The S-Force

8: Toni

I had been at the S-Force for days and the incident at the arena still weighed heavily on my mind. I tried my best to keep it at the back of my mind but it seemed to refuse to cooperate.

"You over there looking like a deer in headlights." Catherine pointed to me.

"Yes?" I felt myself stiffen involuntarily.

"Come with me." She walked out of the training room without another word.

I scurried after her like a naïve puppy, unsure of what was happening.

"You summoned me..." I began.

"Yes I did." She sat down at her desk. "I sense you are disturbed and while you still perform quite excellently in training, you can probably do better if what bothers you is addressed."

"Well it's just- I don't even know or understand myself."

"Did something happen before you came in here?"

"Yes." I finally said.

She leaned forward, hands and elbows pressed firmly against her desk. "I'm listening."

"During my last test, something strange happened." I nervously rubbed my arm. "I found myself in a different place from the testing grounds then I suddenly returned to the testing grounds before I knew what was happening."

"What were you doing when you suddenly found yourself in a different place?"

"I was using my powers against this small army of 'bots and-" Catherine stood up from her chair suddenly, interrupting what I planned to say. She pulled a lever beside her desk and a stone slab similar to the one in the great conference room slid out of the ground. She moved to the slab and picked out a slip, clicking it open against the stone.

"Let's see what we have here." She studied the holographic display. "Candidate 65S. Toni Pinnock. From the Caribbean/Central America facility. One of the two candidates chosen to join an elite team of superheroes.  Abilities include super speed and can possibly create portals. Weaknesses are people with similar abilities and falling over."

"Oh! I- wait!"

"Yes you read that right." She clicked the slip closed and put it away. "There's a possibility that you can create portals."

"This is..." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Perfect timing. We are going to test this ability of yours."

"What? But-"

"What was the first thing I told you in my training room?"

"To always listen to instruction."

"The better you take to instruction, the better your chances of making it to the Super Force."

"Yes ma'am."

"Now." She pulled the lever and sent the slab sliding back into the ground. "Let's go test this ability of yours."

"Yes ma'am."

"That's what I like to hear."

I swallowed several times while I made my way back into the training room. Catherine walked up to the young man that helped us train when she wasn't around and said something in his ear. He nodded and stepped aside.

"I would like to show everyone or rather, one of you has something she would like to show everyone." Catherine announced, easily catching everyone's attention. "Toni?"

"Yes. Alright. This is it." I said out loud. I got in position, ready to sprint with my feet planted on the ground.

I sprinted around the training room, speeding around in a small circle. The familiar feeling of electricity and fireworks going off around me returned. I saw a chasm open from underneath me and I fell inside. I heard gasps from everyone just before the chasm closed up after me. I found myself in Catherine's office and wasted no time in running around in a small circle, feeling the electricity and fireworks going off in me, the chasm forming underneath me and falling inside, back into the training room.

"It's impressive how you already have some control of this ability." Catherine walked up to my crouched form. "Of course we're going to work on controlling the location you portal to."

"Everyone is dismissed." She called out and everyone cleared the room, leaving me alone with her and the other trainer. I stood up slowly from my position on the ground still out of breath from a few minutes ago.

"I-"

"I am going to my office and I want you to meet me there by portaling." She ordered and left the room, leaving no room for questions or protests.