As the class filed out of the homeroom, a man in a black business suit held out a hand to stop the tallest member of the small group.  In response, six other students stopped, one, a tall slender girl sneered at the man openly.

            “Miller,” she hissed as if the very name tasted foul.

            Ignoring her reaction the man gave a slight nod, “Ms. Collins.”  He then turned his attention to the tall young man he’d stopped.  “If you will take your 'team’ to the gym, it is time for you to meet your betters.”

            Slowly the young giant sucked in a breath, the girl identified as Ms. Collins placed a hand on his arm.

            “Nathaniel,” she said softly.

            Looking down at her he nodded and relaxed.

            One of the 'team’ snapped his fingers.

            “Time to go perform, kids,” he said.  “It’s what they pay us for.”

            “Josh, we aren’t getting paid,” a blonde girl with face and athletic body of a cheerleader, Christiana, observed.

            “Nonsense,” Josh scoffed.  “Free room and board is paid!”

            Nathaniel eyed Miller coldly.

            “I hope they give us the opportunity to discover just how much 'better’ they are.”

            Miller ignored him.

            “I suggest you get a move on, Mr. Law doesn’t like people to be late,” Miller told them.

            “Oh REALLY!?” Josh’s eyes twinkled with malice.

            Mark Law, a few weeks shy of 19, paced back and forth in from of the single row of bleachers that had been extended onto the gym floor.  Six younger people sat quietly watching him pace, each harboring their own thoughts.  At the far end of the gym, a set of double doors slammed open and seven more students came in, the tallest leading.

            “About time!” Law fumed.  “What took you so long?”  He stalked across the glossy boards to stop inches from the leader of the other group, purposely invading his personal space.  The other didn’t flinch or back off.

            “We got lost,” he replied blandly.

            Law, not a small man at 6’3” and 220 pounds, had to look up at the other who topped him by at least a foot and outweighed him by an easy hundred pounds.  Like any good drill instructor, Law stood on his toes and tried to get right in the guy’s face.

            “You got LOST?!” he roared.  Behind the object of his wrath, a small Japanese girl flinched but a tall leggy brunette stepped up closer.

            Without a hint of concern the tall young man leaned forward forcing Law to drop back on his heels.

            “Yeah, lost,” he reiterated.  “We were told to 'go meet our betters’ but all we could find was you.”  One of the boys at his back snickered.

            Law pointed at the partially occupied bleachers, “Go sit your asses DOWN!” he roared.

            Five of the seven complied but the brunette and tall guy didn’t move.

            “Who the hell are you!?” Law demanded.

            “Nat Ryan,” came calm the reply.

            “Wren Collins,” said the ebon haired beauty at his side.

            “Well, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Collins,” Law began sweetly then roared, “Do you need a fuckin’ engraved invitation?”

            Ryan looked down at Collins questioningly, she shook her head and half smiled.  Hooking her arm in his, she led him to the bleachers to join the rest of the students.  Just before he sat, Ryan turned back to Law.

            “If you ever cuss at Wren like that again,” he said softly.  “I am going to stuff you into a garbage can and pinch the end closed.”

            Law blinked in surprise but quickly hid his reaction.  A couple of his own group began to whisper to each other.

            “All right!” Law bellowed.  “Shut the fu . . . “ He stopped and appraised Ryan then continued.  “SHUT UP!”

            Once he had their attention he began to pace again, hands clasped behind his back.

            “For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Mark Law, my code name is Ranger!” he said proudly.  “I am your drill instructor for all combat and martial training.”

            Wren Collins sighed just loud enough for everyone to hear.

            “You got a problem with that?” Law squared up on her.

            Beside her, Nathaniel Ryan growled softly.

            The beautiful blonde cheerleader type stood up and stepped down to the floor.

            “My name is Christiana Gilchrist,” she announced.  “And if you think you can teach ME about combat, you are delusional.”

            There was a sudden flurry movement and Law lay on his back on the floor, the blonde’s knee in his solarplexes, a sharpened wooden stake pressed to the hollow of his throat.

            Ryan rose and stepped down, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder.  She glanced up at him.

            “I think he got the point, Chris,” he grinned.

            Coming to her feet the stake vanished and she calmly resumed her place on the bench.

            “Law,” Ryan began.  “You seem to think we NEED your training.”

            Red faced, Law came to his feet, ignoring the offer of a hand from Ryan.

            “ALL of you need training!” he snapped.  “I have your orders from Miller!”

