Chapter Una Imperium
The school day passed in a flash. Science, Math, English, and 'form time' all sped by, leaving josh no more enlightened than before. surely everyone had to know about how to use a microscope, and how to do algebra.
Anyway, the last class of the day was PE, which meant that powers would be used. Josh smiled as he made his way to the sports hall, relieved he would see his classmates' powers, but nervous about showing his. He had always meant to be a stealth operative, so being in the limelight wasn't really his thing.
"All right, today we're going to be using the entire sports hall, so we will do simulated fights. Don't worry, there will be a belt you will have to wear that will protect you from your opponent's attacks and limit yours. We don't want to buy a new sports hall at the start of the year!" laughed the PE teacher, smiling as she surveyed the class.
"Boys on the left, Girls on the right, be out quickly!"
Arthur glanced at Joel, who nodded back. They were ready. Their hero costumes were practically mandatory, but Josh didn't appear to have his on him. That armour would be pretty noticeable. However, both were taken aback, as after entering one of the cubicles, Biomorph emerged only a few seconds later. The rest of the boy in the class gasped, as he made his way through the changing room to the hall. They had to fight that? Yeah, same chance of that happening as a snowball surviving in the sun's core. None.Sylvia had changed first and let out a strangled yelp as a solid block of green armour made its way out of the boys changing room. Was that Josh? There was no way that was only one power - could he create powers? Copy them?
Ayla quickly rushed out on hearing her friend's exclamation but stopped when she saw the hero in front of her. A tall, dark green mountain, with a masked face, a shining armoured carapace and a ...
"Tail?"
Josh (who was starting to wish he had picked a better alias) turned to see 2 female heroes staring at him.
"Yes, a tail; great for balance, and I can use it to attack." stated Biomorph, looking at the heroes closely. Definitely Ayla and Sylvia. It was only 12- P doing PE here, and there were no other Girls who had colour coordinated their costumes.
"And a welcome to you to, Aphrodite and Artemis."
"H-how did you know?" Ayla stammered, shocked that the new kid knew her hero persona, which she kept secret from most people.
"Your costumes are distinctive. Like mine" Laughed Biomorph, turning so they could see his full armoured exterior. "My hero persona is Biomorph."
"If you have quite finished, we have a lesson." smirked the teacher, knowing full-well that the girls were more than a little starstruck, going by the stares, and the poor bloke had no idea. "Right. Put your belts on, and let's do our traditional greeting for newcomers … Hope you don't mind fighting them all."
Biomorph rolled his shoulders, and flexed his hands. 29 students? No challenge here.
The Major opened a channel to the soldiers guarding one particular school, and authorized operation 'post office'
This would either work and enable them to grab Beta 42, or this would fail, and Beta 42 would have media protection.
The Major also informed the soldiers that they would be let off the program if they failed, and that meant being subjected to a mind wipe. Which had a success rate of about 5%. No contest.
His conversation with the General had not gone well. the Major would have to somehow explain to the tribunal how he had failed in keeping the base secure. This should explain it...
Hopefully.
Josh laughed and weathered the attacks his classmates threw at him. This was child's play compared to the trials he had done in the past; they were all limited to 10% of their highest output. However, for him, this still allowed upwards of 100 animals or powers that could be used at once, and constantly changing them would allow him to cycle through what he needed, if he wanted to use that 10% So, he could switch between all his armour types, and enjoy himself, testing new combinations out.
After all, he wasn't that strong, right? They should be able to put a dent in his capabilities.
Pyromancer, Overclock, Amy, and Sylvia all stared as they watched their classmate using more powers that possible for a human. The armour, the tail, the wings, the list went on. Also, he not only had melee attacks, as he proved by shooting a few blanks at some of others.
His tail grew barbs and stingers to ward off attackers, as Josh swapped his wings for an extra pair of arms, and grew a set of metallic claws.
One brave hero-in-training tried to cut the tail off with the knife he had created. Biomorph turned around and used his metal claws to fling him to the other side of the room. He slumped there, dazed, as Biomorph seemed to decide that he would finish the training now. With a ripple, the old armour was replaced with a smaller, more aerodynamic one. And then he disappeared.
Biomorph shook his head, and let a deep exhalation out. They had barely put up a fight. He could have beaten them years ago, because they didn't work as a group. They were either gaping, or attacking one-by-one. So, he decided to end the exercise.
Switching to his speed armour, he took off at around 70 MPH, and landed a 'winning' blow on the only four heroes not moving; They were his biggest competitors and had the most power. As predicted, they didn't even react until he was finished, and they were out of the game.
Then, at an easier 20 MPH, he took his classmates out of the game one by one, using all of his appendages to do so. Hero after hero lost the game thanks to him, until there was no-one still 'in' apart from himself.
After doing this, he bowed to the teacher, and made his way to the side of the hall.
"W-well, that w-was q-quite a show!" stammered the teacher, who proceeded to wipe their palms on their trousers, and exhale a shaky breath. The amount of power Mr. Jones had at less than 10%.
"And now, for our next exerc..."
The ceiling was blown in, and the 20 or so soldiers tasked with guarding the school rappelled down and took up positions where they could shoot at Biomorph, as students screamed and shouted.
"Beta 42, you are surrounded. Come peacefully, and you won't be harmed." yelled the commander into the loudspeaker he had procured from the maintenance staff.
The class's eyes locked onto the person they knew as Josh and now Biomorph. That was an odd designation. Why Beta 42? and more importantly, was it really necessary for there to be 20 soldiers?
The mountain of armour started shaking, and then a deep chuckling echoed around the dodecahedron shaped hall. "So, you have finally come to finish off what the missile couldn't?" laughed Biomorph. "Don't bother. The weapons you are using are years behind what was tested on me. Do you have railguns hidden in your coats? A handheld nuclear bomb? No? Then I win by default!
Even if you had them, I would just come back better and stronger."
The Soldier smirked, and raised the minimum power level on the belts. He would beat him by using his power against him. It worked on everyone else, so why not this brat?
The Major, watching through the cameras on the soldiers' suits, sighed in disgust. The idiot of a commander had just basically lost the fight for himself.
He groaned in displeasure and frustration and decided to deal with this personally next time. After all, he had somehow stopped him last time he had had a major escape. But how had he done it? As it was almost 10 years ago, and all the data was destroyed by that idiot of an AI, he couldn't remember. He would eventually figure it out, and then he would do it again. Beta 42 must not be allowed to become a member of society. He was a weapon, and so as he couldn't be used, he would have to be killed...
However, this footage would help him plead his case to the tribunal he would face, so he recorded it. They couldn't give him a massive punishment if even 20 professional soldiers couldn't stop him from escaping.