The testing hall was completely empty, ready for the next applicant to step inside and test his skills.  Behind the reinforced, one way glass, a panel of officials now prepared themselves for the testee to enter.  Each one of them a faceless individual chosen to determine the validity of the applicants abilities.  The Association of Superhuman Powers did not slack about when it came to these tests.

Kade knew this all too well.  From licenses to mandates, the Association stands as humanity's method of regulating safety in this new age.  It used to be normal, that is...until the discovery of advanced humans.  They were better than most, mutated, created, or simply gifted odd traits unlike any other, making them special by even special standards.  Most would call them superpowered humans, like something out of a comicbook, but people immedantly began to fear them rather than adore them.

Change is often scary.

No one can deny that a new minority of superiority is a thing most would get along with.  Society began to gossip amongst itself in the following months until the fear came forth that one of these powerful beings could turn upon them.  Some did, seeing it as a way to profit, but the rest did their best to fight, becoming that of vigilantes, but it was all so unstructured.  Riots broke out, media went wild, and the advanced humans were demonized.

Then the Association stepped forward in the darkest hour.

Seeing that crime was now on the rise with these new superpowered villains roaming about, they sought forth to oppose them with the new regulation, mandating the application of advanced humans in their program.  At the age of 18, you were put to a test to determine the uses of your powers and whether or not you stood as a hazard on society.  From then, they would do anything in their power to help you, be it getting you in contact in certain fields or using science and technology to adapt your powers to protect everyone.  They were the saviors of superhumans and mutants.  Finally things were beginning to calm.

This brings the story back to here.  Kade Winters, age 18, walking slowly to the center of his testing room.  He had been told all his life this was going to happen.  It was finally his time to go before the Association and show them his gift.  From there, the rest of his life would be determined.  Most would be worried...but Kade had his heart set on one thing.

The Hero Program.

The Hero Program was a special part of the Association dedicated to fighting the villains of the world.  This was the world of comics people often dreamed of.  Advanced humans who agreed to put their lives in danger, using their talents to save countless lives.  The Veritable supermans and wonderwomen of the world, loved by all for their selfless acts.

That was the life that Kade wanted.

All he had to do was impress the judges.  That was easier said than done though...

The boy now stood in the center of the room and waited for...well anything really.  There was about a 5 minute pause before one of the officials spoke up on their speaker.

"Kaden Winters?"

As they asked for conformation, the boy nodded with a smile on his face.

"Yes, that is me."

Another long pause was taken before another official responded.

"All right we have graded your written portion of the exam.  Now all we need is the physical Abilities Evaluation.  This room will soon activate and several various machines and courses will appear from the floors, ceilings, and walls.  We will first work on collecting you average speed, strength, and make you perform various actions.  After the basics, we will then test your ability.  Is this clear?"

The boy nodded once more without another reply.  A third official now continued where the last one left off.

"Very well then, Mr. Winters.  you may begin as soon as the room is done changing."

Panels began to move about everywhere around Kade until a line of exercise equipment filled the entire left side of the room and then a sort of obstacle course formed to his right.  It was a true sight to behold, resembling that of a science fiction movie.  The parts themselves didn't take long to settle and the room became motionless once more.

Show time.

"Kaden, please walk to the treadmill and prepare to run.  We will control your speed for you.  Simply push the red button on the device when you reach a speed that is far beyond your current level of acceleration."

That seemed simple enough.  Stepping on to the high powered treadmill, the boy was faced with a bit of a easy start.  He was put on a slow walking pace to begin, as if to warm up before he was put into a jogging speed.  Every 5 seconds the treadmill would then begin to increase it's current speed by one mph.  Once again, simply...until a minute in.  12 mph, and Kade was already full on running.  15 more seconds, 15 miles.  This is when he began to slip up.

The officals now took note of this as he hit 17 mph and then unfortunately had to hit the red button.  This ended his basic speed test.

Next was the strength and balance exercises.  Every muscle in his body was put to the test, as each machine measured the average capacity and limit of each muscle group in his body.  He was tested on speed, consistency, weight of payload, and form.  About 28 machines, 10 arms, 10 leg, and 6 torso, and 2 neck were used before they collected all of the data they needed on him.

Finally, the obstacle course.

Obvious it would depend on speed and time, but additionally the boy would have to watch his reaction times, technique, and much more.  This was his final basic to do well on.

The time began and Kade bolted for it, leaping over platforms, climbing up ledges, dangling off fitness bars, and even dodging little projectile balls launched at him.  This would have felt like real test if it weren't so much fun.  The boy finished up about two minutes in, quickly returning to the center for his results.  

Sadly, this is not what he was told.

"Mr. Winters, this concludes you basic examination.  Now to your...ability."

Some paper rustling sounds could be heard as the official looked for the information they needed.

"It says it is...Reincarnation?  Could you explain it a bit more in detail."

That made Kade a bit nervous.  How to put it...?

"Well, as you would assume...I can't really die."

Murmurs on the mics.

"So, you're invincible?  Nothing can harm you?"

The boy shook his head no.

"Not exactly.  I can get hurt...in fact if you haven't noticed or if it's not written somewhere..."

He lifted up his hair to show a small patch covering up his left eye.

"...I unfortunately lost an eye to a....feline-related accident.  Too badly damaged."

More discussion.

"So...you are very mortal, so what do you mean by reincarnation exactly, you die...and then...come back?"

Kade nodded.

"Yeah...sort of.  I still die, I leave a body behind...But I reappear a few mintues later with all the stuff I was wearing and holding."

This got some notes taken out of it.

"Alright then, would you mind showing us this then?"

Kade got a bit worried.

"W-Well...I'd have to die....Do you maybe have someway...not entirely painful to do this?  Something quick?"