            “Ah,” Ryan said.

            Wren Collins came to her feet.

            “I, for one, will not be taking 'combat training and martial arts’,” she said.

            “Sit your fucking ass down!” Law bellowed.

            Ryan looped a long arm around Law’s body pinning his arms to his sides then pulled him tightly against his chest before he could react.  Behind them, on the bleachers, both groups came to their feet, eyeing each other warily.

            “I warned you,” Ryan said, heading for the doors to the field.

            Law began to struggle but it was like fighting with a redwood, not a millimeter of give.  En masse those on the bleachers followed, a few on either side struggling to hide smiles.  A Latino boy raced ahead and pushed open the doors, holding them for Ryan and his struggling burden.  Heading around the back of the building trailing an entourage Ryan stopped at a dumpster and flipped the lid open.

                        “I promised a trash can,” he said.  “But your head is too big to fit into one without squashing it.”

            With a shrug he flipped Law into the container and dropped the lid, holding it closed with one hand.  A semi-circle had formed, more than one face filled with delight or outrage, Ryan’s entire team ranging from a slight smile to open guffaws.  The dumpster shivered as Law tried to push open the lid.  Ryan pinched it tightly closed.

            “So,” he said to the student he hadn’t met.  “What are his powers?”

            A girl with silky blonde hair down to her knees and as tall as Wren half smirked.  “He is super strong,” she said.  “By the way, I’m Malin Tornquist, Mal.”  She held out a hand to Ryan who took it.

            “You better run, man,” an Afro-American girl with ear buds blaring warned.  “He gonna be some kinda pissed when he get outta of that.”

            As the dumpster began to groan, most of the onlookers backed off but Ryan and Collins stood their ground along with Mal Tornquist.

            “Belle is right,” Mal said.  “He’s going to be very angry when he gets out.  He doesn’t take challenges to his authority lightly.”

“Can he fly?”  Nathaniel asked, giving Wren Collins a look.

            Mal’s perfect brow knitted.  “Yes, why?”

Ryan grabbed one corner of the dumpster as Wren held up a finger then nodded.  Spinning like an Olympian hammer thrower, Nathaniel lofted the dumpster and its contents out over the Pacific Ocean where is faded into the distance.

“Oh, dear,” Mal said, her hand to her lips to hide a smile.  “It will take him some time to get back from a throw like that.”

            Wren smiled.  “If Nathaniel was correct in his assessment of the angle, the dumpster might come by this way in a couple of days.”

            Mal blinked.

            “What do you mean 'come by’?”

            “Wren negated the effects of gravity on it and at such a low angle, barring a mountain, the dumpster will orbit until friction slows it down or it skips off intro space.”  Nat explained.

            A raven haired girl with the body of a goddess laughed suddenly.

            “This is TOO much!” she said offering Wren her hand.  “Mari Trelane, Nemesis.”

            “Wren Collins,” Wren replied.

            “You mean you can put someone into orbit?”

            “Actually, no,” Wren admitted.  She pointed at Nat.  “But he can if I reduce the gravity effect.”

            Mari paused and then placed her fingertips on Wren’s forearm.  “You are them . . .”

            Wren looked at her uncomprehendingly.

            “Paris about a year ago,” Mari explained.  “That river boat.”

            “I remember that,” a dark complexioned girl with eyes the color of aquamarine put in.  She looked up at Nat.  “I got a picture of you . . . “  Her mouth snapped shut with a pop.

            “This is Shannon Flores,” Mal introduced.  “Glory.”

            “Nice to meet you, Shannon,” Nat said taking her unresisting hand.

            “So you guys aren’t rookies,” Mari surmised.

            Wren sighed.  “No, not quite.”

            “We spent a year or so with … another group,” Nat explained.

            “No shit!” the Latino boy flashed a brilliantly white smile as he gave Wren a long lingering once over.  “You know, you’re pretty hot!” His Mexican accent was thick.

            Wren eyed him like a bug.  “I am also pretty taken.”  She slipped a hand into Nat’s.

            “How 'bout you?”  he said, giving  Christiana the same lingering look.  “I’m Carlos Sentara you wanna get a cup of coffee or something?”

“More like 'you wanna let me jump yo ass’” Belle sneered.

            “You jest jealous, chica,” Carlos slipped an arm around Belle’s waist.  “You know you the only one for me!”

            Belle spun out of his grip.

            “In yo dreams, CHARLIE!”

