Chapter 41 - The Core
The Superhuman Management Department was the sole governing body for all Superhuman-related activities in and around the country. Anytime a superhuman awakened a Gift, they were obligated by law to first report to the Superhuman Management Department and register their identity with them before they would be scheduled for an assessment as soon as possible to determine their rank.
Most superhumans that awakened were young teens between fourteen to eighteen, and by the time they discovered their abilities, they would be too young and irrational to be left alone. That was why the Superhuman Management Department had created a school specifically for superhuman children to be taught how best to handle their abilities and control their strength while living in the real world. This school was located in the heart of America, between Nebraska and Kansas, in a small area of land that was known as Core City.
The students in this school were between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, and there were many older superhumans working there as teachers to make sure that they were properly taught how to handle their abilities.
After going through the school for a year, the students would be allowed to return to their lives amongst the other regular civilians, and they would either go back to high school and complete their education, or they would join the superhuman organization and begin Gate Diving.
For most superhumans whose parents were lenient – like Gina – they were allowed to drop out of school and begin Gate Diving to make money. But the superhumans whose parents wanted them to finish their education and turn eighteen before they would be allowed to become Gate Divers had to return to school.
But for superhumans like Jason, who awakened their abilities so late in life, things were a little more complicated. He couldn't go to the school at Core City since he was already eighteen years old. He was considered an adult and couldn't be treated like a minor who could be told what to do. Therefore, the only option they had was to make sure that he didn't use his abilities for any nefarious activities while allowing him to continue living in society as a regular citizen.
Jason wasn't really interested in going to the school at Core City. Even though he was new to all this power, that didn't mean he wasn't capable of controlling it. Jason's power didn't come to him all at once like everyone thought. He awakened as an E Rank, and he only grew this quickly because of all the subordinates that he collected.
He was able to slowly get used to all the power in his body, and that allowed him to control it a lot better. Jason knew that he would be able to control his power without any issues!
Jason got out of the cab that he took to the SMD building with a frown on his face. Getting out of the house had been a fucking struggle because of the number of people that were waiting for him outside. Jason didn't know that reporters were so adamant about getting an interview with him, and when he came out of the house, he saw many of them waiting down the street with cameras and mics to try and get a view of him.
Jason decided that he was going to move into a more secure location once he got enough money! He couldn't deal with shit like this every morning!
Thankfully, Jason was able to get through the crowd, and he got a cab to pick him up. Gina was going to her guild building this afternoon for work, so she was still hanging out at his place till then. Jason had thought about bringing Gina along for the Gate Dive in New York, but he decided not to since he had no idea how dangerous it would be. Jason wanted to go into the Gate first and figure things out without putting anyone at risk. Jason was still weak, so he didn't want to bring Gina into a situation where he couldn't protect her if he needed to.
An Orange Gate was a completely different beast from a Red Gate, and Jason was still not sure what was going to greet him inside the Gate. If a monster appeared that he couldn't defeat, then it was likely that Gina would also be killed by it.
Once Jason got out of the car, he was surprised to see someone standing at the entrance and looking directly at him. The SMD building was located in the middle of the Riverdale Business District. It was a skyscraper towering over the other tall buildings in the area, and there were multiple superhumans constantly streaming in and out of the building.
There was a sense of seriousness surrounding the building, and the pressure from the multiple superhumans gathered in one place ensured that no regular human would be able to near the building.
The person waiting for Jason in front of the SMD building was a young man with a serious look in his eyes. He wore a white military uniform that complemented his white hair and black eyes. He had a bulky build, but he wasn't as large as Jason, so he looked smaller than him when they stood side by side.
But from the intense aura Jason could feel coming off the man, Jason knew that this man had to be an A Rank at least.
"Mr. Jason Marc. My name is Keith Ledger. I am a member of the Superhuman Enforcers, and I have been tasked with escorting you through the building today."
Once the man said he was a member of the Superhuman Enforcers, Jason's eyes widened in surprise!
The Superhuman Enforcers were the special military division that worked with the SMD to ensure that superhumans never abused their power while living amongst regular citizens.
Even though it was mandated by law for people not to use their abilities outside a Gate, it wasn't uncommon for people to hide their abilities from the government and use them to carry out immoral acts of violence. Members of the underworld and gangs that awakened Gifts were known to become criminals and terrorize regular citizens on a daily basis.
And in order to try and prevent the actions of these criminals from affecting regular people, the SMD created a task force that would be responsible for the management of all superhuman-related crimes outside of the Gates. This group was known as the Superhuman Enforcers.
Each mid-tier member of the Enforcers was somewhere between C and A Rank, with their leaders being S Rank superhumans, and they were treated in the same way the military police were treated in the army. With utmost respect and slight fear.
The man who was standing in front of Jason was a mid-ranking member of the Enforcers. Once they got wind that Jason was approaching the SMD building, he had been told by his superiors to come and make sure that there were no incidents while Jason was there. There were various people standing around the building entrance who had been there to see Jason and invite him to their guild, but Keith easily got rid of them with his presence alone.
The SMD building had strict laws preventing anyone from carrying out recruitments inside, but that doesn't stop people from trying to create a scene outside in a bid to recruit new superhumans.
Keith was a very uptight and rigid person who treated everyone exactly how they should be treated according to the law, and his personality made it difficult for anyone to even try acting out in front of him! He was the sort of person who would arrest his own mother if she stole from the supermarket!
He was an Emitter-type superhuman with a Gift that allowed him to control sand and use it to form shields, screens, or blades during battles. He had an extremely high arrest rate, with more than ten criminal superhumans arrested every month, so he was very popular among the superhumans in the city!