LeftOvers - How to Become a SuperVillain and Take Over the World

Confessions

I blinked. "A what?"

"You see," he began. "We have some very, very good precogs working for us. They check on every student that we enlist. Some, like Miss Blackwoods here, don't mix well with precognitive abilities, so they slip by. But your abilities don't sheild you. You're going to grow up to become a supervillain. You might possibly drag some others down with you. We're not sure about that."

As Crawford leaned back into his seat, I started to feel a trickle of sweat running down the middle of my back. Why was he telling me this? Was I about to be expelled? "Why?" I asked, simply, unsure of what exactly I was asking.

"Why we're not expelling you? It's simple." His smile turned to a more fatherly expression. "Who runs this country?"

The question took me by surprise. "The government, which is run by congress?"

"Good answer. Mostly right, even. How many supers are in congress right now?"

"None," I replied. "There was a bill against that."

He nodded. "And how many are supers anyway? You see, the government can't stop all supers. Some can take over minds, others can implant ideas, still others can change the results of a vote on a whim by toying with fate itself. That doesn't work well in a democracy. The government is in shambles. In its stead, there are organizations taking over. The SPA, the alliance of academies, some smaller hero teams, warlords. The Seven."

"Why are you telling us this?"

"Because one of my best precogs gives me a forty-two percent chance that you'll become one of those warlords ruling a small part of the world. Don't worry. Crawford won't kick you out. In fact, I think the academies of this city will soon become one of the safest places in the world. Too many very powerful individuals all in one place. Having some of our students gain influence beyond the boundaries of this city is by no means something we want to avoid. In fact, the academies, Crawford included, have just extended our influence to large parts of North America and Canada. We have been sending out teams for disaster relief, protection, bounty hunting and so on. Which brings me to my next point: your team."

I had to shake my head. This man was dropping one anvil after the other. "What about it?"

"I want you to be strong. To become strong, you need to be challenged. I'm going to put you through the ringer. If you're not tough enough, then I'll decide that you're not worthy of ruling over a corner store, let alone a part of a nation. I'll then ruin your life." He never stopped smiling as he said this. By the time he was finished, I could feel my shirt plastered to my back. "Note: I won't just kick you out. That might be the event that triggers your decent to villainy. Prophecy can be a pain that way. I'll just have you killed, minced up, and buried."

Principal Crawford smiled gently at us, his wrinkled cheeks dimpling and the corners of his eyes creasing. Ten long seconds passed while my heart thundered in my ears. He continued, "Your team's priority three mission will be this week. Nothing too difficult. But it should give us both an idea of what you can do." He stood up, and by reflex I did the same. Lillian was a little slower to follow. "It was a pleasure finally talking to you. You can see yourself out."

A/N:

I think this is the single shortest chapter I've ever written. Fortunately, next week's should be a bit longer. We're still a good ten chapters away from the point I want to be at, where things really get exciting. In the meantime, I need good cape names for our favourite band of Leftovers. Any clever ideas?