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Never Give Up
 Iron Will: superior (rank 2)
“And how is your back?”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
Doctor Wimble, my psychiatrist since the accident, had been trying to start conversation with me for the last 30 minutes. I really would be annoyed, but I respect his persistence. They usually assign these sessions to Sentinels who were captives, or after a near death experience. Something about post-traumatic stress and depression. Either way, I’m stuck in this room on the fifth floor of the sentinel building for 60 minutes.
“You know, these sessions would go by much faster if, instead of staring at the clock, we actually had a conversation.” He said placing his note pad face down on the table that sat between us.
“Sorry, I have to be somewhere after here and I was just checking the time.” I suck at lying.
“You’re not a very good liar, Ms. Brooks. Since you’re here let’s focus on the session. Now, can you can tell me of your trip to the doctor?”
I looked away, playing with a loose thread that stuck out of the couch.
“That bad, huh?”
“They have no fucking idea. He said something about how I can’t use my powers and now I’m on the inactive list until ‘further notice.’”
“And how does that make you feel?”
My eyes narrow as I answer.
“I guess I’m a little upset about the whole situation.”
“Why is that? I mean, I wouldn’t mind a vacation right about now.”
Oh, he’s good.
“I feel like, if I stop, stop protecting people, then he won. Epoch won. I am a Sentinel and nothing should stop me from being that, nothing will.” When I was done talking a sudden feeling came over me. I felt renewed, and warm all over. I checked the time and there were only five minutes left to the session. Dr. Wimble followed my eyes to the clock and realized the time.
“That is a very fine sentiment Ms. Brooks and I wish we could continue, but our time is about up. How about next week we continue the conversation and you can tell me what became of this infamous Epoch.”
No Obstacle Too High
 Leaping: superior (rank 2)
My feet dangled off the edge of the Sentinel building. The cool wind tossed back my long brown hair. I use to always come up here when I was a trainee, but I hadn’t come back in a while. I hadn’t had the time. I could hear the sudden sound of a shift, almost like flour in a bag. When I turned around Zen stood on the roof, simply eyeing the same spectacle of a city I was.
“Sorry, to startle you.” He said flatly without taking his eyes off the scene.
“You didn’t.” I said, pausing and then continuing. “But wouldn’t you know I wouldn’t have been startled?”
He smirked.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked. I was confident he wouldn’t mind. If he didn’t, wouldn’t he have known I would eventually ask and leave before I could actually ask?
“Yes.” He said, his eyes finally falling on me.
“Will I ever use my powers again?”
“...You haven’t decided yet.”
And with that he was gone. It wasn’t the answer I expected. I would think he would have given me more to think about. I already know I haven’t decided yet. Though, he is a busy man. He probably saves a hundred lives a day without even clenching his fist. Could I do that?
I suddenly had the urge to actually see what he does. I stood and then scanned the area, to ensure nobody was looking, before leaping off the building. I leaned toward the building and clung onto the first fixture I could and climbed down until I got to the third floor.
Hard Skinned
 Armor: supreme (rank 3)
The room was dark except for the surveillance screens that sat upon the large desk. I stepped into the threshold to see Zen sitting criss-cross before the screens. I took a step further into the room and he twitched slightly. The screens flickered. They all were on different scenes across the globe where sentinels heroically took action against crisis. Looking upon the screens in its entirety brought on a headache, so I focused on a few screens at a time. In one scene, Victor Vandal and Kabuki led a task force in France. In another The Dayshift team were in North Hall, attempting to stop a gang war. My eyes continued to scan the screens until I came upon a peculiar scene. It was Tiger Dahlia and she was by herself in what seemed to be Archer. She wasn’t doing very well and it was evident by the gouges in her side. The camera, however, didn’t show her opponent at first and when it did I was taken aback.
The alien, Epoch, was back. It grinned menacingly as it tossed Tiger to the floor.
I motioned towards the door.
“Have you decided?” Zen asked coldly without moving a muscle.
The voice startled me. I paused for moment before answering, “Yes, I have.”
I flew out the door without another word.
My feet landed heavily into the pavement as my organic metal plated my body from foot to toe. Tiger Dahlia leaped at the grey skinned alien, her fangs sinking deep into the beings skin, but she was immediately tossed away. She crashed hard into a minivan parked street side. She didn’t get back up. Glass covered the asphalt along with her pelt. Black blood trickled down the alien’s shoulder as his empty eyes turned to me.
“We meet again.” He hissed.
“Weird, right? I was pretty sure you were dead.”
Epoch laughed a hearty laugh.
“I am undefeatable. The quicker your pitiful race realizes this and bows down to me the less lives will be lost.”
“We will never surrender to you. You will be defeated, once again.”
“Then your life will be the first of many to be lost.”
He pulled out a weapon and fired. I leaped through the air and the hot blast passed right under my feet. I landed behind the grey skin alien and he quickly swung his weapon backwards as I landed. I lifted my forearm and sparks flew as the two metals met.
There's Fight In This One
 Martial Arts: standard (rank 1)
I was momentarily blinded by the sparks and Epoch adroitly took advantage of my temporary blindness. His heavy fist landed hard against my metallic skull. I stumbled sideways from the impact, but quickly gained my composure as he charged forward. I sidestepped the tackled, landing multiple jabs into the beast’s midsection. He grunted before swinging wildly. I jumped back, avoiding the strike.
I landed lightly a few yards away from him and a stare down ensued.
There's Fight In This One (Part 2)
 Combat Supremacy: superior (rank 2)
I could hear sirens in the distance, water running from a broken fire hydrant. Civilians had long cleared the area and I’m sure more Sentinels were on the way. A throbbing in my lower back began, but I quickly pushed the thought of it to the back of my mind. Epoch bared his yellow fangs and roared as he charged forward. I leaped, kicking the back of his head with each foot as I soared over him.
We switched positions and the stare down began once again.
His hands twitched before he reached for his weapon. The draw was quick and the fire was even quicker. I barely dodged the beam before he was upon me. I defended myself from the volley of strikes the best I could, but he was backing me down.
My back was almost against the wall when he threw a right hook. I fell to the ground and slid through his legs as his strike struck the brick wall, bringing it to dust. I then went on the offensive once again.
I attacked the midsection, battering it with strike after strike, attempting to wear down the beast. As I delivered the final punch however, I faltered. He sensed the hesitation and delivered a powerful uppercut. I flew through the air and my eyes closed for a moment.
I woke up on my back as he was stalking toward me. He wiped black gore from his face, and it simply smeared. I tried to get up, but my body seemed unwilling and he noticed. He took pleasure in it.
“The first of many...” He lifted his weapon so I could see into the barrel. I could smell the charred metal from the blast it discharged. This final moment seemed to last forever. Was this my final moment? Was this the end of Caitlin Brooks?
No, I just won’t accept that. I can’t.
The barrel of the weapon glowed an eerie green. As he began to pull the trigger I struck the barrel, crushing the end of the weapon. He dropped the heating weapon out of his hand. The weapon rumbled upon the asphalt of the street, glowing hotter and hotter.
“What have you done?” An expression best comparable to fear surfaced upon the Epoch’s grey face.
I couldn’t stop the smirk from surfacing to my face. Undefeatable my ass. I turned and leaped with all the strength that remain in my legs, but it wasn’t enough. I could sense the deafening clap behind me and the heat of the explosion on my back. It further propelled me forward and I crashed hard into the ground, unable to get my legs underneath me.
I laid there, immobile, in the crater of asphalt I had made and watched the cloud of smoke rise up into the sky.
“I win.”
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