Chapter 14: When genes make proteins

Alicia gets confirmation for her working gene theory. The team is finally fitted for their uniforms.

Alicia was typing up files in the lab when there was a knock. She looked up to see someone from the DNA lab. “Hello,” He said amicably. “I have your karyotypes.”

            Alicia walked over to him. “Six of them?”

            “Yep,” He replied, handing over the manila envelopes.

            “With silver?”

            “Yep.”

            “Thank you,” Alicia said quickly before turning away. “Have a nice day.”

            “You too,” The man responded before leaving.

            Alicia pulled out the karyotypes, writing each person’s codename in the bottom corner. She went to one of the drawers and pulled out her own. She added it to the mix and called Pagel over. He came and looked over the data. “Clearly, the power determines the length of the chromosomes and the number of genes added to the thirteenth chromosome,” Alicia commented. “Look, mine, Theo, and Paul’s are all noticeably longer than Tae and Q’s.”

            “Well, you three have a mainly conscientious power,” Pagel reasoned. “Whereas, Tae shoots lightning and Q shapeshifts. I do believe that there is some ambiguity between the two types.”

            “Kris though,” Pagel continued, picking up her karyotype. “Her addition is substantially long even though her powers are physical.”

            “Maybe the number of powers have some effect on the addition to the chromatid,” Alicia said. “She does have two powers. I would consider the venom as a physical power and the flying as something in the grey area.”

            “The other interesting thing is yours,” Alicia commented with hushed excitement, handing Pagel his karyotype.

            He quickly spotted what she was excited about. “I have an addition.”

            “Yes,” Alicia said quickly. “But you’ll notice that you aren’t expressing it. No silver, no rRNA around it.”

            Alicia paused with a smile on her face. “But you have a power too. And I can’t stop from wondering if everybody has powers and only some people are expressing it. What triggers expression? What triggered the addition? If another Orange Day happened would more people start expressing?”

            “Those are all good questions.” Pagel interjected. “This is something we can research by gathering volunteers of workers here at the Institute.”

            Alicia forgot about the karyotypes for a second. “That reminds me,” She started. “Do you know about Law-Shah opening their lab up for superpower research?”

            “Yeah,” Pagel responded with death stare directed at empty space. “It makes me think we should move on from plants to lab mice.”

            “Do you want to team up with them and help them with their research?”

            Pagel glanced at her and replied, “Hell no, Lawrence is a pain; he doesn’t know how to evenly distribute work and information. He’d just hoard it all as head researcher. I don’t want to be his lackey. We are doing great work here without them.”

            The lab was quiet for a minute as Alicia wondered if Pagel’s biases were limiting their research before Pagel changed the subject. “I think we should sequence these genes and see if there are any similar codons. There may be an expression sequence that could answer one of your questions.”

            “That sounds like an excellent plan, sir,” Alicia responded. “I’ll give you a sample right now. And Kris would probably be willing to give another sample and she usually has Q in tow, so that’s three people.”

            Alicia walked to a cabinet and pulled out a kit. “We will have to send it to a different facility,” She commented. “We’ll have to ‘trim’ it and say that it’s not human DNA.”

            She swabbed her cheek and placed it in the bag. “We can call it viral DNA,” Pagel answered, “Nobody really questions the oddity that is viruses.”

            Alicia nodded as she labelled the bag. She set it aside and turned to Pagel. “I plan on asking Nicki about their research thing sometime,” She declared.

            Pagel smiled. “Good luck,” He said. “I hope you can find out something useful.”

            He patted her on the shoulder and left the lab with the intent to obtain some lab mice.

+++++

            “Welcome back class,” Silva said. “Today we are going to be going over kicks.”

            “There are a few kinds of kicks,” Silva explained quickly. “Kicks can be ambiguous however; the target of the kick, the direction of the kick, what part of the leg you’re kicking with, all of this defines a kick and makes it more difficult to say what a kick is. That said we are going to practice some defined kicks; these kicks are mostly defined by their direction and what the kick is hitting with.”

            “Our first one is the front kick. The front kick simply is where you kick up and forward with your leg. Just lifting your foot up and hitting somebody with it. Feel free to do some kicks now, but don’t hit anybody yet.”

            The class awkwardly kicked until Silva continued lecturing. “Alright, so that kick seems pretty lame. A better adaption of it is a push kick. For this kick, you bring your knee up to your chest and effectively push your opponent with a kick. It is best to land this kick with your heel or the outside of your foot because hitting with your whole foot can damage it. This kick is better practiced in pairs so pair up and practice.”

