Glory And Gore (5H AU)

Chapter 2 - Rank 2 Classification

Lauren ends up making it through the night.
Granted, she gets a maximum of three hours of sleep because Camila has a snoring problem (and she doesn't want to get roasted in her sleep) but she survives, in one piece and ready for action.
She knows today is team assignment day, and she should be heading to Silas hall.
And that's pretty much it.
She has no idea what the hell "team assignment day" even is (didn't she already get assigned to a team?) or what she should expect. Would she be running? Exhibiting her powers? Would this be before or after breakfast? Should she prepare to spar? Bring a bathing suit? Lauren's pretty sure the answers would be in her packet, but she's already managed to lose it. She was too busy laughing at Ally's Shakira impersonation at dinner last night to consider bringing it up. Plus, Ally might know, but Normani's another pickup who wouldn't have the slightest clue.
"But Cupcake knows for sure," Lauren mumbles to herself, after having brushed her teeth and showered first. She rubs her hair gently with a towel, thinking of possible ways to start the conversation once her roommate exits the bathroom.
So as Camila remains in the shower, Lauren strips down to her black sports bra and bright pink boy shorts, dragging the duffel bag over to her dresser and unpacking the clothes she won't have to fold. She pulls out an old softball tshirt and some sweatpants, then sets apart a grey sweater and some jeans. She'll pick her outfit after checking out what Camila's wearing. She steps towards the mirror door of their shared closet, staring at her form in the reflection of the glass.
She sees nothing but a 17-year old kid from Miami staring back at her.
Nothing abnormal sticks out to her. She doesn't have fangs or claws or bright red irises or strange markings. She sure as hell doesn't have gills or webbed fingers. Her muscles don't throb and grow excessively when she flexes, and her legs aren't just a solid block of defined muscle. She's just a teenage girl, with bright grey-green eyes and dark hair, who's made it this far on her own just fine. It was one time, just once, that someone had seen her using her abilities. That person wasn't even supposed to be there; Lauren had done everything right.
So she can't help but wonder, would she have been able to live the rest of her life undetected?
"Okay, Adonis. I know you love looking at yourself at any given moment, but keep the clothes on while I'm in here, okay? It's common decency."
Lauren spins around to see Camila walking out, averting her gaze from her roommate's exposed body. Never one to make a big deal of such things, Lauren grabs the two outfits she had set out off of her bed.
"Learn to knock, Cupcake."
She can see Camila instantly tense up, taking deep breaths in an attempt to cool her temper. After seeing the bare introduction to what the smaller girl can do, Lauren decides to take the high road and suck it up. She lets out a sigh and runs a hand through her messy damp hair.
"Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot," she tells her, pulling the tshirt over her head as she notes Camila's sporty gear. "I know you think I'm this insensitive douche, and I know you don't want to be on my team. If anything, you want me to stay out of your way. But I think we need to man up and tough it out, for both of our sakes."
Camila bites her lip, nodding slowly as she clenches her fists softly, fingernails digging into her skin. Lauren watches as the steam comes off of her hair, the thick mane drying quickly thanks to the girl's abilities. After a few moments, her hair is wavy and smooth, so Camila leans over and works at pulling it up into a ponytail.
"You're right."
Lauren grins, happy she could make it through to the girl. She's never been an exceptional people person (that's why she worked with the animals at the aquarium instead of with the guests) so knowing that she can at least resolve her own issues definitely boosts her confidence.
Camila snaps back up, her dark ponytail whipping behind her as she flicks her hair back. She grabs her pager off of her bed and smiles at Lauren, but it's a narrow-eyed look that is definitely not meant to be friendly.
"I do want you to stay out of my way."
She powers past Lauren, shoving into her with a shoulder that is much warmer than the average human temperature. The older girl jumps back and watches in shock as the girl strolls out happily, clad in an Academy sweatshirt and a pair of red running shorts, picking up her pager and pressing something on the screen before bringing it to her ear.
Lauren glares at the girl's bed before grabbing her own device and finding the name of someone she knew wouldn't try to burn her arm off.
"Hey, Ally? Could you enlighten me on what to expect?"
"Pull on an athletic shirt and shorts you can move in, and get your hair up," the girl replies happily, her perky tone instantly brightening Lauren's mood. "Prepare to talk, run, and get prodded. They will provide snacks, and you won't need water."
Lauren grabs her gallon container out of the mini-fridge in their dorm. "I'm bringing some just in case."
"That's fine. Okay, you know where you're going, right?"
"I'll figure it out. Thanks Ally."
"No problem, honey," the girl replies, her cheery disposition just bubbling through the device. "Use your pager to lock your door."
"Oh thank god," Lauren breathes, closing the door behind her and brushing the device against the handle. She brings it back up to her ear as the giant 'LOCKED BY: L. JAUREGUI' pops up momentarily on the screen. "I thought I lost the key along with the packet."
Ally laughs before Normani could be heard chattering in the background. "Okay, Lauren, we'll see you soon!"
"See ya, Sunshine."
So 15 minutes and 3 wrong turns later, Lauren makes it to Silas hall and enters the first room, which appears more like a small arena than a lecture hall. There are several groups standing in the open area, and when she spots Camila talking to one of them, Lauren heads in the exact opposite direction. Luckily, it's right in the direction of her other two teammates.
"What are you, amphibious?" Normani asks, seeing the massive container Lauren is toting along.
"It looked like a milk carton from where I was," Ally comments.
"I'm vegan," Lauren explains to the shorter girl, before facing their blue-haired teammate with a wink. "And staying hydrated is immensely important so yeah, something like that."
Ally starts to smack their arms, gripping them tightly as she motions towards the door.
"Guys guys guys look-"
"Still not used to that," Normani complains.
"Meet teammate number five."