            “Carlos, man, Carlos!”

            Nat turned to Mal.  “Would you introduce your team?”

            “Sure,” Mal pointed at Carlos.  “CARLOS is known as Bolt.”  She pointed to Belle.  “Belle, is . . . well . . . Bell.”

            Belle glared at Nat.  “You call me Tinker and I am gonna cut you!”

Mal moved to the girl with the aquamarine eyes.

            “As I said, this is Shannon, Glory.”  Next she gestured to a girl with black hair, blue eyes and a smirk.  “That’s Rachel, Mercury and . . . “ she indicated a solemn guy with long black hair and the high cheekbones of an Native American.  “Ern, Eagle.”

            Ern ducked his head slightly but said nothing.

            Nat stood to his full height, “Nat Ryan, Goliath.” He said.

            “Wren Collins, Giselle,” his companion added.

            “This is Alicia Cross, Midnight, and I am Slater Monroe, Psiblade,” a hunky looking blonde guy on Ryan’s other side said.

            “Josh Temple, Tempest,” the last guy on Ryan’s team said.

            The Japanese girl stepped forward.

            “I am Fuji Yamakaze, Mountain Wind,” she bowed slightly.

            The cheerleader said “I am Christiana Gilchrist, Huntress.”

            Carlos leered at her.  “You can hunt me any time!”

            Belle, closest to him, kicked him in the shin.

            Somewhere out over the Pacific Ocean a dumpster exploded into shrapnel peppering the blue water with debris.  Ranger caught himself before he hit the water and hovered for a long moment, struggling to control his anger.  Lifting his arm to his lips he spoke into a wrist mike.

            “Ranger, to base,” he said.

            “Roger, Ranger, go ahead,” the voice came in his ear.

            “You got a fix on me?” Ranger demanded.

            “We have you about fifteen miles south southwest of San Clemente Island,” came the reply

            “Range to Point Loma base?”

            “Seventy-six point three miles.”

            “Jesus Christ,” Ranger murmured.

“Say again, Ranger?”

            “Nothing,” he replied.

            “Ranger, are you in need of assistance?” This time the voice was different, it held more authority.

            “Negative, base,” Law radioed back.  “Just a speed run test.”

“Roger, Ranger, base out.”

            Law headed east for the coast at his top speed.   Unfortunately that wasn’t even as fast as California freeway speeds.  He figured it would take an hour and a half to make it back.  If Ryan was lucky, he would have calmed down by then.

            Caryn was running late, she hated to be late and Mark hated it when ANYONE one late, even her.  Breathless she slammed open the gym doors and found the place empty.  Puzzled she headed for the field doors figuring Mark already had the new team running laps.   As she came out the door a dumpster crossed her line of sight and disappeared out over the Pacific.  Rounding the corner of the building she found her entire team along with what had to be the new team introducing themselves.  Mark was nowhere to be seen.

            Approaching Mal, she asked, “Where’s Mark?”

            An incredibly tall guy with short sun-bleached hair and a deep tan lifted an eyebrow at her.

            Belle, normally hostile, burst out laughing and pointed toward the ocean.

            “What?”  Caryn said, scowling.  She didn’t care for Belle’s sense of humor in the first place.

            Mal said, “Oh, dear.”

            “WHAT!” Caryn demanded, growing angry and a little worried.

            Mari, put a hand on Caryn’s shoulder.  “Mark . . . um . . . “ she covered her mouth with a hand, stifling a laugh.

            Caryn’s eyes filled with tears.

            “Cari,” Mal said.  “Mark, being Mark, bit off a little more than he could chew.  He should be back in a few hours.”

            The tall blonde guy cleared his throat.

            “I . . . um . . . tossed him into the ocean,” he said.

            “You did what?” Caryn couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

            The giant shrugged.  “I told him not to curse at Wren,” he said indicating a slender girl at his side who was probably six foot tall herself.

            “What did you DO?!” she demanded.

            “He crammed him into a garbage can and pinched it closed,” Belle laughed.  “Then threw it into the ocean.”

            Caryn glared at the young giant.

            “You better get him back!” she growled.  “Now!”

            “Nat just throws 'em,” a guy she didn’t know but later came to know as Josh said.  “Usually we don’t want 'em back!”

            Caryn turned tear-filled accusing eyes on the guy 'Nat’.

            “I hate you!” she hissed then she saw something she never expected, real remorse in the giant’s eyes.