            Alicia turned to Paul and gestured for him to go first. He got into his fighting stance, right foot in front. He shifted his weight, raising his left leg and landing his heel on Alicia’s hip without pushing. “Nice,” Silva commented while walking by.

            Alicia tried, hitting Paul in the stomach. She kicked much harder than he did her, knocking him off his feet much to his chagrin. Nearby, Tae was progressively pushing Theo back by alternating legs and kicking him in the knee. “Ow!” Theo exclaimed after Tae nailed him in the same spot for a third time. “Aim somewhere else!”

            Tae kicked him again in the shin before responding, “First, I can’t because I’m short.”

            Silva bounced into view. “Also,” Silva interjected. “It is best to hit the same spot multiple times when facing an attacker. It will cause more pain and deter them from continuing to fight.”

            “Moving on,” Silva said, walking to the front. “The side kick that I want you to learn is relatively specific. This kick comes from the side and generates force as you rotate. If you aim high with good form, it can be considered a roundhouse kick, but that’s not what I want you to learn primarily because most people can see it coming. What I want you to learn is a shin kick, where you do the motion of a side kick and hit with your shin instead of the instep of your foot. These kicks are most effective on the legs, especially by the knees. Done right, these can bring a person down. Partner up again and practice these.”

            Q, feeling unsure, faced Kris. “You first,” Kris offered. “Just not too hard.”

            Q bent at the knees, getting prepared. A little rotate, Q lashed out with a leg, hitting Kris’s front shin with theirs. Kris switched her footing and lightly kicked Q in the thigh. “That’s great,” Silva commented. “Hey guys, I forgot to talk about switching position. Usually you have your less dominant foot forward, however you can switch to your dominant foot forward to throw off your opponent, have a stronger jab, and a better set of unexpected combos if you are good with both hands. Usually, this is called southpaw and is how left-handed people fight. Because most people are right-handed, they are unprepared to fight a person who fights as “left-handed” if that makes sense. I think it is best if you all can switch positions.”

            Tae nodded at Theo and he switched to southpaw. He kicked the inside of Tae’s front leg with his left leg. Tae moved with the blow, shifting that leg behind him before kicking Theo with the other. Theo smirked, ever impressed by Tae’s skill, and switched stances in response.

            “Alright,” Silva said, bringing the fights to a stop. “The next kick isn’t really a kick. It’s a knee. You hit the person with a knee. To do this, you must get close to your opponent. You can aim anywhere your knee can reach and also when jumping as a flying knee kick.”

            Silva looked at a clock. “We are getting close to time, so I’m going to talk quickly about counters. Best way to avoid kicks is by dodging. Other ways are blocks, which are best done with hands, knee, and shins. A good way to block knees or front kicks is with two hands pushing against the attacking limb and moving the rest of your body away from the attack. Be careful with this, there is the potential to injure your hands and wrists. Okay, practice knee kicks before sparring.”

            Alicia held up her hands as Paul readied himself, shaking out his shoulders. He went first stepping in close to knee her. She stopped the knee with her hands, wincing, surprised he didn’t hold back. She moved her hands to grab Paul by the hips and kneed him lightly. He smiled and grabbed her back. He twisted his hips to knee the side of Alicia’s hip. Alicia tried to stop it with a hand, but only managed to slow it down. They released each other, and Alicia nodded. “You’re taking me seriously now,” She commented lightly.

            Tae and Theo had a stare down before Theo tried to kick Tae. Tae pushed it aside with both hands. He jumped up and kneed Theo in the abdomen. Catching Tae in his arms, Theo grumbled in pain. He took a few steps and put Tae down before walking back to his place. Tae laughed a little and raised his arms.

            Kris threw a knee at Q who blocked it painfully with a shin. Q switched to an orthodox pose before trying to knee Kris. They were able to land a hit to Kris’s thigh. Q smiled. Kris shuffled closer and kicked Q’s front leg then quickly partnered it with a jab. The jab glanced off Q’s shoulder but was enough to send them spinning to the side. “Hey!” Q said, going with the spin and trying a reverse roundhouse.

            Kris caught the leg, instantly bending back her fingers to avoid scratching Q. Q lowered their leg slowly. Kris clapped quietly as Q blushed with pride. “That was really good form and it had nice momentum,” Silva said in passing.

            Q nodded, putting on a serious face, before throwing a cross at Kris. Alicia was practicing combos on Paul, sending out a jab then adding a hook with the other hand. Paul dodged the first punch to fall into the second. Paul pushed her away with a kick, lightheartedly declaring, “You’re too good for me.”