Lauren glances over her shoulder and spots a broad-shouldered, intensely focused girl following behind what she assumes to be a teacher. She's wearing an army green long-sleeved compression shirt, paired with a set of black compression shorts, her gaze low and intense as the man turns to whisper something to her. The teenager nods and turns sharply, practically marching over towards her teammates with a militaristic seriousness to her young face.
Lauren's already pissed off one member, so she wants to try to make peace with the one who hasn't decided of her impression just yet. The girl's insanely tall, and the muscles in her arms are clearly defined even through her shirt. Sure, Lauren's a little intimidated, (okay a lot intimidated) but she's not gonna let that get in the way of her holding out her hand and flashing a friendly grin.
"Hi there, I'm Lauren. You must be Dinah Jane."
Dark eyes flicker up to meet orbs of emerald, and in that exact moment, the two by-standing teammates have never seen brown overpower green like that before.
Dinah stands even taller, looking not the least bit nervous. If anything, she's radiating an intense seriousness that brings the other girls into a state of silence. That's why, when she speaks for the first time, Mani, Ally, and Lauren do just what she says: "Focus."
"Please return to your respective teams. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen."
Lauren turns and spots the headmaster at the front of the room, with a line of other adults standing behind him. Each one has a handful of files in their hands, flicking through the pages as Mr. Cowell speaks to the students.
Camila drags herself over to her own group, shooting Lauren a dirty glare before standing next to Dinah. The girls say nothing to each other, sharing a curt nod at most, as they both take a strong stance. Dinah doesn't make the same effort to intimidate Camila, so the two stand in a pleasant silence with each other.
"Welcome to your assignment day. Some of you have been here before, and will be here again before graduating. Some of you have been waiting years to get here." The man sends a quick glance over at Lauren's team, making her feel the slightest bit targeted as he speaks the next line. "Some of you, not so much."
Lauren can feel Camila's gaze burn into her back (she's starting to wonder if the girl has laser beam vision as well), glaring particularly hard at her at his words. The girl cracks a few bones in her neck, plastering on a smirk, which leads to a very audible exhale of frustration from the other girl.
"The men and women that stand besides me now are all alumni of the St. Sebastian Elite Boarding Academy. They have accomplished things your brains wouldn't even be able to comprehend. They will be your trainers for this upcoming school year.
"Each trainer will pick a team based on the portfolios that have been distributed to them. All decisions are final. These trainers will then mold your team into the next generation of gifted mutant operatives, working for the betterment of mankind as a whole.
"Without further ado, go forth and pick your teams."
People would come by, smiling at them as they examine their portfolios. Lauren is ready to do a demonstration of her abilities every time a new trainer comes up, but none seems to want to know.
When the familiar driver from yesterday comes by with a few other trainers, the others focus on talking to the two men. Lauren takes the opportunity to try and clear up her confusion.
"Miss Bellisario, could you answer a quick question?"
The woman nods happily and smiles at Lauren, her gorgeous brown eyes sparkling with a playful light. "You know, it's okay for you to call me Troian."
"Troian," Lauren grins, trying it out the eccentric word. She's feeling incredibly mature about being able to refer to a superior by their first name. If she would have done that in Miami, she would promptly receive a smacking to the arm (usually with a flip flop). "How come everyone's kind of avoiding us?"
The woman smiles again before clearing her throat. "You guys are classified as a Rank 1 Team. As in, you need to be worked with and out of here in a year or less. Most teams go through a training of 2-5 years. Rank 2's are still a rare occurrence, a Rank 1 Team is almost non-existent. Only one trainer has been able to successfully get a team in superior working condition in such a short amount of time. Plus, most trainers have more than one team they're working with at a time, and Rank 1's are incredibly labor-intensive, therefore, the hesitancy. I think everyone knows that and are leaving you guys to the hands of a specialist. She is the Headmaster's kid, after all."
"Thanks, Troian. I appreciate it."
"Any time, doll. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a group back there I think I'd do well with."
Lauren nods and waves appreciatively as the woman heads towards a small bundle of four boys, which include "not Asian" Calum from the car ride.
A smack in the arm brings her back to the reality in front of her.
"Make a good impression," Camila hisses, motioning to the woman strolling towards them.
"Like the one I made on you before you snapped on me?" Lauren questions, muttering out of the corner of her mouth as she plasters on a massive smile.
"On second thought," Camila replies in the same patronizing sarcasm, mirroring Lauren's movements, "stay completely quiet, not a word. Might help if you forget to breathe."
"Not the time, you two!" Normani whispers, snapping her head up with an award-winning smile as the woman approaches their group, flipping through her folder.
Her steps are powerful and confident, the click of her heels muddled by the carpet. Her energy is relaxed but intense, her dark shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes only emphasizing that impression. While not as terrifying as the militaristic Dinah Jane, she gives off an air of seriousness, the kind that would keep you in line from fear of what would happen if you didn't.
Ally steps forward and gently grabs her wrist, and even though Lauren's not a fan of excessive touching and contact, she lets her. The short girl, despite knowing Lauren for less than 24 hours, manages to know exactly what to say and what to do. The entire emotion-decoding-mind-reading-touch-telepathy-force-fielding thing she can do, while confusing, proves to be an ability Lauren is starting to like.
"No need to be so stressed," she encourages in a gentle coo, rubbing Lauren's forearm encouragingly. "Deep breath, shake it out, and relax."
"Team 5, good morning," the woman greets, although it's more of a pleasantry than an actual greeting. Lauren nods politely and watches as the woman flips through the files, glancing up at them momentarily to connect faces to names.
Ally's grip is still on her wrist, and Lauren decides to take her hand in hopes that a bit of silent encouragement would help keep her calm.
The woman walks down the line, examining each girl momentarily before moving onto the next one. Sure, Lauren feels a bit like a used car at a car lot, with all this looking and researching, but she's kinda getting into this entire thing, and immensely hopes they'll get the trainer.
