A Hero's Song (Darkest Secrets Volume 1)

Chapter 9 - Sentinel Initiation: An Introduction

"Where'd I put it?" Zero rifled through a stack of novels and magazines, then tossed a small red paperback to Gabriel. "With that big brain of yours. You should work through this in a night no problem, right?"

Gabriel snatched the handbook from the air and examined the cover. The title read "Sentinel Initiation: An Introduction".

Zero pulled out a tiny vodka bottle from the built-in mini-fridge under his seat. "That's your manual, it will explain things you may already know, but I'd prefer you to be fresh on Sentinel vocab before we start. Take this as well, peruse it to your liking." He tossed a file. "Those are the briefs on your new teammates, get to know who you'll be working with before we start tomorrow. It could really help. They get files on you too, by the way, those are being written up as we speak."

The Super reclined fully, chugging his vodka and settling down for a snooze.

Gabriel gazed at the information in his hands with a megafan's reverence. The first few pages looked to be an introduction into life at the Sentinel Academy, but Gabriel skipped those. He wouldn't be attending as a student, Zero had moved him years ahead. He found the first combat relevant section after a second.

SUPERS - CLASSES AND COMMON TERMINOLOGY

Supergenetic mutations are divided into Classes by power level, starting from 0 or UnClassed. Testing done in the early years of Classification showed that most Supers of a Class higher were the equals of a group of three Supers below them, those bouts showing a 50% chance of victory for either party. The fact that these tests were run in enclosed spaces, and that all of the Supers involved had similar power sets must be noted.

There is no recognized limit to the Classification scale. Thus far, Quantum - a Class 6 Matter Controller - is the most powerful Super ever measured.

Several deceased members of the old High Heroes, like Nemo and Zephyr, also belonged to Class 6. It has been theorized that the mutations of the leading Supers of the Ruchin could be in the Class 7 range, although no concrete testing has ever been reported.

Classification is key when judging Super engagements. If one force is outClassed, they must retreat. Fighting would likely result in the total annihilation of the weaker squad.

Apart from Classes, Supers are divided further into rudimentary designations, based on their mutation combinations:

Brawlers are Supers that have mutations augmenting their physical strength, toughness, and agility.Blasters have abilities involving distance attacks projected in streams, bullets, or blasts.Speedsters possess incredible speed and agility. Their strength and physical resilience are usually subpar when compared to Bruisers. Tanks are those with a heightened physical toughness. They are usually very strong but tend to move at below Class 2 speed.Minds have incredible mental capacity. These mutations could demonstrate themselves in any area of human life, and as such many Minds aren't Heroes, having innately used their talents in business or science. Those that do use their abilities in the relevance to the Sentinels build incredible weapons and exo-suits as well as state-of-the-art defense and assault systems. They are called Engineers.

Note: Class designation for non-physical abilities follows the same principle as discussed previously.

*Warning: There is always a chance a mutation will perform above its Class.

Power sets do not end at these designations. Often, Supers will demonstrate abilities of multiple types, and many Supers have mutations that are not considered in this list. However, these terms are sufficient in combat situations when communicating the strength and general capabilities of the enemy.