            A smirking Alicia shrugged, taking a step closer and switching to southpaw. She pivoted slightly and kicked the inside of Paul’s front leg. Paul fell to his knee for a second. Alicia looked concerned before Paul swept her. She fell on her back, protecting her head and neck with her hands. She was out of breath as Paul quickly got on top of her and started shadowboxing her face. Alicia resisted the urge to protect her face, knowing that he was only messing with her. He smiled and got up. Paul helped her to her feet and whispered, “Do you think that’s what happened with Tae and Bam?”

            She nodded and replied, “He’s a badass like that.”

            Tae glanced at them while Theo attempted to punch him. Tae blocked the punch by pushing it away then threw a cross himself, nailing Theo’s arm. Stinging, Theo jabbed at him with that arm. Tae took a step back before jumping up at Theo, hitting his chest with both knees in quick succession. Theo stumbled back surprised as Tae fell onto his back. Tae swiftly moved onto his hands to sweep Theo. Theo fell on his back with a despairing groan. Tae sat on him peacefully.

            Silva patted Tae on the shoulder. “I think you are too experienced for this class,” She said as Tae got off Theo. “We should start sparring next time you come.”

            Tae helped Theo stand, nodding along with Silva’s statement. Silva looked up and addressed the rest of the class. “We’re at time. You all did great and I’ll see you next Monday.”

            Theo smacked Tae on the shoulder playfully as they left. They walked down the block. Kris and Q held hands as Alicia and Paul side hugged Tae. “Tae is the best fighter!” Paul declared. “He is small and strong!”

            “Woo!” Q cheered, clapping using Kris’s held hand.

            Tae blushed and quietly said, “Thank you.”

            “Oh, guys,” Paul said as if he just remembered something. “Fittings will be Wednesday in the evening.”

            They halted by a bus stop. Theo, Tae, and Paul stayed to wait for the bus. Alicia said, “I drove here. I know Kris and Q live nearby, so I can drive them home.”

            Paul nodded. “Okay, see you guys later then.”

            “See you later. Have nice night.”

+++++

            “I would like to have one person try on their suit at a time. They will give me feedback and I will tug around to make sure it will be properly fitted. I’ll make some notes, then the person can take off the suit,” Soman said. “Now who wants to go first?”

            Soman stood in front of the team in the front room of the boutique. He had set up a hanging changing curtain, so the person could change into their suit quickly. On tables behind him laid the team’s suits. “Where’s Bree?” Paul asked.

            “She’s at home resting,” Soman answered. “Her due date is pretty soon.”

            Alicia raised her hand. He looked at her, bemused. “Yes?”

             “When your baby is born can I get a DNA sample to see if the baby is due to develop any powers?”

            “Uh, sure,” Soman replied unsure how to answer. “I think it would be good to know as long as getting the DNA sample isn’t too invasive.”

            Alicia nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

            The room lapsed into silence. Paul stood up, saying, “Well, I’ll go first.”

            Paul took his suit and went behind the curtain. After a few minutes, he came out in the black outfit. Kris chuckled, looking at the flowery vine detail on the suit. “No offense, you look gay,” Kris said jokingly.

            Paul laughed. Paul rotated, checking out his butt. He flexed his bare arms. Soman touched the armor plates. “It’s a little baggy,” Soman commented, pushing it up into place.

            He put in pins around the plate, noting the amount of extra fabric was about a centimeter. He checked the legs before asking Paul to move. Paul did a superhero pose, flexing his arms. Then, he jogged in place. He touched his toes and smiled. “Feels good,” He said. “Can I show you my scythe?”

            “Sure,” Soman replied. “No fabric should be hindering you.”

            Paul grabbed his right shoulder with the opposite hand and pulled out his scythe. He swung it a few times before dropping it. “How does the back look?” He asked.

            Soman walked behind his, touching his back. “It’ll work,” Soman answered quickly, making sure the secret is kept.

            Paul hugged Soman. “I think we’re good,” Soman said, writing in a notebook. “You can change out and someone else can change in.”

            Paul went behind the curtain, undressing. He exited and gave Soman the suit. While Soman was putting the suit in the back, Kris got up and put on hers. “Nice stripes!” Paul called.

            Kris watched as Soman adjusted her armor plates, her gloved hands clenched apprehensively. “The gloves work?” Soman asked.

            Kris looked at her exposed fingertips. “Yeah,” She replied before changing the subject. “Can I try flying? I want to make sure the suit isn’t too much dead weight.”

            Soman noted the extra fabric around the armor before nodding. “Go ahead.”

            Kris jumped up and flew to the ceiling of the boutique. She moved side to side a little then floated down. “Alright,” Kris said. “Now can I see how dumb I’ll look in my mask?”

