," Etienne explained.

Alex scratched his head, "And tell me again, why was your body rejecting the ritual at first? What made you throw up black ink?"

Etienne shook his head, "I never got a conclusive answer. Maybe I was incompatible, or they didn’t make the proper preparations before the ritual started. But thanks to Doctor Setsuna and some quick modifications of the spell, I survived."

Nairobi’s eyes were wide with wonder, "Wow, a ninja. And you trained under a historic ninja master. That is so...cool."

The three of them walked to Etienne’s heavy front door, and Etienne gave an authoritative knock.

Gabe answered the door immediately and greeted them with a warm smile. His three piece suit was perfectly tailored and pressed.

"Master Etienne, you’re back," Gabe looked at his soaking wet hoodie, "Were you standing in the rain with no umbrella? Take this off before you get on the couch. I see you’ve brought some friends as well..."

Etienne looked back at them briefly before entering the house, "You’re already aware of Nairobi, and this is Alex, our state’s ranked hero."

Gabe reached a gloved hand out, and Alex shook it firmly.

"This young man needs no introduction!" Gabe stated, "The pride of Oregon, the number ninety-eight ranked hero, Mechaboy! They say you’ll be leading the next generation of heroes in a few years. I, for one, believe it."

Alex let go of Gabe’s hand quickly and entered the home behind Nairobi, "They say a lot of things. Thanks for the compliment but I’m doubtful. There are a lot of strong young heroes right now. I think the number nine hero is more likely to lead the next gen. "

Etienne walked into the living room, throwing his wet hoodie to the side before flopping down on the couch. Alex’s eyes scanned the extravagant and spotless mansion. His eyes remained fix on the deep brown of the wooden floors and the expensive ornate furniture. Nairobi sat down comfortably next to Alex.

"So...Etienne, huh?" Alex questioned, "I think I remember seeing your name in the news last year. So the ’Prince of Astoria’ is the vigilante I’ve been chasing. My mas—Senshi Sentinel would have a fit."

Etienne shook his head and sighed, "We spent the entire way over here talking about me. In order for us to work as a team, we need to become intimately familiar with each other’s powers, strengths and weaknesses."

Nairobi raised her hand, "My ability is called Hardware, and I can control almost any kind of fastener. I mostly only use screws, nuts, bolts and nails, although in special cases I have used things like clamps and bolt snaps. I can control them telepathically and manipulate their size and shape to a certain degree."

Alex and Etienne looked at her in shock.

Nairobi laughed, "Why are you looking at me like that? You’re the one who asked us to share Etienne!"

Etienne smiled and nodded, "You’re right, I did. I’ll go next. I’m not a metahuman. Through a supernatural ritual, I was granted complete control over my chi, an internal energy all living things possess. Through my mastery of chi and—" Etienne displayed his arms, revealing his jet black inked arms, "With these markings on my arms, I’m able to use various techniques. I can switch places with objects after touching them, effectively teleporting, and I can use chi to increase my strength and speed temporarily."

Alex stared at him like a curious student and blurted out, "What happens if you run out of chi? Can you even run out?"

Etienne nodded his head slowly, "My control over my chi is near perfect, so it’s rare for me to run out in a single battle. But if it turns into a battle of attrition, or I use certain techniques that burn more chi, then yes, I can. If I run out completely, I’ll die, but I’d probably pass out long before that. Sleep and food are all I need to recover."

Alex sighed and laid his head back, "I probably shouldn’t do this but...my power is called SYS-07: MCHS—"

"Did you name that? Because that is a terrible name," Etienne interrupted.

Alex pinched his forehead, "Nobody names their ability. The INHO picks the name of your meta-ability as soon as you manifest it and get taken to the doctor. Unless you are somebody born outside the legal system, even criminals had their abilities named by the INHO."

Etienne nodded his head slowly.

Alex continued, "Anyway, my ability allows me to transform into one of six different mech suits. It’s just like it sounds; one is the weakest and six is the strongest. Originally, they planned for me to be a contingency, but they downgraded from that, and now I only need to get permission from the INHO if I want to transform past stage two.

Etienne leaned forward, "So that huge mech we saw you in at the Capitol Attack, what was that?"

Alex glanced at him, "That was stage three. I requested to transform further, but the INHO rejected it. They said everything past stage three is too destructive for a hostage situation."

Etienne crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "Seriously? Have you ever used anything after stage three?"

Alex frowned at him, "I accidentally used stage four before, but I don’t really remember it. Other than that, no, I’ve never used the higher stages ever."

Etienne smiled, "Okay, so this is the team, huh? Is there anybody else we should be trying to recruit?"

Nairobi groaned, "You know there’s nobody else...wait, actually I have seen one more hero in Oregon. A guy named Petey the Lycan!"

Etienne chuckled, "He’s a friend of mine. And he’s not much of a fighter. If we’re it, I suppose we should discuss how we’re going to investigate those safe houses. Let’s talk strategy."