Arrow Hawk: Gronk Smash! (Book 5)

Russiosteel and Freedom Forward's Training: The Russian and American Duo

Sidney Crosby makes it to the Hockey Avengers' Headquarters, yawning and barely awake. He's been kept up all night thinking about his friend from Colorado. Over the off-season, he and Nathan had really bonded and Sidney thought of Nathan as a son or little brother. And he knows that Nathan thinks this as well.

If Sidney has to, he'll gladly throw himself in front of a bullet for his younger brother. The Penguins' captain enters the hockey stick shaped building in Downtown Boston and walks through the lobby, past the elevator.

It is time to train two new Avengers anyway: Russiosteel, the big Russian defenseman from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Freedom Forward, the speedy, young forward from the San Jose Sharks.

Being the designated trainer of the group, Sidney isn't at all stressed about working with two newbies. But his mind is on Nathan. He'd tried to call him again before he had left, thinking the young man would be up, but he hadn't answered.

The Penguin is worried.

Nikita Nesterov and Ben Smith are standing inside the black box-looking training room, all ready for the trainer. Nesty is playing around with generating steel on his arm, while Ben is watching him with keen interest.

"How do you do that?" Ben asks.

"Do what?" the Russian inquires, cocking his head.

"That. The steel, on your arm. How do you create the steel like that? Normally people just put on armor but you're practically made of armor!"

Before Nikita can respond to him, Sidney Crosby speaks, "It's called Organic Metal Skin, Ben. No mortal would dare punch him...anywhere."

The two players spin to him. Sidney smiles kindly. He then gestures for them to follow him to the far corner of the room, where a block of wood is set up horizontally on top of two cinder blocks. He gently guides the perplexed Lightning player to the other side of the setup and positions him in the center.

"I want to test just how durable your skin is...the steel skin that is. Because that will tell me how much I need to work with you. I don't know how you fared in the alternate universe... neither does anyone else it seems, however, I'll push you and I'll see your limit. I promise not to kill you though, Nikita."

"That good know. No want die. If Sid try kill me, I kill Sid."

"Which won't happen, Nikita. First things first though, let me read your mind, get to know you," Sidney says as he steps behind the defenseman and grabs his head with his hands, before Nikita can make a move. The player freezes in place. Sidney produces the silver-ish gold glow and closes his eyes.

He is instantly taken to the young defenseman's childhood. Little Nikita Nesterov is laughing and skating around on a frozen pond in Chelyabinsk, Russia with a few of his friends. He blocks a shot and gleefully shouts out in Russian.

Sidney watches as the happy childhood fades away. A twelve year old Nesty is suddenly flung into a wall by two boys, who snarl at him and seem to call him mean names. Before he knows it, Nesty's skin transforms into steel and he musters enough courage to shove the two boys off of him. One of them lunges at him, pissed off and Nesty instinctively punches him, knocking him out cold.

As the other kid gasps and checks on his friend, Sidney sees the terror and shock in Nesty's eyes. But the Russian darts off, not looking back. Sidney and Nesty are on the streets. Nesty is still covered in the steel-like armor and unable to change back to his mortal human form. He cries out as the residents of Chelyabinsk fling items, like empty vodka bottles and fruit, at him. He flees into an alleyway, trying desperately to transform back into his human form.