            Soman laughed and walked over to the backroom. “I know we didn’t take measurements of your face, but with the program Alicia was using it was pretty easy to approximate and make tiny face plates for your forehead and cheekbones. No absorbent padding though, so don’t worry about looking puffy. They don’t look obvious due to the colors on the mask,” Soman said before handing Kris her mask. “Here you go.”

            Kris touched the plates, which felt like seashells in her hand. She put it on carefully. She touched it on her face, commenting, “It feels weird and what am I supposed to do with my hair?”

            Kris moved over to the mirror to get a look at herself. The crème colored stripe across her eyes seemed to match the pale skin surrounding her mouth. “The hair is up to you,” Soman responded. “You can have it like that or we can make way for a ponytail.”

            Kris touched her exposed lips and chin. “I think I can do a low ponytail without changing the mask. It’ll work out fine. What about you?” Kris asked Q.

            Q smiled lightly and nodded. “I can do that too.”

            “Great,” Soman said, turning to Kris. “We’re good, so you can change, and another person can get dressed.”

            Kris flew into the changing space. She stepped out and Q stepped behind the curtain. Q changed and exited the curtain. Q walked to the middle of room. They held out their arms for inspection. Soman reached out to adjust the armor. “Wait,” Kris said, pulling out her phone. “I want to take a picture.”

            Q posed for Kris’s photo, putting one hand behind their head and the other on their hips. “Okay, thank you,” Kris responded, smiling.

            Soman adjusted the chest armor. “You have a lot more extra fabric than anticipated,” Soman commented.

            “I’m wearing a binder,” Q replied. “That’s okay, right?”

            “Of course,” Soman answered warmly. “Do you want the suit to be tailored for the binder?”

            “Yes,” Q answered quietly.

            “Okay.”

            Soman noted the amount of extra material. “The plate is shaped to breasts and adjusting this extra fabric will just result in some extra armor around the sides of the ribs. But, it will work out just fine,” Soman continued.

            “Great.”

            “Feel free to move around a little,” Soman encouraged.

            Q squatted and did a jumping jack. They threw a few punches. “It fits good,” Q commented.

            Their eyes widened suddenly. “Oh, the mask!” Q exclaimed. “I need a picture with the mask.”

            Soman fetched the mask and gave it to them. Q put it on as Kris took out her phone again. Q adjusted to make sure it was on correctly. They smiled, and Kris took a picture. “Cute,” She said, smirking.

            “Alright,” Q said, taking off the mask. “I’m satisfied.”

            “Good,” Soman said, writing down numbers. “We’re good here. Don’t worry Q; everything is going to be just fine.”

            Q nodded, moving behind the curtain and changing. Alicia stood up and carefully picked up her uniform. She waited for Q to leave the changing space, then went in and changed. She walked out and let Soman move the armor plates. “The program worked pretty well,” She commented, touching the armor herself.

            “I got a lot of things to do before I change out,” She mentioned, adjusting the heavy-duty belt.

            Alicia pulled on the belt loops and checked out the pouches before going over to her large bag. She pulled out a chainmail net, handcuffs, and a few short metal rods. She clicked both the cuffs on a belt loop and hooked the net together on a different loop. Alicia stuffed the metal in a pouch before saying, “I’m working on getting a whip and maybe more stuff.”

            “Damn,” Kris said with her eyebrows raised.

            Alicia glanced at her as Paul slow clapped. “Girl,” He said. “You are on point.”

            “Thank you,” She replied with a grin.

            She walked over to the curtain and pulled out her long sleeve shirt. She put it on over the suit and modeled it. “Fits nicely, right? Hardly noticeable?”

            The shirt had noticeable bulges around Alicia’s elbows, but the team agreed. “With a coat or a hoodie on, it wouldn’t be visible,” She continued. “Same goes for the pants. The weapons however.”

            She put on her jeans. They were loose, so that the knee armor wasn’t discernable. All the items on her belt hung out over the jeans. “This could be a problem unless I wear a long coat, which I am willing to do. The same goes for your rods, Tae, you could tuck them into an oversized coat.”

            Looking okay with that, Tae nodded. “Now, for the mask,” Alicia said. “I have to make sure that it fits with my hair and looks okay.”

            Soman got her mask and she put it on. She went to the mirror immediately and messed around with it until her hair and mask looked good. “You did a great job,” She commented to Soman. “Thank you.”

            She took off the mask and handed it over to him. She did a few yoga poses, including the warrior stance. “Alright, I’m good,” Alicia said, taking off her pants.

            She stepped behind the curtain and changed out of the suit. She gave Soman the suit back. “You don’t mind if I leave the weapons here on the suit?”