The woman stops at Dinah, furrowing her eyebrows as she stares down at her notes. After a beat, she looks up with a serene smile, almost excited as she stares up at the taller girl. Dinah stares forward and straight past the woman with the utmost focus and poise, arms held behind her.
"The hybrid," the woman murmurs, examining her face and taking her chin in her hand. "Such strong jaw, such a serious pout. Let me see your arm."
Dinah obliges and holds out her left arm, keeping her stare straight towards the wall in the distance. The woman rolls up the girl's sleeve, her fingertips brushing gently against the tribal tattoo wrapped around her bicep and the barcode nestled just before her elbow. From where Lauren stands, she can spot a line of numbers just below the barcode, but is too far to make out what they say.
The woman nods appreciatively at Dinah, who promptly rolls the sleeve back down and assumes her position once again. The woman glances around, before spotting Headmaster Cowell and motioning him over. He has a clipboard in his hand, scratching something out hurriedly.
"How can I help, dear?"
The woman crosses her arms over her chest and answers without missing a beat. "I want Team 5."
"I'm legally obligated to remind you that this is a Rank 1 team, who's optimal graduation time would be one semester."
"I know, Dad."
Lauren sucks in a deep breath, thinking for sure they've lost the only trainer who's shown any real interest in them.
Ally squeezes her hand gently. "Have faith, Lauren. Exhale."
"I still want Team 5."
The man smiles for the first time that Lauren's ever seen (she was 63% sure he was incapable of doing so). "I had a feeling you would. Girls, I leave you in the hands of my daughter, one of the most capable trainers among us, Joanna 'Jojo' Levesque."
The moment he walks away, scribbling something down on his board, Camila practically pounces on the woman, a massive smile overtaking her face. "Miss Levesque, it's an honor working with you. I've been studying your techniques for years now. Your graduating team from three years ago, Alpha Hurricane, their work abroad is something spectacular."
The woman gives Camila a quick glance-over, a distasteful look hinting at her features. "Chatty. We need to fix that."
Ally releases Lauren's hand as the pair struggle to contain their entertainment. Lauren lets out a choked snort, much to Camila's obvious irritation when she exhales sharply and digs her fingernails into her palms, balling up her fists.
The woman clears her throat, motioning for the girls to follow her into the hallway. They do as they're told, with Dinah at the front, listening intently to every word that leaves the woman's mouth. "I'm your official team trainer. I own you guys now and I will be damn sure to get you all out of here in top shape as soon as possible. I will be making all decisions for this team. My word is law, any problems, then go transfer into stationary work."
Lauren grins at her "take no prisoners" attitude, liking the snarky intensity of this trainer. She watches as the woman leads them through a general study area, where students are on laptops or have their noses buried in books. Lauren tilts her head curiously as their trainer plucks a thumb drive off of a desk where a student is typing away aggressively on his laptop. She holds the small device in her hand and continues as if nothing happened.
"I will be determining all your schedules and alerting your new teachers. Seeing as you need to be ready by the end of the semester, your training will be extensive. After school, a minimum of four hours a day will be spent with me in the Colloseum."
"Four hours?!" Lauren gasps under her breath, sharing a nervous glance between herself and Normani.
Jojo tossed a look over her shoulder at the pair, before continuing forward. "At minimum. And it will be a minimum of 8 on Saturday. Sunday is only 5."
"Refrain from complaining," Dinah finally says, her brows knit in a tight line of frustration. "This training schedule is minimalistic."
Jojo shoots an impressed smirk at the tallest girl, before turning to the others and shrugging. "My father seems to think your group is of utmost importance. He wants you in and out ASAP. You guys can do 2 hours a day and turn into a Rank 5 team if you'd like."
"No no no, please," Camila interjects, the first thing she's said since the trainer had put her in her place. "Please, we'll happily take the Rank 1 schedule."
"That's what I thought," Jojo grins smugly.
"How come you guys have different last names?" Lauren asks curiously, which earns her an aggressive stare from Camila.
'Shit,' she thinks to herself, cringing in hopes of somehow taking it back. 'Insensitive question. Nice going, you fucking idiot.'
The trainer doesn't seem bothered. "My father's not exactly the settling down type. He only found me and my half-sister because of recruiters. We have our mom's last names."
Lauren's lips form an "o" as she nods and leaves it at that.
Jojo continues, not at all phased. "For those who are wondering, yes, I do have an ability. Hyperkinesis."
She stops them right before the door, holding the thumb drive between two fingers for the group to see clearly.
"My muscles are in perfect sync with my nervous system. If I can picture what I want to do-"
She takes the thumbdrive and twists around, tossing it in a smooth motion with a flick of her wrist. It speeds by the group, through the large room, and lands precisely in the boy's USB port, causing his laptop to beep loudly.
"-then my body makes it happen."
Lauren blinks, thoroughly impressed by the small demonstration.
"You guys get an hour break for brunch. I'm not one of those trainers who brings orange slices and sits in a circle with her team singing pop music. Be in Kelly Hall at 11 sharp so I can have my people get a good look at you."
She dismisses them with a wave of the hand and watches as they all file out the door.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but cafeteria food sounds really good right about now," Normani hints, glancing between the group.
"Don't stuff yourself, we might still have to run," Ally laughs.
"You guys are going to the cafeteria?" Camila asks.
Lauren tries her very hardest to keep it calm and friendly. "Yeah, would you like to come?"
Camila grins at her, narrowing her eyes. "Nope."
"Suit yourself," Lauren hisses. What's the point of being nice if there's no hope in changing Camila's opinion of her? The shorter girl waves happily at her teammates before whipping out her pager and skipping along towards the Epsilon dorm.
"She's on the phone with her boyfriend all the fucking time," Lauren huffs, rolling her eyes. She turns to address Dinah. "How about you-"
Dinah's nowhere in sight.