            He turned to the group.

            “Okay, senior team, I don’t know your powers, but I do know my team’s,” he said.  “Zach, take Alicia and follow that dumpster.  Alicia, you scan for Mark while Zach flies you.  Fuji, you drag me, I’ll go into the water if we need to rescue him.”  He pointed Ern, “Eagle, right?”

            Ern nodded once.

            “Fuji isn’t very fast, you think you can fly me out there?”

            “You are a big guy,” Ern said.  “Might not be able to lift you.”

            “Wren will fix that,” he again indicated the slender girl at his side.  “Who else flies on your team, Mal?”

             “Glory, Nemesis and me,” Mal replied.  “Glory’s faster than Eagle.”

            “Glory, if Wren lightens me up will you drag me out after Zach?”  The girl blushed but nodded.  “Eagle,” the giant said to Ern.  “Can you take Wren so she can turn off the anti-grav on me?”

            “Sure,” Ern replied.

            “Let’s move people,” he said and they were gone leaving Caryn more than a little stunned as the speed of their reaction.

            Zach scooped Alicia up in his arms and lifted into the air, a half smile forming at the feel of her arm around his neck.

            “So, you and Slater, huh?” he said.

            Alicia blushed, their faces so close she knew he couldn’t miss it.

            “It’s so fast,” she said.  “I mean . . . I  . . . we don’t even know each other.”

            “You like the idea?” Zach asked.

            He could feel her shrug.

            “I don’t know . . . I mean . . . no guy has even been interested in me before,” she admitted.

            “Maybe if you got rid of the old lady clothes,” Zach suggested.  She smelled faintly of mothballs enhancing the impression.

            “I like my clothes!” she protested.

            “Slater must like the look too,” he replied.

            She released her death grip on his neck long enough to point.

            “There!”

            Zach squinted and spotted a distant spot that rapidly grew into a human figure.

            “He looks mad,” Alicia said.

            Laughing, Zach said, “Yeah think?”

            As they got closer the figure stopped and began to hover a couple of meters above the tops of the waves.  Zach slow as well, keeping his distance but grinning.

            “See you got out of the trash can,” he said doing a lazy circle around Law.

            “What are you doing out here?” Las demanded.

            “Some chick named Caryn got all pissy and told Nat to get you back,” Zach said.

            “She was very upset,” Alicia added.

            “I wish I had a camera,” Zach said.  “The look on your face was priceless when Nat dropped you into that can.”

            “Zach,” Alicia said.  “Let it go.”

            Zach darted in closer then back away just as quickly.

            “Man, you smell like garbage!” he crowed.

            “ZACH!” Alicia protected.

            “Come on, Alicia, he got what he deserved,” Zach said.

            Unlike her teammate, the girl noticed the fury building in Mark Law’s eyes.

            “Zach, shut up!” she ordered.

            “Why?” he said.  “Afraid of Dumpster Head?”

            Nat could tell the girl, Glory, was uncomfortable by the tension in her body and by the way she studiously avoided looking back at him as she pulled him along hand in hand.  Even though Wren had reduced his weight to near zero, the drag created on her by his shear size had to be slowing her down.

            “If you get tired, just stop,” he said.  “I’ll stay were you put me.”

            She did look down at him then.  Smiling weakly she said “Mark wouldn’t want me to stop just to rest.”

            “I’m not Mark.”

            Shannon nodded, considering the response then returned her attention to what was ahead.

“ZACH!” Nat’s voice startled all three.

            The surfer floated at Shannon’s side, scowling at his friend.  Zach shut his trap not looking in the least contrite.  Law glared at the bigger man but Ryan didn’t appear fazed.

            “Look, Mark,” he said.  “I’m sorry I put you in the dumpster.  I’m sorry I tossed you out this far.”

            Law slowly approached Nat, his fists clinching.

            “Go ahead,” Nat said calmly.  “Glory, you can let go.”

            The girl obliged and Nat was floating free.

            “I’m weightless and helpless, take your shot,” the giant offered.

            For a long moment Mark considered it, actually raising a fist, but when Glory gasped, he stopped.

            “When you aren’t helpless,” he said.  “Then I’ll take my 'shot’.”

            “Fair enough,” Nat replied.

            The sound of eagle’s wings announced the arrival of two more, Ern carrying Wren in his arms.

            “Caryn is worried about you,” the winged young man said with his odd accent.

            “Let’s head back in,” Law ordered.