Opposites Attract

Save The Citizen Training

"Alright Pansies!" Boomer yelled across the gym, "There are a few newbies in here. I'm not gonna make you get up, tell everyone your name and demonstrate your power, but I'm gonna introduce you to Save The Citizen!"

He pressed a button on some remote I didn't know he had as everyone stood around the gym in their select cliques, and a massive rotating shredder killer machine thing just casually rose out of the ground, a few yards away from me.

I jumped away a little, muttering, "Holy crap," in mild fear and mild admiration as it rose to its full height.

I continued walking backwards until I was a safe distance away from it, but I had failed to notice I had ended up backing up to where Warren Peace was stood. How I had managed not to walk into him, I'll never know.

"Little Stronghold scared of a little shredder?" he taunted from above and behind me with a growl, and I looked behind me to discover I was nearly stood on his feet I had backed up that much, but I still managed to glower at him.

"Nope!" I declared, popping the 'p'  and whipping my hair in his face as I turned back around to face Boomer, arms crossed.

I had to hold in a yelp of surprise as I felt warm hands around my waist, and I suddenly felt myself being lifted off my feet. Nearly as soon as I was up though, I was back down, but this time beside Warren instead of in front of him.

"Your big head matches your Stronghold ego," he muttered, glaring towards Boomer, not looking at me.

"You're talking as if your ego isn't big enough," I shot back in a whisper, so the coach wouldn't hear, "What are you gonna do? Melt the damn thing?"

Warren raised his eyebrows like it wasn't something he had actually considered before, and my mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"You seriously didn't think you use your powers like that?" I asked, eye wide.

"No," he turned to look at me, "I much prefer using my powers to roast annoying students where they stand."

He turned back to look at coach without another word.

"Damn, now I know why nobody sits with you at lunch," I muttered, receiving a sidewards glare from the Hothead, but playing his game and ignoring it to concentrate on what Coach Boomer was saying.

"It's pretty simple!" Coach declared, and pressed a button, where a whirring began in the ceiling, "Use your powers to save the citizen!"

Just then, from where the whirring had begun, a panel in the ceiling opened up, and a life size doll was lowered down from the ceiling above the killer machine.

My eyes widened, as did those of every new superhero. Warren smirked at my horrified expression.

"What's wrong Stronghold?" he taunted, still smirking, but I ignored it, and listened to Coach Boomer in shock.

"You'll be split into pairs where you will each discuss your powers and how to save the citizen before executing your plan. In the usual situation, you would have a matter of seconds to think of a plan- I'm giving you five minutes- DON'T waste it," he warned, before going about splitting everyone into pairs.

"Lash and Speed and... Peace and Stronghold!" he announced, and I literally dropped my head in defeat, my hair swishing around my face before I pulled it back up and took a deep breath.

I sighed before gliding past Warren and towards the bleachers, where I would get a better idea of the machine; "Let's do this," I muttered airily.

Sitting down in the bleachers, I could see the machine better. There were knives in there stuck to what seemed like a rotating cylinder, making it seem like a cylindrical version of a mace. But how would we get up over it to save the citizen?