"Okay," Ally chuckles. "So I guess that's brunch for three."
So after a very satisfying meal (where Ally does a spot-on Shakira impression that makes Lauren almost throw up from laughing, and Normani's Beyoncé obsession becomes blatantly obvious), Lauren offers to show the girls pictures she has taken on her phone during her time working at the aquarium. They'd have to walk to her dorm with her, but neither girl seems to mind the short walk. They're both incredibly interested in seeing more of where Lauren came from, seeing as both girls have never been to Miami before.
"We have the polar bears in this climate controlled pen, since it's too hot for them to be outside, and god, they are gorgeous creatures. I got this one shot of the baby playing with one of the buckets I got for him, and he managed to get his head stuck in it," she gushes, laughing as she approaches the 3A door. She brushes her pager against the handle, watching as the screen lights up at her. She can hear music blasting from the room, a bit obnoxious for Lauren's taste.
'LOCKED BY: C. CABELLO. UNLOCK?'
'Buttercup's home,' she thinks to herself, with a chuckle. She presses the little green button that pops up and watches as the device returns to the home screen. She twists the door handle, turning to continue her story to her two friends behind her. "I've got this one shot of these otters, they swam down and made a heart. It was like a fucking synchronized swimming team, I swear. I'll show you! So I was cleaning the glass, right? And I see all these bubbles and when I look I'm like-"
Her eyes go wide as she pushes the door open.
"Holy gay."
Lauren never pinned Camila as a top, despite her overbearingly aggressive nature. Preppy girls like that usually are the lazy ones too. So seeing her as the straddle-er is a shock enough to her system.
Seeing her straddling another girl is on an entirely different level.
"Okay, so knocking isn't exactly either of our fortes," Camila hisses caustically, pulling on her sweatshirt at a blinding pace. Her eyes are shooting daggers at Lauren, as if she's trying to kill the girl with a glare alone. As she turns around to give her some privacy (and motion wildly for Ally and Mani to stay outside) Lauren's endlessly thankful that a shirt is the only thing Camila is lacking. If she would have had anything else off...
"You must be the roommate."
Lauren turns back around to spot a (fully-clothed) Camila leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, completely away from her bed. The taller girl realizes that the voice came from the even shorter girl standing by the now-empty bed.
She nods. "That's me."
"I'm sorry we had to meet under such... Compromising circumstances," the girl chuckles, stepping towards her with a charming grin. She holds out her hand, seeming incredibly civil compared to the pouting five-year-old in the corner. "I'm Ariana."
"So you're the boyfriend," Lauren whispers under her breath, giving the girl a quick once-over.
Ariana's smile never falters as she tilts her head. "What's that?"
"Nothing," Lauren assures her with a crooked smirk, taking her hand and giving it a good shake. "I'm Lauren. Nice to meet you, Ariana."
"Girlfriend, annoying roommate. Annoying roommate, girlfriend. There, everyone's acquainted. Can you leave now?" Camila asks, quirking an eyebrow.
"Mila, this is her room too. You can't kick her out of her own room," Ariana laughs, putting extra emphasis on the last two words.
Lauren is starting to like this charming little rascal. "Not to be rude, but I'm curious- shouldn't you be in class?"
"I'm on my last training year, I have a free period," Ariana explains, smiling at the taller girl. Lauren nods, before walking past Camila to her own bed and pulling out her phone from under the pillow.
"We have to be at Kelly by 11, so I'm just gonna hang with Mani and Ally until then. Don't worry about me popping back up," she assures them, waving as she moves towards the door. She smiles at Ariana. "It was nice meeting you."
The girl waves happily, tossing her mane of light brown hair over her shoulder. "Likewise."
Lauren turns to face Camila, who's so irritated she could steam a lobster at this point. "Princess, always a pleasure."
"Don't start," Camila spits, narrowing her eyes at the taller girl. Lauren holds her hands up defensively and stands in the doorway, deciding she has to push just one more of Camila's buttons.
"But you might wanna be a little more careful about hickey placement, Cupcake," Lauren smirks, motioning to the purple welt that was just exposed on the shortest girl's neck. Camila gasps and glares at Lauren, picking up a pillow and tossing it just as the girl slips out of the room.
"So I met Ariana," Lauren tells the other two as they head down the stairs. Ally chuckles.
"She's great, isn't she," Ally gushes. "We were roommates a few years back before she got assigned to a team."
"You didn't think to tell me Camila didn't actually have a boyfriend after all?"
Ally shrugs calmly, leading them out the building. "It's not my place to say. I've outed someone by accident before and it's one of the greatest regrets I have. If she wants someone to know, she'll tell them."
"I'm lost," Normani pouts, following the two as Ally leads them towards Kelly Hall.
"Camila's dating another girl," Lauren tells her bluntly. "Might as well keep you in the loop. If she didn't want people knowing, she shouldn't have been making out with another girl in the middle of the day."
"If she's happy, then it's no big deal. Why does it matter?" Normani asks, a simple question that genuinely stumps both girls. Ally and Lauren share a glance, realizing the ridiculousness of the weight they put on the topic. Lauren grins and wraps an arm around the blue-haired girl's shoulders, letting out a chuckle as they enter the building.
"You've got a great point, Mani. A great point indeed."
The topic is changed when Lauren whips out her cell phone and shows the girls the countless pictures and videos she's taken. A few minutes pass before Dinah appears, a book in hand, with Camila showing up last off all.
A blonde suddenly materializes out of thin air, an excited smile plastered along her features. Her mane of blonde curls are wild and unruly, and the glasses she wears are nearly too big for her face, but she manages to wear it and wear it well.
"You're Jojo's newest project," she says, smiling so excitedly, Lauren's cheeks hurt just staring at her. "Please, follow me."