A panel now opened up to reveal a gun.

"Oh....I see."

The officials now said one last thing.

"We already got your application form.  You have legally signed agreeing that your abilities are legitimate.  If they aren't this is your only chance to turn back."

The boy now gulped as he grabbed the gun and examined it.  10mm...decent hand cannon.  Should do a decent head shot.  Quick and instantaneous death if done right.

Well, here goes nothing.  Kade pointed the gun to weak part of his skull and pulled the trigger.

A piercing noise, the room fading into black, and a feeling of release, Kade fell to the ground as the bullet pierced through his brain.  His eye remained open as his blood poured onto the floor as he was...in all definitions of the word dead.  It was a rather...unpleasant thing to see.

Ten second pasted by as the officials looked to one another a bit concerned, that's when a speck soon appeared in the air near the freshly made corpse.  The tiny dot slowly began to grow until a completely new Kade stood next to the deceased one, now a bit concerned he didn't come back right.

After a quick check, he now breathed relieved.  It worked.

Two of the officials now wrote as the other three began to review their information, ready to conclude this test.  One of the now pressed their button on their mic.

"Good to see you were sincere Mr. Winters.  Sorry for having to put you through that.  One last thing...What happens to the 'other' you?"

Kade now looked over to himself before looking back at the glass.

"Oh...! It disintegrates in about 10 or so minutes.  It's really convenient that I don't have to...bury myself or anything."

Each official wrote down their final thoughts before the last response.

"Thank you Mr. Winters.  This concludes your exam.  You may now go home.  Your results will be mailed to you in a weeks time.  Thank you for taking part in the Association Power Assessment Exam."

The doors to the room now opened, signifying it was time leave.  As Kade left, he couldn't help but look back at himself one more time.  His head was still a little sore, but it wasn't anything too bad.  He's had much worse.

As he exited the door, another boy walked by him, even more of a nervous wreck than he was.  Kade decided to send him in with some fortune.

"Good Luck man..."

The student turned back to look at him and grinned.

"Thanks..."

And with that, his exam was through.  It was now time to sit back relax and wait for the results.  Hopefully, he had done well enough to...

*************************

"FAIL?!"

Kade now shouted this to his mother, annoyed by this information.  He was very pissed off.

"How could this happen?!"

The boy's teary eyes now looked over the form once more for some kind of error.

"Examee's mental and physical results were on a slightly above average level, but due to a lacking potential use of his ability in the field of hero, you shall not be permitted to apply for a hero licease.  However, due to it's uses in other various fields, we have arranged for you to come in for a profession meeting in one weeks time in order to help hire you in a career suit to your abilities and desires.  We wish you the best, the A.S.P...."

The boy crumbled the paper a bit as he gripped it, still unable to believe these words.

"This is.....I don't know..."

His rage made it hard to think of things to yell and be angry about.  He sat down in his dining room chair, still crossed.  He let out a bitter sigh, and looked over the paper some more.

That's when he now got a small hug from behind.  His mother now stood bent down behind him and tried to calm his worked up nerves.

"Kaden, it's alright...Everything is fine."

"No!  It's not!  I was supposed to do this so Dad-"

The woman just hugged him tighter.

"You don't need to do anything for your father.  He would just be happy you're growing into a fine young man.  I'm sure he would be just as happy with you if you got the hero position just as much as he would if you go any job.  It's going to be alright..."

She now wiped some tears from the boy's eyes.  He whimpered a bit before nuzzling into her embrace.

"I-I just....wanted to honor his memory.  He was a hero once and...I w-wanted to follow in his footsteps...."

The woman smiled as he said this, kissed his cheek, and then helped him stand up again.

"Honey, I'm so happy for you.  Your father would be happy for you.  You tried.  Even though you failed, you at least tried.  I think that's honoring him no matter what you think of it.  Just keep on that determination, and you will continue to honor him..."

This...made Kade feel better.  The boy wiped his eyes once more and gave a weak smile.

"Thanks mom."

"You welcome, sweetie.  Now...how about we make your favorite for dinner, Chicken Marsala?"

The boy laughed.

"Alright, just take it easy with the wine okay?  We don't want another kitchen fire..."

They chuckled on those past memories and the pains of the present began to leave the boy's mind.  His mother was right...he just had to move on and look ahead.  It's all he could really do now.

Son and mother, together they now began to cook together, no longer by the troubles of the test.  In one weeks time, who knows where the immortal boy would find himself.

***********************************

Kade Winters

Power: Reincarnation

Another file floating on a sea of profiles.  If it weren't so new, one would easily over looking it.  

The individual looking it's contents over now slowly puffed a small cloud of smoke from his cigerette.  The darken reading light provided the only visible details in the file, while blanking out the rest of the distractions in the room.

This kid was just as average as any, if not a bit above it.  Around average stats across the board, only barely going a centimeter above the standard.  It was unremarkable in the slightest...but his genetic talent.  Now that is something one should think over with open mind.

Not dying is not enough to make a good hero, that's a given.  Only psychopath would enter a battle immortal thinking he could win against a stronger, faster, and smarter opponent.  You would be nothing but an annoying punching bag to them.

But if you were to even the odds...perhaps it could be more...

The figure now closed the file and rubbed his eyes, looking back at the table covered in the hero's program applicants.  Each one...a failure for one reason or another.  Most were absolutely horrid, having no redeeming qualities, but...this one in his hand.  It gave him ideas.

It now slowly got set in a box to the side.  The man was going to need a few more to make this work.  Hopefully those higher ups would actually listen to his words for once.  After all, he was once a bigger deal than he is now...

Who knows, maybe they'll even consider something worthwhile for once in their lives for once.