            “Not at all,” Soman answered. “I can sew the armor plates with those in place.”

            “Great.” Alicia replied with a smile.

            Theo decided it was his turn and took his suit to the changing space. He emerged with his hands outstretched. Soman checked his armor plates. “I don’t think your armor needs adjustment,” Soman commented amused. “Have you been working out?”

            Theo shook his head. “Outside of our practices, no,” He answered. “Maybe the calculations were off.”

            “Or, you are the type of person who bulks up really easily,” Soman replied. “And if that’s the case, you may need a new uniform eventually.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry,” Theo responded, genuinely sounding regretful. “I don’t want to put you through the trouble of making a new suit.”

            “It’s fine,” Soman said. “Making clothing is my job.”

            Soman looked at Paul. “And besides, Paul is big roller. I’m getting paid well for my work.”

            Soman and Paul laughed. “Try it out, Light,” Paul said.

            Theo threw some punches and squatted low. He stood up and brought his hands close together. A light shield formed over his hands. “I’m glad you left the palms open,” Theo commented. “I would hate to catch the suit on fire.”

            Theo and Soman’s eyes met. “We’re good to go,” Soman said.

            Theo went and changed. Tae got up, rubbing his hands together anxiously. “Last but not least, Tae,” Soman declared with a reassuring smile. “With the suit that we made in a week, but don’t worry, it’s of the same quality as everyone else’s.”

            Tae grabbed his suit and went behind the curtain. He walked out slowly. Soman adjusted the armor and took notes, pinning the armor in place. “How does that feel?” He asked.

            “It could be tighter around the chest,” Tae responded quietly.

            Soman made a note. “Okay, that’s an easy fix.”

            “Do you want to try out your powers?” Soman asked.

            Tae nodded, walking over to a mannequin that was displaying a feathery ball gown. He touched one of the feathers and sent the whole skirt fluffing up. It doubled in size as the feathers pointed directly out. The others laughed. “Hey Tae,” Theo said. “Show off your amazing flying roundhouse.”

            Tae smiled a little before running at Theo. He jumped when he was a meter away. A kick flew over Theo’s surprised head. Tae landed in front of him. The team cheered, and Tae took a bow. Soman commented, “If you can do that, then I think you’re good.”

            Tae went to the changing space and put on his clothes. He stepped out and gave Soman the suit. “It looks like that’s everybody,” Soman said, putting the suit down.

            “Thank you so much, Soman,” Paul said. “Te debo.”

            “It’s no problem,” Soman replied, waving a hand. “These will be done in a few days and then you can go be superheroes.”

            “Thank you,” Theo said then followed by the rest of the team.

            When everyone was done thanking Soman, Paul continued, “We can’t thank you enough.”

            “You can thank me by paying me,” Soman said in a joking tone, though Paul knew he was serious

            The team laughed. “I can give you a down payment as soon as my team leaves,” Paul said, looking at the group.

            Kris raised her hands in defeat, replying, “I’m not fighting about this with you again.”

            She grabbed Q’s hand and turned to go. “Bye Soman, thank you again for making us costumes to look less ridiculous than we normally do,” Kris said.

            Q waved goodbye. “You’re welcome,” Soman responded, amused.

            Kris and Q left with the rest of the team following their lead. Soman and Paul watched them go before sitting down. “How much do I owe you?” Paul asked, his voice somber for the first time today.

            Soman sighed. “Several thousands of dollars at least.”

            Paul placed a hand on his forehead. Paul sighed, saying, “Not to judge or attack you, but how did it get to be that much?”

            “I know we discussed a cotton polyester blend for the suits,” Soman started. “However, we ended up layering several fabrics to create the durable suits you have currently. The layer touching the skin is the blend and the two top layers are more like wire mesh and exercise clothes. So basically, the suit is three suits on top of six people, which makes about eighteen actual suits. Then, there is the armor and absorbent fluid cushioning. Alicia can’t completely write off the usage of the materials, so we have to compensate her for it. If it’s too much, we can work something out-”

            “No, I can afford it,” Paul interjected. “I will just have to take the amount from my bank account.”

            “That much money though,” Soman said, touching Paul’s shoulder. “Won’t your father see it?”

            Paul nodded. “He will, and I’ll deal with the consequences when we get there.”

            Paul looked Soman in the eye. He continued firmly. “This is the right thing to do and we have already come this far, so I’m going to pay you.”

            They stared into each other’s eyes before Soman gave in. “Okay,” He said. “But you don’t have to pay today.”

            Paul glanced at the mirror, seeing a pale face. “Okay,” He responded faintly.