They enter the second door down the hall, which opens up to reveal a massive laboratory space. Equipment and tables fill the area, with computers blinking and screens flickering everywhere you turn. Their trainer is leaning on a table, flipping through their files once again. Besides her is a pale blonde boy with puppy eyes and a white lab coat, standing with an anxiously excited grin.
Jojo doesn't look up as she motions to the pair. She points at the woman first, who has teleported from the front of the room to the back and is now standing next to the boy with a clipboard. "This is my medical team. Doctor Victoria Kelly, tech-savvy physician and researcher."
The blonde smiles widely, pushing the glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose. "Doctor T, your service."
"And her lovely assistant, Bradley Simpson."
The boy waves, taking a goofy bow. "Human Microscope, nice to meet you."
"Kelly?" Normani asks, making a connection between the last names. "As in Kelly Hall?"
"Named after my parents," the blonde explains, chuckling as she hands Brad the board and zaps to the sink to wash her hands. "Not me."
Lauren can swear she sees something waddling in the corner out of her peripherals. Her eyes go wide as it scuttles under a desk. "Was that a pig?"
"Oh, you mean Puerco!" Tori grins, looking around for the creature as she dries her hands off.
"Is that sanitary?" Dinah asks, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Tori furrows her eyebrows and nods, going into great detail of the precautionary measures they take to keep the pig even cleaner than most people.
Lauren notices that Dinah's exceptionally rigid, almost uncomfortable. She has a feeling it involves the entire lab comment with Mr. Cowell yesterday, so she nudges Ally gently in the shoulder.
"Can you try to calm her down? I think being in here makes her nervous," Lauren whispers into her ear, flickering her gaze over to Dinah so Ally knows who she's referring to. The shorter girl nods and shuffles a bit to stand next to the tallest girl, gently resting her hand on the girl's shoulder. Dinah flinches, ready to yank herself away, but Lauren watches as Ally simply smiles at her and works her magic.
Lauren smiles victoriously as Dinah nods at something Ally tells her, her body relaxing slightly into a tall militaristic stance. The girl lets out a soft breath, which Lauren sees as a small success. She turns to face the front, where she is met by a pair of hazel orbs focused intensely on her. The trainer's gaze lingers for a moment before she writes something down in the file and clears her throat.
"Ignore the walking pile of bacon and strip down, all of you," she orders, shaking her head with a chuckle of disbelief. She pushes herself off of the desk, setting the files down on the surface. "Now, Tori and Brad will be doing a few tests to better understand each of your and your capabilities. Think of this as an in-depth physical."
The girls oblige, and in a few moments, they're all down to sports bras and shorts, lined up side by side. Brad seems a bit shy about it at first, averting his gaze as he shuffles around with some papers, but he eventually gets over it as he takes their temperatures and blood pressures. Tori comes along the opposite side of the line, with a small device used to draw blood automatically.
"You'll feel a sharp pinch then a sucking sensation. It'll be over before you know it, I designed it to be quick," Tori assures them, with a confident smile as she warps to the end of the line.
Camila seems incredibly uncomfortable at the end of the line, next to Lauren, keeping her gaze on the ceiling as the doctor sets the device on her elbow and presses a button. Lauren knows its probably the blood spilling into the vial that's making her uncomfortable, so she tries to distract the girl in the best way she knows how: by irritating her.
"Listen, you don't have to act all scandalized and look away," Lauren informs her, leaning over to whisper into her ear. "I mean, it's nothing you haven't seen before. I'd stare at me too, if I were you. You said so yourself, I have a great body."
"I said no such thing," Camila snaps, clamping her eyes shut as she tries to ignore the sensation of the vial filling.
"You called me Adonis," Lauren reminds her, grinning as the girl's nostrils flare on the sharp exhale she releases.
"I was referring to his vanity," she clarifies, wincing as the small container nearly fills. "Not his physique."
"Oh," Lauren says simply, watching happily as the doctor removes the device from Camila's arm and watches it intently. She lets the hole bleed out for a few moments before nodding to herself and placing a gauze over it, wrapping a strip of tape over to keep it in place. She zaps away to get a new vial, change the needle, and write down something on a sheet of paper she has on her desk.
"Well, I've seen you about to have sex, so I'd say we're just about even," Lauren smirks as the doctor steps away. Camila glares at her for a few moments before poking her in the arm with a burning hot fingertip. Lauren lets out a yelp and rubs the spot, pouting the shorter girl.
Camila actually lets out a giggle and plasters a smug grin on her face. "You earned that one and you know it. And plus, we were definitely not about to have sex. I'm not coming to a physical all exhausted and sweaty."
"Ew, Cupcake," Lauren gags, fighting to keep the mental picture from popping up. "I really did not need to hear that."
"You started it," Camila shrugs, looking away as Tori zaps directly in front of them and happily attaches the machine to Lauren's arm. There's a quick sting as she presses the button, but it's nothing she can't handle. Blood has never bothered her, so she simply watches as the liquid drips into the vial.
"TK over here invented your guy's pagers," Jojo randomly chimes in, and it's at that point that Lauren realizes their trainer has been watching them the entire time.
"No way," Camila gapes, staring at the blonde with wide eyes. "But you're so young!"
"I was 12 when I developed the first model," Tori explains, modestly avoiding eye contact as she watches the vial fill quickly. "I came up with the blueprint one morning in class, and spend all day building the first one the day after."
"The lady who recruited me said they stand for something," Lauren tells her.
"The acronym is Personal Assistant Genetically Encoded Receiver," Tori explains, giving the girls a shrug as she wrinkles her nose. "My brother came up with it. The name's kind of all over the place, but it makes sense. It is very helpful, and engineered to work only with the genetic makeup of its user. So if I tried to use Jojo's pager, it wouldn't even turn on. For security and identification purposes, you know."
"That's incredible," Normani breathes, wide eyed as she takes in every word the woman says.
