Monica James
Enhanced Strength: superior
Monica was boredly watching UFC in her garage on a very muggy Sunday morning, when very abruptly Kirsten hefted up the garage door so quickly the thing nearly leapt its tracks. “Whoa, what's up?” Monica gasped, but Kirsten said nothing and stomped to one of Monica's workbenches. She grabbed one of the katana lying on the workbench, and without a word, slammed it onto her wrist. The blade, rather than merely stopping on Kirsten's superhumanly tough skin, shattered.
Monica, concerned and confused, got up and began to walk to her teammate, but Kirsten grabbed one of Monica's gauntlets and activated the blade. The katana emerged with a 'snkt,' blue energy humming on the blade. To Monica's horror, Kirsten once again drove the sword onto her wrist.
This should have at the very least pierced the skin. Put that together with the fact her insides were no stronger than anyone else's, and her hand should have been cut off.
The blade, just like its sister, shattered into shards.
“Hey,” said Monica, unsure, “I don't come to your house and break your shit.”
“He...” Kirsten stammered, “Did something...made me...stronger.”
“Sounds awesome to me.”
Liaison
Enhanced Endurance: ultimate
All of the Extracurriculars—Kirsten, Monica, Haruki, Elliot, and Dayna—assembled at Dayna's house after the SLJ had the best look at Kirsten they could. Liaison, the Extracurriculars' Sentinel contact, had contacted her via Skype.
“Simply put,” said Liaison, “whatever Dr. Mentis put in Miss Perfect worked. Where she was tough before, now she's functionally invincible. That aside, there's not a lot I can tell you. Twenty years later, we still don't know how yttriphalene works. We apologize.”
“Dr. Mentis said he wanted me to become the next Sollus,” breathed Kirsten.
“Dr. Mentis always had a particular vendetta against Sollus. I think Mentis was angrier than a lot of Sentinels when Sollus died. You could do a lot worse, Miss Perfect. Sollus was a good man.”
“He wouldn't let me quit,” Kirsten whispered, “I just wanted to study and get on with life...but...”
“Easy enough,” said Haruki, “We just track him down, beat him, and make him reverse it.”
“It won't be that easy,” said Dayna, “Mentis never makes something he doesn't plan on using. It's probably irreversible, right?”
“Correct,” said Liaison. “I wish I had better news. I'm sorry.”
Haruki Kiriyama and Elliot Finn-Campion
Enhanced Willpower: superior
Kirsten, Elliot, and Haruki, all decked out in their superhero costumes, spent the afternoon at a scrapyard, testing Kirsten. She was tougher, obviously, but she was stronger and faster. Not to mention, she had exerted herself all day, and wasn't the least bit tired.
“Ask me, this is a good thing,” said Haruki, as the trio took a break, “why'd you wanna be normal anyway? With great power comes great asskicking. Sure, you didn't ask for this. But now you got it. Use it.”
“She's angry, Haruki,” returned Elliot. “She doesn't have to be Miss Perfect for the rest of her life. Besides, that's doing exactly what Mentis wanted. I know I'd give up my powers for a chance to be normal.”
“Well we don't get to be normal—and that's a good thing!” yelled Haruki. “Wouldn't your dads say this is providence or whatever? We're strong, we gotta do all we can!”
“This is about Kirsten! She would rather be a doctor, rather help people much more than punching out Xoskeleton! Right--”
Both Haruki and Elliot looked up and, embarrassed, watched Kirsten quickly flying away.
Dr. Augustus Baker
Empathy: standard (rank 1)
Kirsten pondered why the hell she was at work. Probably just to grab at some semblance of normality. As long as she was here, helping customers and giving out cigarettes (tax increase coming!), she could pretend--
“Excuse me.” Oops. Customer.
“Yeah, do you have any gas?” Kirsten muttered to the customer, a balding forty-something she recognized as a regular.
“No, I...” the man stopped. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, dropping a penny into the penny tray.
“Nothing...just...” the words spewed out of her. “I've changed so much I don't know who I am anymore.”
“That's how I felt in medical school,” said the customer.
“Ha. I've changed a little more than that.”
“Hmm. I doubt it. It seemed like my whole worldview switched up. But, everyone changes. To a point. Fortunately, X equals X. We're the same person no matter how much we change, I think.”
He paid for his purchases, told Kirsten to keep the change, and left.
Nathan Bayswater
Flight: superior (rank 2)
Kirsten flew higher than she had ever flown, impossibly high above the buildings and clouds. The cold and thin air didn't even bother her. Well, she supposed, that was one thing that was alright.
It was these times she missed Nathan most of all.
Nathan, poor kid, who had figured out her superpowers and suggested they start crimefighting. Nathan did the research and found precedent, found the old group that had been at their school, calling themselves the Extracurriculars. He even managed to contact the Sentinels and recruit one of the old Extracurriculars to serve as their Sentinel Liaison. Nathan was the one who suggested the founding members call themselves what they had been called by taunting peers in the past. So he was Supergeek; Kirsten, Miss Perfect.
And then...when Web had kidnapped the two of them, and several others besides, in a elaborate plot to assassinate the Alpha Sentinels...Nathan and Alison had given their lives to stop Web and help others escape.
What would Nathan say now? The answer slammed into her mind. “Kay, as long as there are freaks willing to kidnap a girl and ruin her life to prove a point...I don't think you CAN quit.”
Dayna Watson and the Extracurriculars
Commanding Leader: superior (rank 2)
“Heya, Kirsten,” said Dayna, looking up from her research as Kirsten entered her room. “My mom okay downstairs?”
“Yeah, she's--” Kirsten stopped. Lying on Dayna's bed was a mask, just like the one Kirsten usually wore. Below that was a short leather zip-up vest, a pair of shimmering pants, and long boots, all in the most beautiful and purest of white.
“You knew I would be Miss Perfect again, didn't you?” asked Kirsten, smiling.
“We figured you needed a new and improved outfit,” Dayna responded.
“We?” Kirsten heard a moped park outside. “Why's Monica here?”
“'Cause we knew you were going to tell us not to fight with you.”
“Dayna! You—these are real villains, not the freaking Pangolin-Man! These are murderers and masterminds, the kind Sollus fought. You can't--”
“What, risk ourselves? We've fought worse than Mentis. Besides, do you think we want you to risk yourself either? As long as you're fighting, we'll be behind you. Trust us.”
Kirsten, Miss Perfect, bit her lip and looked out into the night.
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