Tori smiles widely at the girl, nodding her head appreciatively at her. "Why thank you, Miss Hamilton."
She removes the device from Lauren's arm, watching the wound again like she did for Camila. Lauren stares nervously as the spot bleeds for a moment then stops, the small bead of liquid remaining the exact same size for a few moments. Tori takes in a nervous inhale and wipes the area clean, grinning widely as the hole disappears into her skin.
"Have you always been able to regenerate?" She asks, her smile about to split her cheeks open. Lauren's nerves melt away and are replaced by something more relaxing, almost proud of herself.
"Small things, yes. I'm not sure about bigger things," she explains, earning a happy nod from the doctor.
Tori teleports to her desk to write down her findings and starts the process over again as Brad approaches Lauren with the instruments. "Hi there, could you slip your arm through this?"
So he takes her blood pressure and then goes for her temperature, disinfecting the thermometer before placing it beneath her tongue. As he writes down the numbers, he glances up at the small machine and raises his eyebrows in curiosity. "Feeling a bit chilly today?"
"Nope, everything's just peachy," she answers, a bit confused.
"Interesting," he nods, writing down the temperature. "Your body's working just a few degrees lower than normal. Just curious if it was the room or you."
"I feel fit as a horse," Lauren assures him, pressing a finger to her neck to see if she feels any difference. She feels as normal as ever, so she shrugs it off and decides it's just a fluke.
He nods and moves on to Camila, who's poking at the bandage on her arm with a pout. After a few moments with the cleaned thermometer in her mouth, he glances at the number and does a double take.
"Wow, you are extremely hot."
Lauren glares at him and doesn't even think before she shoves the boy back, stepping towards him menacingly before speaking. "Hey, do you want to try that again, buddy?"
"No no, I meant no disrespect!" He promises, holding up his hands submissively. "She's at 102, as in feverish. It's excessive, since you're cold and the other girls are all at 98. Her body temperature is elevated, she's literally hot."
Camila stares at her, eyes wide and lips parted, as the two really lock eyes for the first time since they first met. There's something about the shocked expression, the big brown eyes staring at her with an ocean of conflicting feelings, that makes Lauren wonder why she reacted like that in the first place. She steps back and keeps her gaze on the shorter girl for a moment, overwhelmed by those big brown eyes, before facing Brad with a hesitant smile.
"Sorry Bradley. Didn't mean to snap on you like that."
"No, that's respectable, I'm sorry I chose to word it how I did," Brad apologizes, nodding at the girl with a calm smile. "That's admirable, that you defend your teammate like that."
Lauren lets out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks."
"Bradley, let's get an exam going for these girls," Tori chimes in happily, slapping him gently on the back as she zaps up behind him. He jumps out of fear before nodding and motioning for Dinah to sit on the examination seat first.
Jojo comes up behind the pair as Brad grabs a separate clipboard and Tori disinfects her hands.
"Dinah Jane Hansen, 16 years of age," the trainer reads off the files, watching as the girl sits stiffly in the seat. "Transferred to the Academy after being discovered in an old CaraCorp laboratory. First genetically engineered mutant to ever have survived past childhood."
"Bradley, can you zoom into her dermis cells? Let's get a nuclear analysis really quick."
Lauren watches curiously as Tori and Brad interlock hands, the boy staring intensely at Dinah's arm. The girl is staring up at the ceiling, trying to ignore what Lauren understands must be a very uncomfortably familiar experience.
"Her DNA is incredible. I've never seen chromosomes successfully reproduce after being merged with foreign material like this. Whoever designed her must have taken ages to figure out how to successfully combine the genetic material of two completely separate species."
"What's the diagnosis, Doc?" Jojo asks, quirking an eyebrow at the blonde.
"That's distinctly lupine material," Tori nods, releasing Brad's hand and teleporting over to the desk to jot down some quick notes.
"The hybrid," Ally whispers, repeating the exact words their trainer spoke when she examined Dinah earlier. "That's what she meant."
Normani pops up behind them, and before she knows it, Lauren and the blue-haired girl are arguing about the probability of Beyoncé being a fellow mutant.
Ally's examination is a particularly enlightening one. Tori explains that her brain is capable of emitting extremely powerful electric impulses, the same impulses that allow your synapses to interact. When she touches another person, these small jolts are able to transfer into the person and essentially link their brains through these electric impulses, forming an information super highway. This explains the hyper acute empathy Ally is capable of, as well as the impressive contact telepathy that Brad is very familiar with. While he can project images and live feed of what he's seeing, he insists that Ally's capabilities use the same mechanisms but are much more developed, therefore allowing her a more impressive array of abilities.
They aren't able to explain the forcefields quite yet, although Tori has a theory about sound wave manipulation. She requests permission from the trainer to join them for their first few training sessions, to study the girl a bit more closely so she can give them a definite explanation.
Normani's abilities are something impressive to Brad in particular, who seems exceptionally smitten with the blue haired girl. But nobody finds her ability to be more amazing than Camila when there are suddenly two of her in the office.
"Does my butt really look like that?" Camila questions, blatantly checking "herself" out with a grin of astonishment.
"Boobs are so fucking uncomfortable," Brad pouts, staring down unhappily at the two lumps on his chest.
Tori laughs and requests that her new and lovely assistant help her study Normani's molecules more closely. Brad obliges, but when he attempts to zoom in to the girl's skin, he is unable to.
"This is an entire Pandora's box of an ability," Jojo acknowledges, watching as the girl turns the assistant back to normal. "With a little finesse, you can be transferring powers, or even disabling them. Imagine what you can do with this, the possibilities. You can transform a nearly invincible foe into a vulnerable average human."
After a beat of examination, Tori explains the secret behind Normani's extraordinary ability. Her body is home to a mutated virus, one she is naturally immune to, that lives within her system. When she makes contact with a new person, this virus takes a copy of their DNA and essentially stores it for later recollection. The moment she decides to transform somebody (or is so distressed she does it by accident), she simply has to picture the desired person she has touched, and the virus does the rest. Through the contact, the virus latches onto the new host and instantly implants the new DNA, releasing a hormone that triggers the rapid response and transformation of the new host cells. She hypothesizes that the viruses simply pack up the DNA and revert the host cells back to normal when Normani decides to lift the transformation.
Lauren's definitely a bit concerned, because although her friend has an awesome offensive ability, that still leaves her as vulnerable as any other average person. She makes it a special point to remind herself to be extra careful with her fragile friend.
Camila's next, and Tori seems to be having the time of her life examining the girl. Her and Brad are giggling like giddy school girls, watching her cells as she simply sits there in the seat.
"It's fascinating, really. Her plasma has an extremely elevated count of basophils, nearly one for every 20 erythrocytes, from what I've counted," Brad gapes, staring in surprise.
Tori nods and smiles excitedly at the small brunette. She motions for Brad to take a cautionary step to the side. "Okay so dear, I'm going to have you activate your power as slowly as possible. Lets see you conjure a flame and keep it in your hand for 10 seconds. Can you do that?"
"I've been training to do that my whole life," Camila grins, clenching her fists for a moment before letting out a deep breath. She unclenches her left hand, the group watching in amazement as the small, controlled flame materializes out of thin air.
"It's exactly what I thought. Her basophils not only activate rapidly, but they vibrate against each other. Incredible," the blonde murmurs, watching in amazement.
"Long story short, Tori?" Jojo asks, quirking an eyebrow at the mass of curls standing in front of her.
She adjusts her glasses to sit on the bridge of her nose, releasing Brad's hand. "She has a special kind of white blood cell. It causes fevers in humans by sending signals to the brain, but with her, the signals rather prepare her body for the immense change in heat. Those same cells rub together to create enough friction to ignite the oxygen near her skin. As that burns, it sucks more oxygen towards her. Therefore, an endless vacuum that allows her to manifest that energy into heat, more specifically, fire."
The trainer nods and watches the girl curiously, as the flame flickers for a split second before turning into a wisp of smoke. She gets up from the chair, where Brad promptly removes the sheet of crunchy white paper and replaces it with a new one. Tori teleports to her desk, scribbling her findings down quickly.
"Your turn," the boy smiles, motioning for her to take a seat. She does so and watches as everyone seems to draw in closer, even Dinah stepping forward and watching her with the utmost curiosity.
"I've been looking forward to yours all day, Lauren," Ally grins.
"Yeah, you've never actually told us what exactly it is that you can do," Normani notes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Relax, Chameleon. I told you, revealing it would just ruin the mystery. Now that I've made you wait, it'll be even more incredible than you would have ever imagined," Lauren tells her, smirking. Camila rolls her eyes and lets out a huff of disbelief, to which Lauren responds by cracking as many bones in her neck as possible just to irritate her even further.
Tori appears right in front of her, smiling cheerfully as she examines her head and neck first, feeling the undersides of her jaw for a moment. "I don't know how we didn't find you sooner. Green eyes themselves are a mutation. Ones as pretty as yours, how many times have you seen that?"
Lauren doesn't know why the compliment seems to crush her. Is it true; is she really not as average as she would have hoped? Would there always be something holding her back, something hindering her from living the normal life she had dreamt of before?
So, Lauren handles it the way she always handles disappointment- turning the situation playful.
"Doctor, are you flirting with me?"
The blonde averts her gaze, a shy grin playing at her lips. She grabs a small orange rubber mallet and bites her lip, trying to fight the smile. "I'm going to check your reflexes. Hold still."
It isn't until the older girl blushes furiously that Lauren notes the distinct and adorable dimples nestled in her cheeks.
"Camila says to get over yourself," Ally tells her with a chuckle, standing besides her and resting a hand on her shoulder casually. "And wow, don't you move fast? Wouldn't your team physician be a little inappropriate? I mean, she is my age, and that's a bit of a stretch."
"Do I have to say anything?" Lauren asks out loud, looking down as the doctor examines her knees, although Ally knows exactly what she means.
"Think it to yourself, I can hear it if you're focused and we're touching enough."
"I think she's still bitter about me interrupting sexy time earlier." Lauren clears her mind of all thoughts but that phrase, even repeating it a few times for good measure. She looks up at Ally, who is wincing and pressing her fingers of her free hand to her temple.
"Jesus Chris, Lauren. I heard you loud and clear the first time," she groans. "That echo gave me a migraine."
"Shit, sorry Ally," Lauren quickly apologizes out loud, grimacing as she hears the girl take in a deep breath.
"Camila's a bit freaked out about earlier, when you snapped on Brad. She's got you pegged as a self-centered douche, so seeing you have her back like that kind of shocked her. I think she feels guilty that you defended her, and she's still mean to you," Ally explains, shrugging with a purse of her lips.
"Then maybe she should stop being mean to me," Lauren replies loudly, earning a cackle from the smaller girl. She grins and continues, quirking an eyebrow curiously up at the older girl. "And would you really disapprove if I flirted with the team physician?"
"If I don't judge Camila, I don't judge you," Ally assures her, giving her an encouraging grin and a pat on the shoulder. "I predicted it anyways. Your type strikes me as smart with brown eyes."
Tori lets out a laugh and stands up, a look of bewildered exasperation taking over her features. "I've been knocking at your knees for the past minute and a half and you haven't even flinched. You've got no reflexes, dear."
As Ally steps away, Lauren's got a sarcastic quip ready to fire, but she's interrupted by a quivering lab assistant with wide blue eyes, looking paler than normal.
"Victoria," Brad gasps, staring intensely at Lauren's exposed figure. He holds his arm out to the doctor, reaching for her desperately as he continues to stare. "Victoria, look at this."
The girl quickly takes his hand, lacing their fingers with a concerned furrow of her eyebrows. She clamps her eyes shut, her jaw dropping. After a few moments, the tense silence is broken by her slow, incredulous voice.
"Her ability... To say it's remarkable would be one of the greatest understatements known to mankind."
Lauren raises her eyebrows. "But I haven't even done anything yet."
"Then your ability works without you even noticing. These cells are able to not only manipulate the water molecules within themselves, but even the ones surrounding her. Can you form a precipitate, Lauren?"
Although she isn't quite sure what Tori is asking for, she glances down at her hands and lets her mind be freed. Keeping her ability hidden like that was like keeping herself from breathing. It was something as natural as her lungs taking in air, as her eyes fluttering closed and then open, it was as natural to her as pumping blood through her body.
The blonde scientist watches in awe as Brad's jaw drops to the floor, nearly crushing her hand as he watches Lauren form beads of dew on her palms. They are inside, so there clearly isn't enough moisture to do something bigger, so Lauren uncaps the water bottle she's been lugging around and concentrates a bit harder, watching the reactions of her startled teammates as she bids the liquid to rise up out of the container, then return.
"Now that's what I'm fucking talking about," Jojo murmurs, a victorious grin ghosting her lips. "Now I see why my dad is so obsessed with getting you guys trained so fast and so hard."
Tori drops Bradley's hand and instead grips Lauren's, smiling excitedly at the younger girl. Her warm hands bother Lauren a lot less than she thought they would, so the brunette decides to let the contact stay. "Troian told me you can talk to animals. That's how she found you."
"She didn't find me," the green-eyed girl corrects. "She wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, I don't know how she got in the aquarium so late."
"Can you or can you not?" Dinah asks, piping up for the first time since they've arrived. Seeing as she was the first to prove this ability, it's a valid question. But Normani had distracted Lauren when they tested her animal-talking claims, so Lauren really has no idea what to expect.
The brunette shrugs. "I think so."
Tori grins happily and pulls her hands away, clapping them together as she lets out a high whistle. "Puerco, c'mere boy!"
The furry creature waddles excitedly towards the blonde, letting out chortles of glee as she swoops him up into her arms.
"You can carry a 250 pound pig like it's a baby, yet you make me move all the equipment," Brad mutters, glaring at the pig that seems to be smirking down at him.
Tori narrows her eyes at her assistant. "Go run cardiograms. Check for any concerning effects during activation."
"You know what 'Puerco' means in Spanish, right?" Lauren asks, quirking an eyebrow at the stubby ball of hair. "You literally named your pig... Well, 'Pig.'"
"She's the smartest person on the face of this planet, of course she knows what the hell the word means," Camila snaps, from where Brad has her hooked up to a heart monitor as she snaps her fingers, the flame flicking on and off as if her fingertips were a lighter.
"That's very kind of you to say, but I'd hardly consider myself even close to some of the smartest. I'm just passionate and I work hard," Tori smiles modestly, nodding appreciatively at the pyrokinetic. She holds up the pig, grinning widely at him. "Puerco over here is the true genius. His mental capabilities match that of the average human. He's essentially a person trapped in a Kunekune's body."
Puerco sneezes.
Tori continues. "He's really an incredibly social little guy. I've managed to develop a device, an advanced pager, of sorts, that works as his human voice box. He bumped it off of the table and it broke, though, I've been working on it all day. Maybe Lauren here can see what he's had to say so far?"
Lauren finds herself with a giant (and fucking heavy) fuzzy pig sitting smugly on her lap, practically grinning up at her. She glares at the doctor. "I'm not talking to a god damn rack of ribs."
"He doesn't like being objectified," Brad clucks. Tori plucks the creature out of her hands and sets him back on the ground, where he glares at Lauren momentarily before waddling away.
"Even if you can't, your simple ability to manipulate water molecules like this is just astounding. This simple ability leads to an entire plethora of possibilities, including invisibility, teleportation, augmentation of density... Jojo, this group, they're something unique. The capabilities they possess and the ones they don't even know about, these girls are as versatile as could physically be possible."
Lauren's off of the examining chair, exploring the rest of the lab as Tori gushes to Jojo, practically pissing herself as she zips back and forth, warping from desk to table to examining chair, picking up files and examining them as she continues to bubble over. Lauren comes face to face with a small fish one in its tank, a colorful little thing that would have gotten eaten in a heartbeat back home at the aquarium.
"It's starting to feel like home again," Lauren murmurs to herself, the familiar features of the aquatic life instantly soothing her.
"Poor Tori has no game."
Lauren spins around, looking frantically before her eyes lock on to the fish staring right back at her. "Of course. Of course I can only talk to aquatic animals. Of-fucking-course."
"Last week, her ex came in for a physical since the other physician for their team was out. Awkwardest thing ever, I'm telling you," the fish chuckles, backing up to head towards the reef in the back of its tank. "Poor Tori didn't even know that her ex has a new girlfriend, and it's a four year age difference. She got truth bombed, hard."
"Thanks for that little tidbit, buddy," Lauren nods.
"Any time. You're one of us, anything that spends some of its life in the water is happy to help." The small maroon creature goes towards the reef, before turning around momentarily. "Oh, and tell Brad to stop having sex on the desk, will you? He's the one who broke Puerco's speaking collar anyways. Knocked it off the table when he came."
Deciding to ignore that last bit of information, Lauren nods again. "So I can only talk to animals who are actually in water. Gotcha."
She turns around, walking back to the group where Ally is currently getting the cardiogram done and Tori is still rambling to Jojo.
"Not to interrupt, but I've got an interesting development thanks to your little beta fish over here," Lauren calls out.
Tori tilts her head innocently. "Oh, you mean Pescado?"
"You're fucking kidding me."